Fighting in Borrowed Armor (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

A confession: I almost did the same thing everyone else does with the “Armor of God.”

That would be a mistake.

Don't get me wrong. I agree with them that each piece of armor is important to winning the battle against the forces of evil. And I certainly do agree that armor represents very important spiritual weapons and protections. A lot of excellent scholarship has been done on this passage, with many books and articles written about it (and I even have my favorites* ). But, in the end, they all come down to one charge: "Armor up!"

All of that is to the good. We need to absorb the lessons of Ephesians 6. We do need to armor up for the fight. It is a real battle that rages all about us, every day, and we need to be in it! It's just that I think there is something else, something much more important that I don't find anyone else saying.

It's not our armor.

When Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians and told them they needed to "put on the whole armor of God," he was not thinking about the armor of a Roman Legionnaire. Sure, that was without doubt the image that would come to mind in most readers of the day. But Paul was harking back to something much older, something a student of the ancient texts (such as Paul) would know. And it wasn't the armor of a soldier.

“He [God] put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head; And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.” (‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭59:17‬ ‭NASB‬‬. http://bible.com/100/isa.59.17.nasb)

When Paul exhorts his readers to put on the whole armor of God, he's not talking about an armor we possess, nor an armor tailored to our needs, nor any armor made for humans. He is referencing that Isaiah passage: the armor God put on.

Perhaps you see the problem.

How are we to put on God's armor? Imagine a small child outfitted with the average NFL uniform. Some parts would just fall off because the wearer is too small. Other parts, though they remain on, would be too heavy, bearing the wearer down to the ground. And think of the helmet on that tiny head! It can't possibly work. No mobility. No flexibility. And no way to wield the huge weapons. God's armor would be the same for us. It is designed for the greatest battle, ever: the battle to defeat evil. As it stands, that armor is much too much for us humans to bear.

Unless.

Suppose there was something the wearer could put on that added padding and bulk to keep the big parts in place. And suppose it came with a structure and power that added the strength to lift and use the too heavy parts and to wield that sword. Well, then you would have a fighting chance. Then, you could enter the battle; be flexible, mobile, and effective. But where to get this amazing under-armor?

As with all our interactions with God, we need our intercessor, the one who stands in the gap. We cannot wield the sword of the Spirit without the one who sent us the Spirit. The belt of truth requires we first be outfitted with the one who is "the way, the truth, and the life." We cannot wear the helmet of salvation without our savior. Before we can put on God's armor, we must first put on Christ. Our faith in Christ IS our shield, and we cannot resist the evil one without it.

Now that we know whose armor we must wear and who makes that possible for us, what happens next?

We who are saved must accept that we are in a battle. That, alone, will be hard for many believers to fully embrace. Secondly, we must understand that our battle is not with other humans. Our fight is with spiritual forces. That could certainly be the second hardest part for most believers to accept. But we must. And we cannot successfully engage in a spiritual battle without the right armor; a spiritual armor, God's armor. We cannot even perceive our enemies, and thus cannot fight them, until we "put on he whole armor of God." But, before we head into battle, it is equally important to pause and remember that we are fighting in borrowed armor . . . and whose armor.

God loaned us His armor. That's how important the battle is.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 16 (21) (August 23, 2015)
First reading and Psalm
1 Kings 8:(1,6,10-11), 22-30, 41-43
Psalm 84
Alternate First reading and Psalm
Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
Psalm 34:15-22
Second reading
Ephesians 6:10-20
Gospel
John 6:56-69

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As usual, we will meet Friday morning at 8:00. Please join us at the Waco Egg and I restaurant for Lectionary Breakfast. It's an hour of food, fellowship, scripture, and just a wee bit of "iron sharpening iron."

Enjoy the week!
Steve
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*I have read many excellent studies on the "Armor of God." I am partial to Spiritual Warfare by Ray C. Stedman (Discovery House Publishers, 1999). It's an accessible, short, and easily readable book that has served me well. Each of the ten chapters opens with a story, many from actual battles, to illustrate the point of the chapter.

Another resource I find useful, especially for daily reflections, is the three-volume work by William Gurnall, The Christian in Complete Armour (There are various forms of this in print. Consider the abridged version from The Banner of Truth Trust, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. This set is divided into short, readable sections perfect for daily devotions. Moody has a very nice daily readings version, and it also comes in an eBook. In any case, get your hands on one that works for you.).

Both Stedman's works and Gurnall's are available from Christianbook.com.

The Riverwalk (a Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

I'm sitting on the Riverwalk in San Antonio. My objective this morning was to wander along these paths, enjoy the relative coolness of being below-street, take in the beauty, and then, maybe, find a spot to sit and think (and write).

Mission somewhat accomplished.

After a lazy meander, I am now sipping iced tea and nibbling on fresh berries (with just a smidge of cream) at "Ostra," a pleasant eatery on the banks of the San Antonio River. Across from me is La Mansion, one of SA's finest hotels for several decades. We stayed there on our honeymoon.

I am sitting here under a large market umbrella and happy for it: the sun is merciless, even down here. It is much warmer at street level, but even down here the shade is very welcome. I am surrounded by greenery.

All would be ideal but for one thing. When I set out on this little jaunt, I had forgotten something important, failed to take into account something critical

Jackhammer season.

Yes, even in Texas, summer is when we repair our streets. It is a factor one might forget when planning a vacation. Or a stroll along the banks of a river. In my defense, all was ideal when I sat down. The cacophony started about the time my berries arrived, and continues still. Everything else is as expected and desired. Still, even the accumulation of every other positive factor is not enough to overcome the one negative factor of the jackhammer.

One change can change everything.

That's the situation we encounter in this week's Lectionary selection from 2nd Samuel. As promised to David by God, in response to David's evil actions connected to Bathsheba, one of his grown sons has led a rebellion to overthrow the kingdom. The intrigues led to war, and, at the time of this passage, the war has moved in the "forest of Ephraim."

It was the final battle.

Scripture reports, "The forest claimed more victims that day than the sword." (2Samuel 18:8 NRSV)

We could speculate about the possible outcomes of those battles, that war; and many have. Some take the scripture at face value, believing the thick undergrowth, steep ravines, pits, and precipices were directly responsible for the rebels' deaths. Even the Targum (Rabbinic opinion; e.g., THE source in the days Jesus taught) states they were devoured by the beasts of the forest. Others, though, believe the thick forest prevented them from outrunning their pursuers, resulting in deaths by sword, just not on the "field of battle." But, just about everyone agrees on one thing: when those rebels moved into that forest, they made a fatal mistake.

Our takeaway? There are many, potentially. Environment matters. Planning needs to account for as many factors as possible. Choose your battles. No battle plan ever survives actual contact with the enemy. Know your terrain. Wicked friends lead to wicked ends. I'm sure you can think of others.

For me, it's this: align yourself with God's chosen.

Circumstances will vary (you never know when a jackhammer will start up), and some will be bad, but they all pale in comparison to eternity.

Choose wisely. And if you're not sure how to do that, then choose love. You can't go wrong with love.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

Proper 14 (19) (August 9, 2015)
First reading and Psalm
2 Samuel 18:5-9, 15, 31-33
Psalm 130
Alternate First reading and Psalm
1 Kings 19:4-8
Psalm 34:1-8
Second reading
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Gospel
John 6:35, 41-51
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Friday's coming! Will you be with us for Lectionary Breakfast? We're continuing to meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant. Our time together, though brief, sets the tone for the whole day. Join us for food, scripture, a "robust exchange of ideas," and some hilarity (seriously) 😊

Enjoy the week!
Steve

Mad Men

Mad Men
(a brief Lectionary reflection by Steve Orr)

Even if you haven't seen it, you have probably heard about the television show called, "Mad Men." This dark drama focuses on a fictional advertising firm in the 1960s; has won numerous awards; is chock full of unethical, morally bankrupt characters; and has a protagonist so complex and tragic, Shakespeare would fight to get his name on the credits.

[On the off chance you are interested in my opinion, here is my take on the show. First, it isn't uplifting; so keep that in mind when deciding whether to watch it. Unless you can remember the '60s (or at least lived THROUGH the '60s, even if you can't remember it all), you probably won't have the historical anchoring to put it in perspective. Without it, your viewing experience may be more like what Roger Ebert said about "The Wild Bunch": bad people we know doing bad things to bad people we don't know. Yes, it is trainwreck-fascinating, well written, and extremely well acted; but don't go there if you are looking for something uplifting. It's more "MacBeth" or "Hamlet" than "Much Ado About Nothing." On the other hand, it IS morally instructive ;-) ]

But, I digress.

With the success of Mad Men has come a renewed attention to the advertising business. People are once again thinking about the whys and wherefores of how some people get other people to think a certain way about a specific thing. And "branding" is key to that understanding.

In the 1960s (see the connection?), the top two soft drinks sold in the world were Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola, in that order. And, despite many attempts by many advertising firms, no one could crack that block. In fact, no one could even come close . . . until 1967.

In that year, 7Up launched an advertising campaign that is still talked about among advertising practitioners and is still taught in many schools for its unique approach to solving a serious branding concern called, "top of mind awareness" (TOMA); i.e. how to position a product so high up in the mind of a consumer that they just naturally think of the product with little or no prompting. Using ideas pioneered by Jack Trout and Al Reis (see "Positioning:The Battle for Your Mind"), 7Up launched its new advertising campaign. Instead of trying to break into the top tier of the "cola" position, 7Up did something brilliant: created a NEW position, the UNcola position. And promptly claimed the top spot by declaring their product THE uncola.

7Up gained its TOMA because it refused to play the game on the same playing field as colas. Instead of being stuck several rungs down on the cola "ladder" in the minds of consumers, 7Up made its own ladder and immediately occupied the top rung. They sold a lot of 7Up.

Which brings us to David.

As we saw in last week's reading, after God rejected Saul as King of Israel, God chose the LAST person any contemporary would have picked for King, if they had thought of David at all, something which his own father failed to do when the Prophet Samuel told him to gather his sons for God's anointing. Until prompted by Samuel, Jesse apparently forget he even HAD another son. Or maybe Jesse had ruled out David as a likely candidate. David was the runt, the youngest, the smallest. The UNking.

And this continues when it comes to fighting Israel's enemies in this week's reading. No one thinks of David when Goliath taunts the armies of Israel. David isn't a warrior. He's the shepherd boy. But God had a different idea. Isn't that just like God? No one was thinking about David as a solution to their giant problem. He just wasn't top-of-mind when it came to that brand. And there was already a King, who, as far as the people knew, was God's anointed.

Most of us know about David and his five smooth stones (though I bet you don't recall that David RAN TOWARD Goliath while winding up for the pitch . . . Awesome). So we know God uses David to defeat Israel's most dangerous enemy, making David the hero of the battle. And shortly thereafter, God makes him the hero of EVERY battle.

The UNking becomes top of mind. And that's how God does it.

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 7 (12) (June 24, 2012)
http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/

1 Samuel 17:(1a, 4-11, 19-23), 32-49
Psalm 9:9-20
Or
1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 18:10-16
Psalm 133

Job 38:1-11
Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Mark 4:35-41

For more reading on 7Up's brilliant campaign, see "the UN COLA advertisement campaign by 7up: a master stroke to change the competitive space itself" by Paritosh Kashyap on his MANAGEMENT GURU blog at http://themanagmentguru.blogspot.com/2009/11/un-cola-advertisement-campaign-by-7up.html