A Homily for the Twenty-first Sunday after Trinity
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be
able to stand against the whiles of the devil.
--Ephesians 6:11
Christians are peaceloving people, and Christianity is
a religion of peace. And so it may sound a bit strange to have the
Christian life likened to the life of a soldier. Nevertheless, the
image of the Christian soldier, the soldier of the Cross, is a common one
in Saint Paul's letters. Not only that, it is an image that has persisted
through two millenia of Christian experience.
In the fourth century, Saint Patrick wrote his poem, which
is still found in our hymnal, "I bind unto myself today the strong Name of
the Trinity." The figure of the poem is that of a Roman soldier lacing
up his leather armour. Patrick, arising to face the day, prepares himself
by lacing on the armor of the divine Name, the mightyt acts of salvation,
the works of Christ, and the prayers of faithful Christians everywhere.
In the sixteenth century, the Dutch priest, Desiderius
Erasmus, wrote a devotional manual, urging his readers to constant prayer,
works of charity, and study of the Scripture. He called his book, the
"Field Manual of the Christian Soldier."
In our hymns, the image is repeated: Onward, Christian
soldiers, marching as to war; the Son of God goes forth to war, a kingly
crown to gain, his blood-red banner streams afar; who follows in his train;
stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the Cross; lead on, O King eternal,
the day of march has come, henceforth in fields of conquest thy tents shall
be our home; am I a soldier of the Cross, a follower of the Lamb?
Even the formal proper Name of God himself is Yahweh Sabaoth,
Lord God of Hosts--meaning Lord God of the Armies. And the name, too,
of that part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church in which we now
find ourselves is "Christ's Church Militant here in earth." The Church
of the living is the Church embattled: the militant, soldierly Church.
And so it is, that in the baptismal liturgy, when the
newly Christened arise from the font, they are signed on their foreheads
with the sign of the cross in token of their commitment to fight manfully
under Christ's banner against the devil, the world, and the flesh, and to
continue Christ's faithful soldier and servant unto their lives' ends.
The Apostles' Creed and the baptismal promises are our
enlistment oath. The sacrament of Baptism is our mustering in.
The sacrament of Confirmation marks our completion of basic training and
our deployment in the line of battle.
And it is no short-term enlistment, either. We are
all career soldiers. We are all what is called, in military jargon,
"lifers."
In his letter to Saint Timothy, Saint Paul writes that
once one has enlisted in the army, one must forego commercial pursuits, and
so gain the goodwill of the commander. There are no Sergeant Bilkos
in this army, no Milo Minderbinders.
Every soldier knows how important it is that he go into
battle properly equipped and properly armed. And how one is equipped
and how one is armed depend on where and how and against whom one is fighting.
The leather armor of the Roman legionnaire was a fine
defense against the arrows and short swords of the ancient world; but it
would be useless against a modern bullet. And the kind of flak jacket
worn in the first Gulf War will one day be useless against laser weapons.
The first American troops deployed to Viet-Nam were issued
leather combat boots designed to be worn in the European theatre. In
the swamps, the leather tended to rot; and the rubber soles were easily pierced
by punji stakes; but in the first Gulf War, boots designed for Viet-Nam quickly
filled with sand.
And everyone knows that the red coated uniforms once worn
by British soldiers, which inspired fear in other enemies, simply made them
easier targets for the patriot marksmen in the American Revolution.
So who are the enemies against whom we Christians are
at war? In what kind of war are we engaged? The enemies are three:
Satan the adversary, crafty and cruel; the world, wealthy and powerful; and
the flesh, lustful and covetous.
We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against an
axis of evil: principalities and powers; the rulers of darkness; spiritual
wickeness in high places. Therefore, our equipment and weapons must
be suited to warfare against such enemies.
Our uniform is truth, the truth of the Gospel. "What
is truth?" asked Pontius Pilate at the trial of Jesus Christ, but he did
not stay to hear the answer. "I am the way, the truth, and the life,"
said Jesus Christ. The axis of evil in this world fears nothing so
much as the truth.
In secular warfare, armies have taken to wearing camouflage
battle-dress, to blend in with the environment, to conceal their presence
until the last minute. But for spiritual combat those redcoats had
the right idea--we wear a uniform that proclaims who we are and who we work
for.
Our body armour is righteousness. What can protect
us from the temptations of the enemy except the living of a Christian life.
If we are in the habit of living a godly, righteous, and sober life, then
the crafts and wiles of the devil will bounce right off; but if we have become
lax and if we make excuses for our bad behavior, then we will be that much
more vulnerable.
And our heads we wear the helmet of salvation. In
the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our salvation is already
assured; and just as the Kevlar® helmet worn by a soldier protects his
head from bullets and shrapnel, the knowledge that we have been saved
by grace through faith will protect us from the lies and false promises of
the enemy.
Our combat boots are the preparation of the good news
of peace. The allusion is to the prophecy of Isaiah: "How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings tidings of peace."
And our weapons? How are we armed for this combat?
With the shield of faith and with the sword of the spirit.
If we have trust in God, if we believe his promises and
strive to live in accordance with his will, then we have a shield that we
can use to repel anything that the enemy sends our way. Saint Paul
likens that incoming fire to flaming arrows.
Does Satan attack with doubts and fear? The shield
of faith can repel them. Does the world assault us with dreams of wealth
and power? They bounce right off the shield of faith. Does the
flesh come on strong with promises of bodily gratification? The shield
of faith deflects them.
But ours is not only a defensive war. We are called
upon to drive back the enemy, to recover captured territory, to liberate
those who have been overrun, and to repatriate the prisoners of war.
We ourselves can forge no weapon that would be effective; but God is issuing
us the weapon we need: the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of
God. And this is a weapon that is already proven in battle against
the enemy.
Finally, our warfare must be coordinated. Every
soldier must be in communication with his command authority, reporting what
he sees around him, calling in for artillery fire and reinforcements, and
listening for orders that will point him in the right direction and send
him where he is most needed. And God has provided us just such a communication
system, which is prayer. Prayer is how we keep in touch with headquarters,
it is how we coordinate our efforts with the rest of the friendly forces
(that is, all of the saints, the holy people of God).
No matter what the recruiting slogans say, there is no
such thing as an "army of one." A soldier is always part of a team;
he has always a commander and a group of brothers-in-arms. A soldier
in battle looks out not only for himself, but for the rest of the guys in
his unit. When a comrade is wounded, a soldier calls in for aid; when
an adjacent position is under in heavy attack, a soldier calls in for fire
support and manoeuvers to where he can provide support.
We are soldiers of the Cross because we are enlisted in
the Church of God, which moves, indeed, like a mighty army. We do not
fight alone. None of us is Rambo. We are part of a unit, we share
in a common cause, we fight under a wise commander.
We hear daily about secular conflicts: Israelis
against Palestinians, Indians against Pakistanis, Al Quaida against almost
everbody. American troops are still in harm's way in Afghanistan. We
are warned of imminent conflict between our own country (with or without
allies) and Iraq--the country once known as Babylon. We are constantly
aware of secular warfare.
But are we aware of the spiritual warfare in which we
ourselves are engaged? Do we work up the same kind of rage against
Satan that we do against Saddam Hussein or Uzama bin Ladin? Are we
as concerned about the vain pomp and glory of the world or the sinful desires
of the flesh as we are about weapons of mass destruction in Iran, Iraq, and
North Korea? Sometimes the spiritual warfare that rages about us must
seem indefinite and distant in comparison with the cares of the "real world."
But, you know, the spritual realm is the real "real world."
This material order will pass away, but the spiritual world endures forever.
Every secular battle comes to an end, but our fight against the devil, the
world, and the flesh must last until we we are promoted into the Church Triumphant.
Therefore, brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the
power of his might, put on the whole armour of God, and pray always, with
supplication for all the saints.
Church of Saint Mary Magdalene
Orange, California
20 October 2002
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