Download Armour of God 09/11/14 - Parish of Cirencester

‘The Armour of God’
Ephesians 6.10-20
Parish Church, Cirencester - 09.11.14
Reverend Gary Grady
May I speak in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Britain, 1914. One hundred years ago. King George V is on the throne and Herbert Asquith is Prime Minister.
For some years, the British government had considered Germany the main threat to its empire, a feeling that was
reinforced by Germany’s decision to form the ‘Triple Alliance’ with Austria-Hungary and Italy. Under the terms
of this alliance, these countries agreed to support each other if attacked by either France or Russia.
France felt threatened by the agreement and Britain had become increasingly concerned at the growth of the
German navy, so in 1904 Britain and France had signed the ‘Entente Cordiale’, a friendly understanding with
one another to encourage cooperation against the perceived threat of Germany. Three years later, Russia, who
also feared the growth of the German Army, joined Britain and France to form the Triple Entente, or ‘Allied
Forces’ as it became known.
After years of political tensions, the tipping point came in August of 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to
the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire, was assassinated...and because of the various diplomatic alliances, it
didn’t take long for the affair to escalate into full-scale war. Germany invaded Belgium, whom Britain had
previously promised to defend...so, on August 4th, 1914 at 11am, Britain, with an army of 120,000 soldiers,
declared war on Germany, who had an army of 2 million.
There was no going back and humanity was to enter into one of its darkest hours. This would be the first
‘modern’ war, a total war. It would be one that would pit the resources [and resolve] of entire populations
against another. A war that would turn everything upside-down! It would be a war that would tear the world
apart.
Nothing would be the same again, and the cost in human life [on all sides] must be considered one of the most
unimaginable disasters in the history of humanity. Nothing could prepare those who had enlisted voluntarily, or
those who were later conscripted, for the horrors those 4 years [between 1914 and 1918] would bring.
[PAUSE]
Later this morning, we will commemorate all those who lost their lives in WWI. Originally called the Great
War, it was supposed to be a war to end all wars, it was like none other...that was until the 1939-45 conflict,
which was equally brutal and bloody. And we will commemorate those who lost their lives in this war also, and
the countless others.
These were times of great deeds, of senseless loss and of great evil.
[PAUSE]
Our Epistle reading today was taken from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
Established in around 53 A.D. the church in Ephesus was one of the most prominent in the early days of
Christianity, and Paul is writing to them from his prison cell in Rome. His intention is to strengthen the people
[there] in their Christian faith by explaining the nature and purpose of the church, whom he calls the Body of
Christ.
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Through Christ’s death and resurrection, victory over death and the forces of evil has been won; but Paul tells us
that evil still abounds, and that we have to watch for it. Paul recognises that whilst Christ’s light has now been
shone into the world, there are still dark corners where evil lurks, ready to enter into our hearts and drive us
down unimaginable paths.
We know this is true, we see it on our TVs on an almost daily basis! People are cruel and unkind to each
other...we commit the worst types of crimes in our pursuit of power, status, control or material gain. And
sometimes we need to stand up and oppose this.
Don’t forget, Jesus said, ‘Blessed are the peace makers’ (Matt 5.9).
Some of the evil in the world is transparent, there for all to see, like I.S. But much of it is in-visible, and it is this
‘invisible’ or ‘spiritual’ war which Paul is giving us some advice on. He says that, to withstand the attack of
evil, we must depend on God’s strength and use every piece of his armour. And as we do battle against the
powers of darkness in this world, we should do so in the strength of the church, whose power comes from the
Holy Spirit.
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To stand together in truth and righteousness;
To walk together in the peace of the Gospel;
To be shielded by faith in the sure and certain hope of salvation;
And to be confident in the word of the Lord.
Paul tells us that we don’t fight for victory, but from the victory.
And he tells us that our ‘supply line’ is through prayer, ‘Praying always and at all times with all prayer and
supplication in the Spirit, with perseverance’ (Eph 6.18).
But exactly ‘how’ can we pray at all times?
One way is to make quick, brief prayers a habitual response to every situation we meet throughout the day.
Another way is to revolve our lives around Christ’s teachings, so that our whole life becomes a prayer. We don’t
have to isolate ourselves from other people or from daily work in order to do this. In fact, we can make prayer
our life and our life a prayer.
We are called to pray for the church and the world, and for the Body of Christ. To pray for those who are under
attack from the visible and invisible forces of this world, and to pray that God will use ‘us’ to accomplish his
plan: ‘Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven’ (Matt 6. 10).
[PAUSE]
One hundred years ago, humankind went to war on an epic scale. Today we remember and give thanks for all
those who fell. It is our duty to ensure that the ‘tomorrow’ they fought [and died] for is honoured. And so, as a
Christian community, we pray that such wars will never be waged again.
We saw moments of great humanity during those dark times, but it remains [on all sides] humanity’s darkest
hour and we cannot ignore that either. And so I pray that the light of Christ will shine into all places this day,
both visible and invisible...and that as the Body of Christ, we might be able to put on the armour of Christ in the
times to come.
Amen.
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