Good morning, and welcome especially to Henry, whom we will welcome fully into the family of God through baptism shortly!
At first glance, our reading from Ephesians today—with its imagery of military clothing, of battle, of armor— may feel disjointed from the celebration and the sacrament of baptism. It might initially evoke thoughts of battle and conflict, something so devastatingly present in our world today. And I imagine some of us have may been exposed to beliefs that center this kind of battle, maybe even the notion of spiritual warfare, in a way that has been used to harm rather than heal.
Now, while it is likely that an admirer of Paul, and not Paul himself was the writer of this letter, the author of this letter is actually doing something not uncommon to the context or time when it came to expressing thought or belief. “the use of martial, war-like imagery was a common practice for describing the life of philosophers as battle and struggle”. The Roman army would have at this time been a fixture in daily life, so to relate to it would have been a common practice. Paul’s letter uses this imagery to describe the life of early Christians as a struggle against some of the evil forces in the world. And I want to make sure we take note that this struggle is not against other people. As the First Nations version of the New Testament translates: “Remember, we are not fighting against human beings. Our battle is against the evil rulers, the dark powers, and the spiritual forces of the spirit-world above and around us.” We might consider these powers to be things like greed, selfishness, fear, hate, ETC….The struggle is not about physical combat, but about standing up to, and releasing from ourselves and others, the power of these kinds of bleak forces.
Furthermore, the use of this imagery of war is a subversive device, meant to instead reveal to us what protection God already provides. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes that allow us to go and share the Gospel, a shield of faith, a helmet of salvation, a sword of the Spirit, the word of God. It may be interesting for us to recognize that all these items of armor, except one, are for the wearers defense, for their protection. The one weapon, per say, is the word of God—the Gospel of peace, of love, of welcome. The armor of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, which we need only to take up, is not about waging war but about living out the peace and victory already won by Christ. The Gospel turns the notion of victory on its head. Victory in Christ is not achieved through force but through sacrificial love and self-giving.
Into that story, of the peace and protection already won by God, we welcome Henry today, through the mystery of baptism. In baptism, we are each transformed, welcomed into the body of Christ, into Jesus’ death and resurrection, sealed as Christ’s own forever. This act of baptism marks a point where a new beloved one is clothed in Christ, in the armor and protection of the love of Christ, and allows each of us to be reminded of this gift that we receive, not just at our own baptism, but each moment of our lives.
So I want to walk us through this armor—and pray for Henry, for the family and community that surrounds Henry, for ourselves, for this community of believers—baptized or considering baptism, doubting, discerning or wondering or somewhere in between all of those—as we imagine being clothed in these loving pieces of protection.
For Henry’s and our belt of truth—that we would remember that our Baptism signifies a commitment to living in the truth of the Gospel, to loving our neighbor, our God and ourself, even when we do it imperfectly. It’s not just about acknowledging truth but embodying it in everyday life. Truth is the belt on which everything else depends.
For Henry’s and our righteous breastplate— May we live into righteousness, not self righteousness, but a sense of just and right relations with the people and world around us. We remember that our baptism calls us to live this way, not to earn salvation, but as a response to the grace we receive as beloved children of God.
For Henry’s and our shield of faith— May we know that our faith—even when we are questioning, wondering, unsure, or unmoveable—guards us from our fears. As one scholar shares, as the Roman shields were covered in water-soaked leather, may our shield quench the flaming arrows of all that would work to distance us from God.
For Henry’s and our helmet of salvation— May we rest in the understanding that nothing we do will ever keep us from the love of God. That Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension has already obtained the gift of salvation for us.
For Henry’s and our shoes to spread the gospel of peace—may we understand that these shoes may need to be all-terrain, for the unexpected places God may call us share the word. May we learn how to keep peace internally and externally, guarding our hearts and minds and going out to be peacemakers in the world.
For Henry’s and our sword of the spirit—for the wisdom to recognize that we are not ever called to yield God’s word as an attack, but to have courageous but non-aggressive faith. That as baptized beloveds we are to live out the peace of Christ in a world full of conflict and division; to be agents of reconciliation and bearers of hope.
In rememberance of each of our baptisms, and in celebration of Henry’s today, we ask to be wrapped up in the armor of God, to allow it to defend us, but not distance us from the trials of the world, that we may be moved by the need for justice, for love, for reconciliation and peace. Remind us daily that this armor of truth, righteousness, faith, salvation, hope, love, is not for our self-defense, but for the doing of God’s work of peace, justice and hope in the world, today and everyday. Amen.
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