e-vo for week of August 19

Dearest e-votees-

The appointed epistle for this week comes from the sixth chapter of Ephesians. In this text are instructions for resisting attacks from the evil one in our lives. We would do well to ponder and pray our way through this text this week.

Peace,
Karl

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Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

Ephesians 6:10-20, NRSV

In our midweek adult study at church we have been working our way through C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters. This book presents one side of a series of letters as Uncle Screwtape works to help his nephew Wormwood corrupt his first Christian. Although the language and the setting are from another place and time the insights into the schemes and strategies used to get us spiritually off track are spot on. I would highly commend this book to you if you have never read it or if it has been a while.

The introduction to the book says that there are two mistakes that we as humans can make as we think about the diabolical realms. Either we think of them as comic caricature—and thereby are too dismissive—or we afford them undue attention and fear—and thereby are too obsessive. It really doesn’t matter which side of the horse we fall from—we still end up dismounted from the proper perspective on faith.

We modern or post-modern thinkers can very easily dismiss devils and demons and evil as vestiges from a primitive past. We discard such things as superstitious drivel and sneer at those who think in such ways. Others of us can buy in fully to world views such as captured in the ridiculously popular Left Behind series of books. Either way we end up dismounted from the proper perspective of faith. The evil one is still hard at work trying to draw us away from the true faith with parlor tricks and with petty distractions. We are much too easily distracted.

One of the themes of the book is that the devil and his minions always try to misdirect our attention. Our Ephesians text gets at this too. We are in a spiritual struggle. We get our attention mistakenly fixed on flesh and blood. Our ultimate struggles aren’t with people. We wrangle with powers and principalities. People and circumstances perhaps offer flesh and sinew to our struggles but the real skeleton is one of spiritual forces of evil and powers and principalities. Our prayers and our strategies should reflect a deeper and more spiritual insight when we pray. Perhaps one of the reasons Jesus was able to pray for those who had crucified him while yet on the cross was that he understood what struggle was really underway. The Roman soldiers and the religious leaders were more akin to pawns in the conflict.

We are engaged in struggles in this world and in spiritual realms. We are called to strive to be faithful and focused during the things that assail us. The armor of God as detailed above gives many ways in which to seek to endure the onslaughts. May we find deep truth and powerful inspiration in those Holy Spirit blown life-giving words this week.

Please pray for those who are messengers of the gospel (which is all of us if we take seriously the priesthood of all believers) that they may “make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel” to a world that is easily distracted and only half listening. May all of us speak with boldness. May all of us hear with the requisite attention.

God, give us wisdom to see past the surface tensions to the battles that rage in the spiritual realms. Help us all to put on the full armor of God and fight the good fight. Stir us to be ambassadors of your reconciliation and bearers of your good news. Amen.