On Which Side Are You Fighting?
Good Morning Friends,
Alice Paul was the architect of some of the most outstanding political achievements on behalf of women in the 20th century. Born on January 11, 1885 to Quaker parents in Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, Alice Paul dedicated her life to the single cause of securing equal rights for all women. Few individuals have had as much impact on American history as has Alice Paul. Her life symbolizes the long struggle for justice in the United States and around the world. Her vision was the ordinary notion that women and men should be equal partners in society. The question for us today not so much in connecting the dots of the lectionary scripture of the day but in contemplating something very basic. Today we are to try to fathom the reality that there is a battle and victory to be won. On Which Side Are You Fighting?
Scripture: Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power.
1 Corinthians 15:57 (NRSV)
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.
Ephesians 6:10-17 (NRSV)
Praise the Lord! O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord, or declare all his praise? Happy are those who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people; help me when you deliver them; that I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation, that I may glory in your heritage. Both we and our ancestors have sinned; we have committed iniquity, have done wickedly. Our ancestors, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wonderful works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled against the Most High at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, so that he might make known his mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry; he led them through the deep as through a desert. So he saved them from the hand of the foe, and delivered them from the hand of the enemy. The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them was left. Then they believed his words; they sang his praise.
Psalm 106 (NRSV)
The Israelites again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, after Ehud died. So the Lord sold them into the hand of King Jabin of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-ha-goiim. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help; for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, and had oppressed the Israelites cruelly for twenty years. At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgement. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.” ‘ Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’ And she said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.’ Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. Barak summoned Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and ten thousand warriors went up behind him; and Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite had separated from the other Kenites, that is, the descendants of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, and had encamped as far away as Elon-bezaanannim, which is near Kedesh. When Sisera was told that Barak son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor, Sisera called out all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the troops who were with him, from Harosheth-ha-goiim to the Wadi Kishon. Then Deborah said to Barak, ‘Up! For this is the day on which theLord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.’ So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand warriors following him. And the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and all his army into a panic before Barak; Sisera got down from his chariot and fled away on foot, while Barak pursued the chariots and the army to Harosheth-ha-goiim. All the army of Sisera fell by the sword; no one was left.
Judges 4:1-16 (NRSV)
Message: Today’s lectionary selection gives us a process, song and image of how Christians are to behave on the battlefield in our fight against sin. We are to see what can be accomplished when we let God fight our battles, and we are to see the importance of remembering God as a miracle worker. But there is an evolution in the writings. We begin with one of the earliest writings in the Bible…the story of Deborah. Here we have a woman of character, a real Super Girl Shero, who between Moses and Samuel, is unique in having filled all three roles of prophet, judge, and military leader. And talk about miracles for a patriarchal society! Deborah is model of a woman who is mother to a nation and who crushes the serpent on her heal and on top of her service duties, Deborah was also a wife and mother to her family. And Deborah and Barak gave praise to God, realizing there was no way they could have accomplished it on their own. And that friends that is exactly what God deserves from you and I today in our relationships and partnerships. And this theme develops in the Psalm as we discover that God saves us in our ignorance and self-will despite our poor judgement. And finally in the letters of Paul to the Ephesians…an advanced process that prepares the mind to be ready for battle…ready for life, and for us to have a proper attitude in fighting the good fight facing it forward. But sometimes we just do not know who the enemy is.
This last weekend I saw a lot of football games and an amazing amount of their outcomes were determined in surprising ways.
Teams time and time again defeated themselves. They self-destructed. Each week the commentators rank the potential of the players and how they have waxed or waned. And this is fine but the problem is that it is so segregated. And this separation when taken to the extremes reveals some problems. It starts at an early age. For in our midst there is a crisis that curtails our potential as men and women. It is so deep, so pervasive, so consistent that we often lose sight of it. It arises when we act as though men and women are different not only in physical form, but also in spiritual purpose. You see we all have an inner humanity, spirit, and soul that exists and needs to be expressed regardless of our outward attributes. We need to have a song in our hearts that honors God. We need to keep moving forward with the expectation that God will provide what we need for victory in spite of the apparent risk. Christians are to be engaged in a spiritual battle equipped with weapons of warfare that are also spiritual. And fight we must for moral strength is not enough. Ethical wisdom and high ideals are insufficient. Personal commitment to justice and righteousness fall short. If we take the great commission seriously then we will need to girdle ourselves with the belt of truth, for it holds together all other virtues… We need to be honest and sincere. We need to put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts from sin. We need to shod our feet with the preparation of peace so we might be stable in our walk with God. We need the shield of faith so we might face the onslaught of sin. We need to put on the helmet of salvation that protects the seed of our thought life. With the helmet of salvation we can be delivered from conflict and sufferings, removed from the onslaught of fiery darts, and given confidence that nothing can separate us from the love of God. With these defenses in place we take up the sword of the spirit…the word of God spoken with boldness and power as we expose the enemy to our unity in love. But having said that we must start with being our true selves and that friends is a hard thing to do for we always seem to want more than our fair share. We would like to think we have made great progress in the United States. But then why are virtually all perpetrators of mass shootings male? Why are 90 percent of convicted murderers male? Why is domestic violence the most common cause of injury for women 18-44 years of age? Why are 80 percent of adolescent suicides boys? Why do so many college girls purge food? The honest reality is that as a nation we have come a long way and have a long way to go, but as a world, the work seems like it is just beginning. We do so hate to give up anything we think is ours. Hopefully as we face the battles to come we will not defeat ourselves. Hopefully we will remember whose team we are on.
Pray we discover that connecting in prayer to the constant intervention of the Spirit of Christ is a victory in itself. Pray
that we clothe ourselves with the collar of compassion and the cuff of kindness. Pray that we be surrounded by the hem of humility and girdle ourselves with gentleness. Pray that we put on the pants of patience to find peace. Pray that we clothe ourselves with the pattern of Christ as our model. Pray that the clothing of Christ be sewn with the thread that binds us all together in love. Pray that we be covered. Pray that we be strong. Pray that we be aware. Pray that in Christ we will be victorious as we discover that the greatness of the “good news” is that it does not come from us, but from God. Pray that we realize that just showing up can be a victory. Pray that our patience is part of His leadership. Pray we realize that it is the transformation of rage and angry roars, not their exhibition, that leads us to victory and greater integrity.
Pray that our soul be untethered and live on in the victory of Jesus. Pray we realize that God is bigger than our problems. Pray we realize that Christ gives us the ability to experience victory in any situation we face in life. Pray for a victory in our lives that reflects the powerful victory of Jesus. Pray for a time when our culture more clearly reflects this victory in Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 