I imagine that the first hearers of this text would imagine a Roman soldier: someone equipped with a broad sword; someone wearing some kind of metal or leather covering across their torso as a breastplate; someone with a helmet, with those metal pieces partially covering their faces. What else comes to mind with this image? I don’t know about you, but for me, I picture what that armor allows its wearer to do; that, now that the person wearing the armor is less vulnerable to harm, they take that freedom and stride toward someone else, and take full advantage of their protection to bring the fight to that person. To hurt them, maybe kill them, certainly do something to them to get them out of the fighting ranks. The medieval knight doesn’t just walk around in all that armor; he dons it for a joust, for a challenge of who is the strongest, the best, the most deadly. He wears it to go into battle. I think it is difficult for us to separate armor, the wearing of armor, from what the armored person would then do. And I think we assume that the person wears armor not just to protect themselves, but to thus be able to attack another person, with less fear of damage to themselves. Even the police, when they put on all that tactical gear when there are large-scale protests – I think there is a tremendous impulse to then use force against the protesters, regardless of what the protesters might be doing. I think it is human conditioning at work, just human nature. I also think that that image, of going to battle to harm someone else, has little to do with what this text actually says. The writer of Ephesians is suggesting that we put on the armor of God – which is not meant to make us more effective weapons ourselves. This armor is meant to ward off the blows that might come from what the writer of Ephesians names as the true dangers we face: rulers; authorities; cosmic powers of this present darkness; spiritual forces of evil. Now, we all know what would happen if you or I decided to meet our rulers or those in authority with force: we would wind up in jail, most likely. God is not calling us to use force. But I do think that through this text, God is asking us to protect ourselves while we do our best to walk our belief in Jesus out into the world. And the writer of Ephesians outlines how we are to protect ourselves. We put on the belt of truth. We surround ourselves with truth. Truth then holds us. I think this protects us from rumor, from conspiracy theories and other made-up stuff that might lead us into bad conclusions or poor choices. Truth will serve us well. Those other imaginings can lead us into harm. What’s next? We put on the breastplate of righteousness. We do what is right, what we feel God is leading us to do. Those right actions insulate us from those who would throw mud at us, who would like to tear us down by saying, “Well, you might say those things, but you don’t actually do them, DO YOU?” If you live a good life, no one can tear you down; you know you are doing what you are supposed to. You know you are doing the best you can. It gives you a place to stand, to feel secure….no one is going to be able to rock you off your balance if you know there’s nothing wrong with who you are or how you are. We put on our feet “whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.” (v. 15) We put on the helmet of salvation, confident in our faith in a loving and merciful God; so that nothing less good, less healthful, less beneficial can worm its way into our thoughts or into our soul. All of these things -- the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the helmet of salvation – all of these things are not things you can use to hurt someone else. They only act to protect, a specific kind of protection: they protect your soul. Not your physical self. There is no guarantee that you won’t physically hurt, that you won’t feel hunger or pain or loneliness or fear. All of these pieces of armor only guarantee that your inner core, that innermost part of you will remain safe and sound, no matter what the world pushes at you or puts on you. The one thing that sounds like a weapon in this list of armor, that echoes the weapon carried by the Roman soldiers, is the sword. The writer names it “the sword of the Spirit.” Which really isn’t a sword at all, but is “the word of God.” God’s holy word to us, spoken deep in our hearts. Carried in the stories we’ve been taught and the psalms sung for centuries. Words to uplift us, inspire us, move us to serve; to love; to include. So…not a weapon at all, but a gift given to each of us, and meant to be one we share with one another. The gift of God’s word. But, some people have not understood that the “whole armor of God” was never meant to be weaponized. Some people have put on that breastplate of righteousness…and perhaps inadvertently picked up some arrogance and judgmentalism to go with it, and they decided that their righteousness entitled them to tell others how they were messing up. Doing faith wrong. Living badly. And then they looked at their belt of truth and decided that their truth was greater, or better, or bigger than others’ truths, and they felt it was then okay to use that “sword of the Spirit” to whang other people over their metaphorical heads. These people have decided that it is okay to beat up other people, using their understanding of truth and of God’s word as a mighty club. We have witnessed it in our own lives. We’ve heard tell of it from others. But that weaponization isn’t God’s will. Nowhere in this text are we told that our armor is for any purpose other than protecting us. We are not called to become a weapon. We are not called to yell at others, or threaten them, or hurt them. We are called to do what makes for peace. We are called to love our neighbors. We are called to serve one another. We are called to love our God. Doesn’t mean we won’t disagree about what a particular text means. Doesn’t mean we won’t have some very spirited conversations about what it means to be a Christian. But God never, never calls for us to become a weapon. So: we may have to be careful with those images in our minds. We may have to really re-define what “armor” is and how we are to use it. May it be so. May we learn to set down our weapons, all our weapons, and stop warring on one another. May we instead be about those tasks and those attitudes that will build up the body of Christ. That will build God’s kingdom of love, peace, justice and hope. May it be so. Amen. Reading from the Epistles:Ephesians 6:10-20 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, 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 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