[Sermon delivered at the Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin, December 1, 2019 (Advent IV/I)]
In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us to be ready, “For the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”[1]
Um, what do you mean, be ready?
Well, we are in luck, because today’s Epistle will lead us where we need to go.
To begin, St. Paul tells the Church in Rome to, “Put on the armour of light,”[2] to, “Live honourably as in the day;”[3]and to, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”[4] This isn’t the only time St. Paul has used an armour metaphor, either. In his letter to the Ephesian church he gets a bit more specific, building his armour of God out of truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Spirit, which he further explains as, “The Word of God.”[5]
That’s the positive and affirming part of St. Paul’s message, but he balances that out with some negative examples, “Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarrelling and jealousy,”[6]wrapping it all up with making, “No provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”[7] Not to just let it lie, he expands that list in his letter to the Church in Galatia, describing what he calls the works of the flesh, “Fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, reveling, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like.”[8]
Just so you don’t think it’s just St. Paul being a wet blanket, in the First Epistle-General of St. Peter we find an injunction to arm ourselves so a not to live by human passions[9], those being, “Licentiousness, passions, drunkenness, revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry.”[10]
I’m not going to dwell on these lists. That is a mistake many preachers make, harping on, “Don’t do this,” to banging the pulpit shouting, “Thou shalt NOT.” Frankly, that’s not helpful. What IS helpful is reinforcing the positive behaviours; that is where the transformative work begins! But how do we do so?
The key lies in the power bestowed on us in our baptism. Often, we fail to appreciate just how deeply this sacrament affects us and what it gives us, and the great power it carries. St. Peter tells us in the same Epistle I quoted earlier that, “Baptism…now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”[11] In writing to the Galatians, St. Paul stated, “For as many of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”[12] In today’s Epistle reading, we hear St. Paul further state, “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”[13]
So, what does putting on Christ mean? St. Paul goes into detail with the Galatians about the Holy Spirit and cultivating behaviours which he calls the fruits of the Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”[14] Fostering these traits means to walk in the Spirit, which results in turning from the passions and becoming more like Christ.[15]
Perhaps we should look at each a bit more closely.
Love: St. Paul tells us we must make this our aim,[16]that love is the expression of all the other virtues and puts the needs of others ahead of one’s own.[17] To love is to know God, for, “He who does not love does not know God; for God is love.”[18]
Joy: Joy can be paired with gladness,[19]hope,[20]and peace.[21] It is the opposite of mourning.[22] Joy and laughter aren’t sinful, and they are perfect for those redeemed and rescued from sin and death as we are.
Peace: This is rather self-explanatory. Throughout the Scriptures it refers to calmness, order, tranquility; even in change God prefers peace to confusion, order to chaos, “For God is not a God of confusion but of peace.”[23]
Patience: Patience entails waiting and endurance and tolerance. In fact, they are often linked together.[24]We tolerate each other’s lapses, we endure difficulties set before us, we wait for the Holy Spirit to work in good time.
Kindness: The kind have a long fuse,[25] and are merciful.[26] It goes hand in glove with patience. To be kind is to ensure that we respect the feelings of others, that we eschew cruelty, that we work for the good of others.
Gentleness: The patient and kind do not resort to strong-arm tactics! We emulate the gentleness of Jesus (moneychangers in the temple notwithstanding, Jesus was rough with their tables and animals, not them).[27] St. Paul contrasts it against being quarrelsome and equates it with being courteous.[28]
Self-control: This is where the rubber meets the road. St. Peter links this with patience and endurance,[29]which is probably why St. Paul includes this in our list! This means taking our natural inclinations and bending them back not to unrestrained indulgence but to their well-ordered purpose. These inclinations are there for our preservation not for selfish goals but to prepare us for the service of others. If we focus too much on ourselves, what is left for others?
Here is where we come back to the armour of light in our Epistle, further explained by the image of the armour of God in his Epistle to the Ephesians.
First, St. Paul’s image speaks of passive bodily defenses and these he equates with truth and righteousness. It’s learning and application. As we dig for the truth in what God reveals to us in Scripture and Tradition, we need to apply it to our daily lives. So, if “love your neighbor”[30]is part of that truth, then feeding the poor, sticking up for the wrongly accused, protecting the defenseless is part of righteousness. If “take, eat, this is my body,”[31]is part of that truth, then coming together for the sacrifice of the Mass and taking in the body of Our Lord is part of righteousness.
Second, St. Paul’s image speaks of transportation. He tells us to shoe ourselves with the Gospel of Peace. That means to live and walk in the way of peace. That means violence and coercion are not the examples we give as we live lives of righteousness. Smiting our neighbor is not part of the deal! By our example we are to entice our neighbor to walk with us.
Third, St. Paul’s image is both active and passive as a shield is both a defensive and offensive weapon if used properly, so also faith deflects and pushes back evil. Let’s face it, this fallen cosmos will throw all sorts of horrors at us to get us to fall into the bottomless pit of doom. It is our trust in God, our faith in His promises that will get us through. Yes, we will feel battered; shields do not have good padding or shock absorbers, but faith will keep the fatal cuts at bay.
Fourth, St. Paul’s image invokes another passive defense, our salvation. Our salvation does not come from us, it is not exercised by us. It is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and His Resurrection from the dead. By dying He destroyed Death, in rising He gave us Life. Let us never forget that. Each time we approach the rail, we participate in it.
Finally, St. Paul’s image goes on the offensive, the sword of the Spirit. At our Baptism and affirmed at our Confirmation, the Lord promises us that the Holy Spirit would be with us in everything we do, assisting our prayers, making our defense before detractors, finding Christ in everyone. Also called the Word of God, our Scripture and Tradition is a major tool used by the Holy Spirit to speak to us day in and day out, telling us how those who went before responded to the Spirit’s call. We are not alone in this struggle, and if God is for us, who can be against us? [32]
My brothers and sisters let us keep up the struggle daily to put on Christ and put off the works of darkness. Let us, “Seek the Lord while he wills to be found,”[33]now rather than wait until the last moment. In the wilderness of our hearts, the deserts of this ruined world, let us prepare a highway for our Lord.[34] Then we can always be ready for the Son of Man to come at that unexpected hour.
[1] Mt. 24.44
[2] Rom 13.12
[3] Rom 13.13
[4] Rom 13.14
[5] Eph 6.14-17
[6] Rom. 13.13
[7] Rom 13.14
[8] Gal. 5.19-21
[9] 1 Pet 4.3
[10] 1 Pet. 4.4
[11] 1 Pet 3.21
[12] Gal. 3.27
[13] Rom. 13.14
[14] Gal. 4.22-23
[15] Gal. 4.24-25
[16] 1 Cor. 14.1
[17] 1 Cor. 13.5
[18] 1 Jn. 4.8
[19] Lk. 1.14, 1 Pet. 4.13, Jas. 4.9
[20] 1 Th. 2.19
[21] Rom. 14.17, 15.13
[22] Jer. 31.13
[23] 1 Cor. 14.23
[24] Rom 5.3-4, Jas. 1.3
[25] Neh. 9.17, Joel 2.13, Jn. 4.2
[26] Ps. 117.2, 119.76
[27] 2 Cor. 10.1
[28] Tit. 3.2
[29] 1 Pet. 1.6
[30]Lev. 19.18, Mt. 22.39, Mk. 12.21, Lk. 10.27
[31]Mt. 26.26, Mk. 14.22, Lk. 22.19
[32] Rom. 8.31
[33] Is. 55.6
[34] Is. 40.3
