Armor of Light
29 November 2015; 8 a.m. Said, 10:00 a.m. Sung Mass
Homily Delivered at Trinity Parish Ashland, Oregon
Advent 1 C
God, give us hearts to feel and love,
take away our hearts of stone, and give us hearts of
flesh. Amen
On Thursday, Elena and I went up to
Camp Latgawa for Thanksgiving Day dinner.
The drive was beautiful, the snow lying on the ground beneath the pines
and cedars, with the sunshine bright in dappled spots as the snow and ice from
the branches melted and rained down. At
my count, we had 18 Trinitarians there, plus a lot of Methodists from Ashland,
Medford, and Klamath Falls. About an
hour before the dinner was scheduled to begin, the power went out. The ice fall had knocked a tree branch and
downed a power line lower in the valley, but we didn’t know that yet. It was dark.
The various cooking and heating appliances that used electricity were
out. I turned to our hosts, Lisa Marie
and James Ryder from our parish and asked if there was anything we could
do. “We’ve called the power company, but
it will be several hours before they can get the grid back up. But most of the food is already prepared and
heating in the ovens, run by gas. We
should be able to do this under candlelight and maybe only miss a couple of the
trickier side dishes. All the staples of
the meal are already ready. We’ll just
have to have some guests help serve to bring things hot to the tables. And so they proceeded according to the
plan. It was a wonderful meal, and all
the more memorable for the candlelight.
I have to say, I was impressed:
James and Lisa Marie maintained a complete air of calm, and never missed
a beat. And the meal went on, and
marvelously so. Another parishioner
remarked to me—I have to say, those kids—sorry, Lisa Marie and James, though
twenty and thirty something counts as full adults to most the world, to many of
our parishioners, you are the age of our children!—those kids are accomplished! Imagine handling such a
potentially disastrous situation so well and so matter-of-fact!”
Trinitarians at Camp Latgawa Thanksgiving Day Dinner, 2015.
It got me to thinking about how we
handle challenges in our lives. We can
do so gracefully and gently, or we can try to bull doze the world and beat it
into submission to us. We can prepare
and then proceed, knowing that we have done what is in our power and can do no
more than this, or we can regret, whine, and pity ourselves.
Today is the First Sunday of the
Christian Year, First Advent. It is all
about preparing for the coming of the Lord, and getting through the rough spots
mythically associated with the end time’s setting all things right not only
relatively unscathed, but joyous.
Today’s Collect from the Prayer Book
is a summing prayer for all of Advent, to be said each day in daily prayers
throughout the season. It is based on
the closing section of Romans. Paul counsels
us to be good, to amend our lives: “The hour has come for you to wake up
from your sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first came to
faith. The night is nearly over; day is almost here. So let us put aside the
deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us conduct ourselves
properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and
licentiousness, not in rivalry and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus
Christ, and stop worrying about how to gratify the raging desires of the you
that resists God” (Romans 13:8-10).
This idea—putting on Christ as a
garment that acts as armor and shield—is present in all of today’s
readings.
Jeremiah says that the Lord is our
righteousness, and this will keep us safe.
It is not our own doing, but God’s promise, that keeps us safe.
The Psalm says that putting trust in
God allows us to learn his ways, and this keeps us safe. The Lord teaches sinners and the lowly his
ways because of their trust and hope in him.
Paul’s earliest letter, the earliest
writing in the New Testament, is First Thessalonians. Paul prays that God will increase the love in
the hearts of his correspondents, and so strengthen their hearts in holiness and
make them blameless, ready for Jesus to come.
The Gospel is part of Luke’s version
of the little Apocalypse found in Mark 14 and Matthew 25. Jesus here says that scary things will
precede the final salvation: “People will faint from fear and foreboding.” But he continues, “Be on guard so that your
hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of
this life, and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.” He advises, “Be alert at all times, praying
that you may have the strength to … stand before” Jesus when he comes.
I have had a lot of parishioner and
friends express to me great anxiety over the last couple of weeks. The terror attacks in Paris have cast a pall
over the season; this week’s domestic terror with gun violence at a Colorado
Planned Parenthood office has only added to the sense of gloom and fear. The numerous deaths and funerals we have had
in the parish, and the ongoing health and mobility challenges that many of us
face also contribute to a sense of fear, depression, and helplessness.
Those of us who follow the spiritual
practice of saying or singing Daily Morning and Evening Prayer regularly have
the experience of finding that the appointed readings in the two year cycle
seem to leap out at us and speak to what we are worrying about in our daily
lives. As I was wondering about the
Paris attacks, we recently read part of Isaiah 24:
Terror, and the pit, and the snare
are upon you, O inhabitant of the earth!
Whoever flees at the sound of the terror
shall fall into the pit;
and whoever climbs out of the pit
shall be caught in the snare…
[But the wicked] will be gathered together
like prisoners in a pit;
they will be shut up in a prison,
and after many days they will be punished.
Then the moon will be abashed,
and the sun ashamed;
for the LORD of hosts will reign
on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
and before his ancient ones he will manifest his glory. (Isa 24:17-23)
Similarly, just yesterday we read,
“The end of all things is near; therefore be serious and discipline yourselves so that you may say your prayers. Above all, maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaining. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received. Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God; whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. … Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:7-9).
These passages speak to us here
today.
“Whoever runs in terror shall fall
into a pit.” (How’s that for a comment about what not to do in reaction to
terror attacks?)
“God will manifest his glory to his
ancient ones.” (How’s that for a parish with an average age in the 70s?)
“Serve each other with the strength
that God gives you. Speak words of God’s
love to each other. Don’t be surprised
by bad stuff as if it’s something new! It’s always been this way. But know that if you share in Jesus’
sufferings, you will share with him in his glory and joy!” (How’s that for putting aside drama queens
and politicians milking our fear and sense of grievance?)
When Paul says we should put on
Christ as an armor of light, he means that thinking about Jesus, following
Jesus, trying to show the love of Jesus, praying to Jesus and in Jesus’ name—all
this puts us in a place where God can give us what we need, can protect us like
armor, can light for us the darkness all about.
He does not mean that Jesus is some kind of talisman or amulet that
magically turns aside tribulation or sorrow.
Rather, opening our hearts and our minds to Jesus makes sense of what
appears to be our meaningless suffering.
Jesus suffered injustice, abuse, and terrible, painful death. But God raised him from the dead in
glory. If we share in human suffering
with Jesus on our lips and in our hearts, we share in Jesus’ pains, and, as
Peter says, this means we will share in his joyful
glory.
Lisa Marie and James successfully handled
the crisis of no power an hour before a major dining event at their camp. They did it, in what in Foreign Service
Officer Evaluation Reports is often called “with grace and aplomb.” They were able to do so by properly planning,
preparing, and following through, regardless of the unfolding drama or falling
ice and power grids. Prayer, reading
scripture, thinking on Jesus, and loving service are what we can do to prepare
for the trials and pain of life. It is
putting on the armor of light that the Advent Collect talks about.
In the name of Christ, Amen.
Inspiring and comforting, Tony. Thank you for bringing hope and understanding the power in the Name of the Lamb.
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