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Sermon
Put on the Armor of Light
Romans 13:8-14
Proper 18A
The Rev. Anne E. Kitch
September 4, 2005
Cathedral Church of the Nativity
Perhaps it was my PA license plate. After all, I was driving on a Maryland highway. Nevertheless, I had signaled before I began to merge into the next lane. I had checked my blind spot. I had kept up with the traffic as I smoothly pulled into the lane. But the man who pulled into the same lane just ahead of me on the freeway yesterday took offense. I know this because he gestured clearly. I have no idea what angered him, but he continued to communicate his anger to me. First in his rearview mirror as he braked in front of me to give me a clear look, and then again out of the driver’s window as he crossed two lanes of traffic to exit the highway. I immediately said a prayer asking God to pour blessings upon him this day and hoped that he would find release from whatever burden caused him so much rage.
Let me be clear about one thing: I am not in the habit of being so charitable with annoying drivers. I have been known to make quite a few comments out loud about the failings of other people on the road. But yesterday was different. I am sure in part because for the last few days I have been thinking about putting on the armor of light.
In writing to the Romans Paul urges his readers to wake up and smell the coffee. Salvation is happening all around them and the time to act is now. “Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;” Paul writes nearly 2000 years ago. If this phrase sounds familiar to you, you may recognize it from the collect we pray on the first Sunday of Advent: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. (Book of Common Prayer, p. 211)
What does it look like to lay aside the works of darkness? This past week I have felt overwhelmed and shocked and numb and devastated about the suffering and destruction left in Katrina’s wake. So much human anguish, so much horror. In an age when we in this country are used to getting what we need, as well as what we want, quickly, we watch in horror as thousands wait, are still waiting, for water, for food, and for rescue. What would it be like? I can’t imagine. As we look again and again into the faces of this devastation we see clearly the works of darkness. But they are not what some might think. It would be too easy to blame this storm and its devastation on the big guys. Some might say, “it is the work of the devil.” Others might say, “it is God’s punishment.” I don’t believe either of those is true. This hurricane is not a work of darkness. It is a natural occurrence, a part of creation, a combination of wind and water and air pressure that like many things we have no control over.
The works of darkness I am thinking of are our own very human behavior. Like blaming the victim and stereotyping. Or blatant racism and institutionalized poverty. Or passing harsh judgment on the actions of others whose stories we don’t even know. Or telling those who suffer this is God’s judgment. I read that the evacuation plan for the city of New Orleans depended on people driving out of the city. Yet, 35% of the city’s black households do not own cars, compared to 15% of the white households.* Still, people keep asking why the now stranded residents didn’t leave. One person I heard on the news said that this great storm had leveled social lines: poor and rich alike had lost everything. But I wonder, are they really the same? Who will have the resources to rebuild a life?
What would it look like in the weeks ahead if we gave more than the aid and succor that we can, that I know some of you already have and that many more of you will. What would it look like if we also lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light?
What is the armor of light? For Paul it is to live honorably and to love: love one another and love our neighbors. To put on the armor of light is to give out real aid instead of blame. It is to seek out Christ in all persons (especially those who are not among our comfortable circle of friends)instead of stereotyping the other. To put on the armor of light is to have compassion and to remember not to judge others until we have walked a mile in their shoes. To put on the armor of light is to bear one another’s burdens because we are the body of Christ and that’s what we do. To put on the armor of light is to pray for one another, and offer one another blessings even strangers on the highway.
In a letter addressed to all congregations, Our presiding Bishop writes:
Life affords us very few securities and yet deep within us, often revealed in the midst of profound vulnerability and loss, springs up a hope that contradicts the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Such hope emerges from the depths of despair as pure and unexpected gift. This is the way in which Christ accompanies us and seeks to share our burdens. May Christ so be with those of us who are enduring the effects of the hurricane, and may each one of us be a minister of hope to others in these dark and tragic days. (The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop and Primate The Episcopal Church, USA)
For all who suffer; let us put on the armor of light.
For all who grieve; let us put on the armor of light.
For the long haul ahead; let us put on the armor of light.
Because we are Christ’s people and it is what we do, let us put on the armor of light. AMEN.
*The New York Times, September 4, 2005, and article by journalist Jason DeParle.
May we together pray:
God of mercy and compassion, be in our midst and bind us together in your Spirit as a community of love and service to bear one another's burdens in these days as we face the ravages of storm and sea. This we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord from whom alone comes our hope.
Amen.
The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church, USA
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