Seasons of the Spirit ~ SeasonsFUSION
Lectionary resources for worship, faith formation, and service
Strengthened and Equipped | Ephesians 6:10−20
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What do we do with the very militaristic metaphor that is offered in this week’s focus reading? My coffee companion and I tried eliminating the reference to armour.
We asked, “what is truth and what does it look like?” “What is righteousness and what does it look like?” “And if peace is to be our shoes, where will that take us?”
“Roman armour and weaponry,” says Paul Turley in this week’s Spirit Sighting, “was the state of the art, the best in the world.” He then offers us something to ponder;
“…perhaps we must clothe ourselves in the best that our best minds can come up with. What if we embraced the best thinking on conflict resolution? The most forward thinking of international laws and courts of justice? The most technically sophisticated responses to the alleviation of poverty and hunger? The cleverest weapons to fight climate change? The most comprehensive and international resistance to evil regimes?”
This week’s focus passage provides an opportunity to reflect on the role of violence in our communities and the power of language to unify or divide.
This week also provides opportunity to reach out to victims of “spiritual violence,” (see “Spiritual Violence and Spiritual Welcome” on page 177).
What have you planned for worship, learning and serving this week? How might it help worshippers leave feeling equipped for the journey and strengthened by courage?
