in a post-Christian World<\/strong><\/p>\n Sermon V in the \u201cNew Paul\u201d series<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n November 9, 2008<\/strong><\/p>\n Aldred Neufeldt<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Texts: Psalm 93<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0Ephesians 6:10-20<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My commission in our series on the Apostle Paul\u2019s letters to early church communities is to consider what he said about Powers and Principalities. What could be more appropriate on this Sunday before November 11 \u2013 Peace Sunday, a day when we as Mennonite and Brethren Churches, and a number of others, remind ourselves that seeking peace and justice is a core teaching of Jesus, a belief so foundational that it often goes unspoken. Theologically and historically we, as churches in the peace tradition, are deeply rooted in the understanding that war and violence go against our call to discipleship.<\/p>\n And, who here did not marvel at the range of different kinds of power on display earlier this week when Barak Obama became President-elect of the United States. Whether or not you stayed up for the final speeches of John McCain and Barak Obama on Tuesday night, most everyone would agree that it was a momentous event, touching hundreds of millions of people – not only in the USA but also around the globe.\u00a0<\/p>\n His installation ceremony in January will be filled with symbolism. Here he is, a self-identified African American, being sworn in as President in January, 145 years to the month after another world-famous President from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, issued a Proclamation emancipating America\u2019s slaves.\u00a0 While Mr. Obama\u2019s own story does not include the narrative of slavery, the symbolism is still there.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 These two events \u2013 the election of Mr. Obama and our celebration of Peace Sunday \u2013 are linked in the rather obvious way that the President of the USA also is Commander in Chief of the world\u2019s largest war machine; and, we as Canadian Mennonites are tied into that reality whether we like it or not.\u00a0 It matters who the President is, and what he or she believes.<\/p>\n Earlier this week Ed Heide shared with me a conversation with a friend on a \u2018what if\u2019 question: What if President Bush had responded to 9\/11 in a Christian way rather than as he did \u2013 if he had responded as Jesus could be expected to?\u00a0 What if, instead of seeking to get even, to destroy Al Qaida militarily, to wage war in Iraq and Afghanistan \u2013 what if, instead, Mr. Bush had prayed for forgiveness for the perpetrators of 9\/11, had committed American time and money equivalent to the amounts spent on war to reducing inequality and injustice, had committed to enhancing the understanding of a common humanity between peoples of all racial and religious backgrounds around the world?\u00a0 What would the impact have been?<\/p>\n Of course, \u2018what if\u2019 questions like this are not answerable.\u00a0 But, there is little doubt that things would be different. So, it matters what the President of the United States believes.\u00a0<\/p>\n It also matters what you and I believe, just as it matters what we as a church believe. Beliefs shape what happens.\u00a0\u00a0 Our belief in the centrality of the Sermon on the Mount for our lives, and how that plays itself out in what we do and how we do it, shapes our relationships with people around us and beyond.\u00a0 We celebrate Peace Sunday because of a certainty that not only is violence wrong, but that when violent actions occur, that only provokes hostility. We celebrate Peace Sunday on the conviction that the gentleness of Jesus does<\/span> win its way. No doubt for a time it will yield to brute force; but a lesson of history is that, in the end, moral power is the real power.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Powers and Principalities<\/strong><\/p>\n When I speak of \u2018belief\u2019 or \u2018moral power\u2019, I\u2019m also saying that we, all of us, live in a world made up of not only the tangibles around us \u2013 the externalities that we see and touch and smell; but also made up of internalities \u2013 the realm of the spirit \u2013intangible forces that never-the-less are very real.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a world that both the Psalmist in Psalms 93 and the Apostle Paul in his letter to the church in Ephesus were very conscious of.\u00a0\u00a0 In his letters to Ephesus, Colossus and elsewhere Paul refers to the \u2018powers and principalities\u2019 confronting the believers to whom he wrote. In today\u2019s reading he encourages them to \u2018stand against the wiles of the devil\u2019 (Eph. 6:11).\u00a0 He then continues by reminding them they live in a world of both tangible, external forces and of internal, less tangible spirit forces: \u201cFor our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh\u201d he says, \u201cbut against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places\u201d (v. 12). The \u2018external\u2019 and tangible are those who persecuted believers \u2013 the \u2018enemies of blood and flesh\u2019; but, more important are the \u2018cosmic forces\u2019, the not-so-tangible but equally as real \u2018spiritual forces\u2019 challenging the church.<\/p>\n Most of us avoid talking much about \u2018powers and principalities\u2019, about \u2018spiritual forces.\u2019\u00a0 It makes us uncomfortable.\u00a0 We don\u2019t quite know what to make of such notions, given the advancements of science.\u00a0 So, let me say a few words to help us think about such phenomena.\u00a0<\/p>\n The ancient notion about \u2018powers and principalities\u2019 was that spirits and devils and angels had human characteristics.\u00a0 This way of thinking continues to the present, though the idea that God is a spirit human living somewhere out there in the sky has faded as our scientific knowledge of the universe has increased.\u00a0 Thinking about God or Satan or the angels as having human characteristics is a natural human tendency when we don\u2019t know any other way to account for spi But, this is not the only way to think about them. One can also think of Powers and Principalities as impersonal and invisible spiritual forces.\u00a0 They may be the internal realities of the systems within which we live.\u00a0 They may also be realities beyond those we comprehend. Let me give a few examples.\u00a0<\/p>\n The election of Mr. Obama, and the campaigning leading up to that, are \u2018external tangibles\u2019 that we all could see.\u00a0 But, as one listens to people in the media or elsewhere just before and after the election, one senses something else \u2013 a palpable air of hope.\u00a0 There is hope that racial divides can become a thing of the past, that people will be judged for who they are as individuals – what they can do – what they might become. There is a sense of regained pride in America amongst Americans, and of readiness in the rest of the world to see America more positively. Such hope is more than the words people use, or their body language when they say them.\u00a0 Its there in the air in a way that few people can miss.\u00a0 Yet, it\u2019s not tangible. It\u2019s in the realm of spirit.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Another example.\u00a0 The war in Iraq or Afghanistan or any war is tangible, with many externalities one can point at \u2013 the shooting, the violence, people dying.\u00a0 Not so tangible is the \u2018blood lust\u2019, the \u2018evil\u2019 associated with brutality, the \u2018horror\u2019 of untimely and unnecessary death.\u00a0 These not-so-tangible spirits of war are very real, and have been testified to by many.<\/p>\n Yet another. Some of us have had the experience of either living in or visiting countries with repressive and oppressive regimes.\u00a0 Those who left the then Soviet Union during Stalinist or post-Stalinist times, or left South Africa in the days of apartheid, often remarked on the sense of an enormous weight of anxiety and tension that dropped off their shoulders as their plane left Soviet or South African airspace.\u00a0 The sense of \u2018evil\u2019 of the regime, and it being left behind when one departs, are very real.<\/p>\n Closer to home, I\u2019ve had similar experiences in my career of seeking to develop services systems that more perfectly support disabled people in becoming valued members of society.\u00a0 On a number of occasions, both in Canada and abroad, I have experienced settings where there was a pervading sense of \u2018evil\u2019.\u00a0 The most vivid have been in larger residential institutions. It was not that there weren\u2019t good people working there \u2013 there were.\u00a0 Yet, despite the effort of these good people, the institutions within which they worked were dehumanizing the vulnerable people living there in the most basic of ways- residents were given little or no choice about anything meaningful, their needs were overlooked or ignored, the situation within which they lived was deplorable and, at worst, they are abused \u2013 physically, sexually with over medication.<\/p>\n What I find remarkable in these omni-present phenomena \u2013 Obama\u2019s election, war, oppressive regimes, large residential institutions \u2013 is that one can sense<\/span> the \u2018intangible\u2019, the \u2018spirits\u2019 associated with them. Walter Wink in his book Engaging the Powers<\/em> argues: \u201cThese \u2018spirits\u2019 are real, but they are not independent operatives from on high; they are the actual spirituality of the nations (and phenomena) involved, and the sheer intensity of evil (or in the case of the recent election, \u2018potential for good\u2019) renders them, for a brief time, almost visible\u201d (p. 8) [1].<\/p>\n All of us are conscious of them in some way.\u00a0 Indeed, the sense of \u2018spirit world\u2019 enters into our thoughts in small as well as big ways.\u00a0 Last Sunday as Erna and I drove home after church, with several grandsons in our back seat who were chatting away, my mind snapped to attention when I heard one say – \u2018jinx\u2019.\u00a0 A moment later another said \u2018undo jinx\u2019.\u00a0 Curious about this I asked: \u201cwhat is this \u2018jinx\u2019 thing\u2019?\u00a0 \u201cWell\u201d, one replied, \u201cit\u2019s something that gets said when two of us say the same thing at the same time\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cAnd, what does it mean\u201d, I asked.\u00a0 Said another, after a bit of thought, \u201cIt means that something bad could happen, and if you say \u2018unjinx\u2019 within a count of ten nothing will happen\u201d.<\/p>\n This little belief \u2013 that if two people say or do the same thing at the same time, it\u2019s a sign of bad luck \u2013 is an ancient one, one that harkens back to medieval times or before when people thought of dark spirits floating around the air, looking for opportunity to trip up mortals.\u00a0 As now played, it is an interesting little word game, but at one time it was seriously believed and acted on.\u00a0<\/p>\n All of these representations of Power are similar to those Paul was speaking about in his letter to the church in Ephesus \u2013 of \u2018struggle against\u2026cosmic powers and spiritual forces\u2019. However one thinks about them, I am of the view that what the Apostle Paul observed was in fact real.\u00a0 He was observing the spirituality at the centre of the political, economic and cultural institutions of his day.\u00a0 The spirituality of such institutions exists as a real aspect of them, even if they are not perceived as such.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Colossians 1: 16-17 he goes on to say that such Powers are not immutably bad \u2013 they may be \u2018fallen\u2019, but they are potentially redeemable.\u00a0 Indeed, Paul says that God has created the Powers: \u201cfor in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers – created through and for Christ.\u00a0 In Christ all things are held together.\u201d\u00a0 In the words of Walter Wink, \u201chere is the brash assertion \u2026 that the principalities and powers that visit the world with so much evil are not autonomous, not independent, not eternal\u2026 The social structures of reality are creations of God.\u00a0 Because they are creations they are mortal, limited, responsible to God, made to serve the humanizing purposes of God in the world.\u201d (p66).<\/p>\n Our lives as we know them are not possible apart from our social institutions \u2013 whether schools, or governments or economic.\u00a0 We need such social institutions. Without them, it is difficult to transform ideas to action.\u00a0 And, their \u2018spiritual dimensions may be good, or bad, or benign.\u00a0 Though such systems may well become depraved, they are not a matter of indifference to God.\u00a0 What matters is whether an institution is pursuing the humanizing purposes for which it was created – as opposed to looking after its own interests or survival needs. The recent melt down of financial markets illustrates how greed and self-interest, in the end, destroys people and institutions.\u00a0 It is in addressing conflicts between what an institution ought to do and what it really does, that we have to wrestle with the spiritual Powers of today\u2019s systems in a way analogous to Jacob wrestling with God who appeared in the form of an angel. Though Jacob became lamed in the process, he persisted in wrestling with the angel until God gave His blessing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Post-Christian World<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So what does Paul have to say about wrestling with Powers and Principalities in the world we live?\u00a0 It might be useful to remember that Paul lived in what might be called a \u2018pre-Christian\u2019 world. Though growing rapidly in size, the absolute number still was very small. It was a time with many competing claims to knowledge about how to order one\u2019s world, or live one\u2019s life, a time of many competing claims about God or gods or of religion.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 In good measure because of his work, the Church became more prominent, particularly in Europe \u2013 and, though Paul probably would have frowned on it, the church took an increasingly central role in determining what the laws of the day ought to be, and how people should order their lives. Beginning in the 5th<\/span> century, and for generations thereafter in Europe and, after settlement the Americas, were shaped by the Christ story. It\u2019s not that nearly everyone lived his or her lives accordingly, but the Christian narrative was dominant.\u00a0 The lasting impact of this period on the world as we know it has been impressive. The health, or educational or social systems we have today were essentially founded through the church\u2019s interest and influence.\u00a0 There is a good argument to be made that the human rights we enjoy are similarly founded. We also wouldn\u2019t have some of the problems we have today; but, overall, the impact has been positive for humankind.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The world has turned again.\u00a0 In recent decades we have come to live in an increasingly secular, multi-religious, pagan western society.\u00a0 Church attendance has dropped consistently.\u00a0 There are whole generations who know little about the Bible or of what it means to be Christian other than a few stereotypes.\u00a0 In other words, our environment is increasingly becoming closer to that of the Apostle Paul \u2013 what might be called a post-Christian world.\u00a0 It is a world where the Christian story no longer shapes our culture, and other beliefs and spirits take over.\u00a0<\/p>\n Today we are beset by material influences as never before.\u00a0 Just think about the many choices there are for entertainment in Toronto and beyond \u2013 or the many choices for programs to enroll our children in \u2013 or the many other demands on our time that take us away from nurturing our spiritual wellbeing.\u00a0 All these tangible realities bring with them the intangible spiritual forces that challenge our very commitments to God and to Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 What, then, does Paul have to say? Judging by his letters, he would say something as follows to us at TUMC:<\/p>\n A letter from Paul to TUMC<\/strong><\/p>\n Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Toronto:<\/p>\n I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I rejoice in how many of you commit yourselves to regular attendance at TUMC where you join together with your sisters and brothers in Christ to worship and pray.\u00a0 This is essential to your spiritual health.\u00a0 It also is an important sign of your commitment to your faith, and a testimony to others. Participating regularly in Sunday morning worship is one of the most counter-cultural and life giving things you can do.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I want to commend you for the good job you are doing in raising your children.\u00a0 The gentle ways in which you nurture their spiritual as well as their physical well-being is an encouragement to us all.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My spirit sings when I hear about the ways you help each other in times of need, and the warmth you show each other.\u00a0 When you do this, you follow the example set by Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 But I challenge you in the choices you make as to how and where you and your families and friends spend your time.\u00a0 There are many temptations in the city and beyond, many opportunities to be involved in activities that draw you away from your life in Christ.\u00a0 You have heard it said \u2018don\u2019t sweat the small stuff.\u2019\u00a0 I say \u2018don\u2019t sweat the \u2018big stuff\u2019, having every confidence you know what is right and wrong in the face of obvious evil as demonstrated by your many ministries.\u00a0 It is<\/span> the \u2018small stuff\u2019, the little temptations one has to be wary of. The forces of darkness are well aware that the gentle, sliding slope of habitual small sins is better than any grandiose sin in securing eventual damnation<\/p>\n These forces are ever present. To protect yourself from them, put on the whole armour of God\u00a0 – fasten the belt of truth about your waist, put on the breastplate of righteousness, put on shoes that make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace, take the shield of faith to quench the flaming arrows of evil spirits about us, take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.\u00a0 And pray at all times for each other and for those that can speak to the truth of the Gospel.<\/p>\n I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, reminding you that a meek spirit enables you to treat all with perfect courtesy, to rebuke without rancor, to argue without intolerance, to face the truth without resentment, to be angry and yet sin not, to be gentle and yet not weak.<\/p>\n All the saints about me greet you.\u00a0 Peace be to the whole community, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wrestling with Principalities and Powers in a post-Christian World Sermon V in the \u201cNew Paul\u201d series November 9, 2008 Aldred Neufeldt \u00a0 Texts: Psalm 93 \u00a0Ephesians 6:10-20 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Introduction \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 My commission in our series on the Apostle Paul\u2019s letters to early church communities is to consider what he said about Powers and Principalities. What could be more appropriate on this Sunday before November 11 \u2013 Peace Sunday, a day when we as Mennonite and Brethren…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons-a-worship-audio"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1171"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1171\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tumc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nritual phenomena that seem to act intentionally.\u00a0<\/p>\n