Loving the Devil Out of One Another: How Should We Engage Spiritual Warfare ~ 1 John 3:8-10 (Final Sermon in Spiritual Warfare Series)

⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. ⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. ¹⁰ This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. ~ 1 John 3:8-10

At the start of this series I was given a toy by a professor at Westmont College, pertaining to Scooby-Doo. Here we see Mr. Carswell, the Bank Manager, who looks so proper, so normal, yet becomes someone sinister, the Creeper, once you push down the glow-in-the-dark torch. In reverse, of course, what looks so sinister often passes itself off as benign. But the toy can also be seen in a different way – that demons are more than mere humans with masks, and more than disembodied ghost-like spirits, but refer to all kinds of spiritual powers that even Christians can fall prey to - forces of evil, deeply personal and distorted entities or twisted ideologies, whatever they may be, which lead them away from God – harming them, others, and all of creation.

Rather than horror movies which traffic in often grotesque displays of violence and evil, we’ve learned that demons are dangerous because we can’t see them. So we’ve been trying to construct an apocalyptic theology of spiritual warfare. “Apocalyptic,” we’ve learned, means a way of seeing that allows us to unmask evil, resist the devil and aid those who are struggling with demons, recognizing that they are out there, in the real world, impacting our daily lives, often appearing boring or benign. That’s what John is reminding us here about Jesus’ purpose – the Son of God was apocaplyptic, “was revealed.” So what was revealed? What must we see if we are going to engage spiritual warfare rightly?

To engage spiritual warfare rightly we need to get our story straight in seven words.

What’s that story? The apostle John reminds us that the revelation of Jesus was the act of God to destroy the works of the Devil or as the early church referred to it - the Gospel story!, also known as Christus Victor (Latin for Christ is victorious!)

The point is that Jesus’ ministry – healing, exorcisms, table-fellowship - and his death on the cross, cannot be understood without an appreciation for the broader spiritual warfare motif that runs throughout Scripture. In fact, we will see, without this motif the whole story gets distorted.

In the Old Testament, spiritual warfare is usually depicted in terms of God’s battle over hostile waters and with vicious sea monsters (e.g. Leviathan) that were believed to surround and threaten the earth which Yahweh alone would vanquish (e.g. Ps 29:3-4, 10; 74:10-14; 77:16, 19; 89:9-10; 104:2-9; Prov 8:27-29; Job 7:12; 9:8, 13; 26:12-13; 38:6-11; 40:41; Ezek. 29:3; 32:2; Jer 51:34; Hab. 3:8-15; Na. 1:4). Through vivid, metaphorical imagery, the Old Testament powerfully communicates the understanding that the earth and its inhabitants exist in a cosmic war zone between God and antagonistic, spiritual forces. This understanding grew among Jews in the two centuries leading up to Christ, and Jesus and his earliest followers intensified this vision, particularly with respect to Satan. So we need to “Get behind Jesus” and listen to how he tells the story.

What was the redemptive story that Jesus was telling and acting out? Jesus talked a fair amount about the Devil and defined his actions as an assault on Satan’s activities (Luke 13:10-17). He believed that Satan was “the prince of this world” (Jn 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) and yet also claimed that he was being dethroned (Luke 10:18). And John goes so far as to claim that the entire world is “under the power of the evil one” (I Jn 5:19). Everything Jesus does was centered on taking back the world that Satan had seized, and liberating people (Gen. 1:26-28, cf. 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 5:10). Each one of Jesus’ many healings and deliverances were understood to diminish Satan’s hold on the world (Luke 11:20; Matt. 12:28; Luke 10:18). Peter succinctly summarized Jesus’ ministry to Cornelius when he said that Jesus “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil…” (Ac 10:38, emphasis added). 

And Jesus and his first followers connected demonic influences not only to demonized and diseased people, but directly or indirectly to everything that was inconsistent with God’s coming reign. For example, swearing oaths, temptation, lying, legalism, false teachings, anger, and spiritual blindness were all seen as being part of the same satanically inspired project. For this reason, Paul taught that whatever earthly struggles disciples found themselves involved in, they must understand that their real struggle was against “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:12, cf. 2 Cor 10:3-5). We’ve seen that these powers are closely tied to real, destructive spiritual forces at work within actual political, social, even religious structures e.g. nations, governments, social clubs, religions institutions, social classes, even ideologies like capitalism.

My point is that by leaving the character of the Devil behind we are missing a dominant piece of the story that the Bible wishes to tell FIRST. For example, the first messianic prophecy given in Scripture — indeed, the first prophecy given, period — announced just this: a descendant of Eve would crush the head of the serpent who originally deceived humanity into joining in his rebellion (Gen. 3:15). It is therefore not surprising that the original disciples reflected on Jesus’ victory in terms of spiritual warfare. Moreover, the very first Christian sermon, according to Luke, did not center on a legal story of God expunging personal guilt and satisfying God’s own justice but a cosmic victory in which God vanquished spiritual enemies. Acts 2:32-36 records: “After the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and preached:

“This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord,

“Sit at my right hand,
until I make your enemies your footstool.” ’
Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Ac 2:32-36).

The central thing Jesus did, according to Peter, was fulfill Psalm 110:1. Jesus had been raised to a position of divine power (the Lord’s “right hand”) over his defeated and humiliated enemies (who are now his “footstool”). In an apocalyptic Jewish context, this is simply what it meant to say that Jesus brought the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan has been defeated.

This theme of victory over cosmic foes pervades the entire New Testament and reflects the most dominant and consistent understanding of the cross. Indeed, Psalm 110 is the most frequently cited passage in the New Testament, and it always, in a variety of ways, is used to express the truth that Christ is Lord because he has defeated God’s enemies (e.g. Mt 22:41-45; Mk 12:35-37; Lk 20:41-44; I Cor 15:22-25; Heb 1:13; 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:11, 15,17,21; Heb 10:12-13, cf. Mt 26:64; Mk 14:62; Lk 22:69; Ac 5:31; 7:55-56; Rom 8:34; I Cor 15:25; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb 1:3; 8:1; 10:12-13; I Pet 3:22; Rev. 3:21).

What are the implications of this story? How should it shape how we engage spiritual warfare?

          1.    First, it gives us a good story to tell – that God is good and that salvation is good and impacts our lives here and now not simply the hereafter.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil not save us from the wrath of God, which has everything to do with how we understand God and his relationship with people. Under the rubric of spiritual warfare, salvation is not first and foremost about escaping hell, or placating God but being liberated “from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:26). It is about being “set free from this present evil age” (Gal 1:4) and liberated from our “enslavement to the elemental spirits of the world” (Gal 4:3, cf. Rom 6:18, 8:2; Gal 5:1; Col 2:20; Heb 2:14-15 ). Indeed, Peter seems to suggest (however cryptically and controversially) that because of the cosmic significance of what Christ has accomplished, even some who “in former times did not obey” can now be set free (I Pet 3:19-20). This is the essential meaning of “salvation” in the New Testament. The New Testament concept of salvation does not primarily mean “salvation from God’s wrath” as many western Christians take it to mean – often with negative consequences for their mental picture of God. God does not fight against us but for us. 

This is why we change the lyrics of In Christ Alone and sing a different song – NOT “the wrath of God was satisfied” but “the plan of God was satisfied.” The death of Jesus to satisfy God’s wrath doesn’t make good sense of the ministry of Jesus or of the motif of spiritual warfare. BUT if the plan of God was “to destroy the works of the Devil” then it’s not about God being placated but God winning and that model best incorporates and unites all that Jesus does – healing, exorcism, table fellowship with sinners, under the heading of redemption or spiritual warfare. So loving the devil out of one another begins with rightly understanding the love of God for us (John 3:16).

          2.    Second, in this story people become more than rebellious sinners but the kidnapped, the trapped, the enslaved.

In this story, everything Satan and the diabolic powers had on us — all the sin that put us under their oppression — has lost its power and we have been set free from the power of sin and its condemnation (Col 2:14- 15). What about our responsibility? Well – in this light – I think it best to speak of sin functioning like Stockholm syndrome - a psychological phenomenon described in 1973 in which hostages express empathy and sympathy toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending and identifying with them. Stockholm syndrome can be seen as a form of traumatic bonding, which describes “strong emotional ties that develop between two persons where one person intermittently harasses, beats, threatens, abuses, or intimidates the other.” Friends, we will never be what God intends if we continue to shoot hostages or believe that they are the enemy. The motif of spiritual warfare reminds us that our battle is NOT against “flesh and blood,” even when those victims who tragically identify with their captors. 

Note that 1 John does not say that those who sin are “born of the devil,” which would give a neat parallel to the corresponding phrase “born of God.” The Gospel writer John tells us that all people are created by God (John 1:10) but those who come to faith in Christ give evidence that they are also “born of God” (John 1:13). Those who oppose God are “of the devil” which does not deny their having been created by God but reflects on whose power and authority they are both under and behind (e.g. “Get thee behind me, . . ., Matthew 16:23). Both John’s epistle and Gospel frequently speak of being “of” something, a phrase that points to both allegiance (choice) as well as orientation (not a choice).

One brief comment on sin and the Christian life: If believers sin – and 1 John makes it clear that they do (1:8, 10) – their sin does not indicate that they are no longer children or have lost God as a parent. They have God’s seed in them – it cannot be uprooted. Hence vs. 9 in the Greek refers to an ongoing action “go on sinning.”

Vs. 9 “No one born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning . . .” Eugene Peterson captures the idea by stating, “People conceived and brought into life by God don’t make a practice of sin . . .” To practice something means to participate in an action repeatedly and intentionally in order to get better at it. So we need to not practice sin but be holy and that means that . . .

          3.    Third, holiness becomes the loving act of getting into trouble for the sake of God’s kingdom. 

1 John doesn’t simply speak about the revelation of Jesus but also the revelation of us. “This is how the children of God are manifested” – a more literal rendering of the Greek in vs. 10. The word for manifested (phanera) is a cognate of the word elsewhere translated “appear,” used to speak of Jesus being revealed (2:28; 3:2, 5, 8 – think apocalyptic). It is the revelation which integrates doing what is right and loving one another (vs. 11). One of the biggest distortions to our story has been what we’ve done to holiness (remember the Pharisees?) Holiness is not about being good, or harmless, but a responsibility to live and love as Jesus did (2:6). In this way, holiness becomes an act of loving rebellion against the powers and not about whether we appear morally upright – remember Mr. Carswell. It means that holiness is about the character of God in light of God’s mission which is for people and all of creation. What do I mean?

When Jesus broke religious taboos by fellowshipping with tax collectors, prostitutes and other sinners (e.g. Mt 11:19; Mk 2:15; Lk 5:29-30; 15:1, cf. Lk 7:31-37), and when he forsook religious traditions to lovingly heal and feed people on the Sabbath (Mt 12:1, 10; Lk 13:10-18; 14:1-5; Jn 5:9-10), we should understand him to be waging war against the powers and exposing the systemic evil that fuels religious legalism and oppression. He was conquering evil with holy love. 

When Jesus boldly crossed religious and ethnic lines, fellowshipping and speaking highly of Samaritans and Gentiles (e.g. Lk 10:30-37; 17:11-16; Jn 4; Mt 8:5-10; 15:22-28), and when he crossed other social barriers —touching lepers for example (Mt 8:1-3; Mt 14:3) — he was resisting and exposing the evils of the powers that fuel racism and social marginalization. He was conquering evil with holy love. 

So too, when in the midst of an extremely patriarchal culture Jesus empowered women with dignity and called them to critical roles in his kingdom (Mt 26:6-10; Lk 7:37-50; 8:1-32; 10:38-40; 13:11-18; Jn 4: 7-29; 8:3-10; 11:5; 12:1-7), we must understand him to be battling and exposing the powers that fuel sexism. He was conquering evil with holy love. 

And when Jesus expressed mercy to people who knew they deserved judgment and whom the culture stipulated should be judged (Mk 2:15; Lk 5:29-30; 7:47-48; 19:1-10; Jn 8:3-10), he was resisting and exposing the powers that fuel social and religious cruelty and judgmentalism. He was conquering evil with holy love. 

It was, in fact, this on-going, loving resistance to the powers and those who do their bidding that ultimately led to Jesus’ crucifixion. Hence we see that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection cannot be separated from each other, not even theoretically. Everything about Jesus’ life must be understood as an act of holiness, a radical defiance against the “ways of this world” and the powers. So be commissioned to go get into trouble. Let’s be a holy people and know that holiness will often put us at odds with people in power. It is not the means of making us good and well-behaved citizens. Spiritual warfare then is that Christ-shaped pushed back against all the forces in the world working antagonistically against the kingdom of God. And friends, we need to stop being push-overs and start pushing back - but his way, by the cross, the power of the Spirit, and love.

Noticing the Air We Breathe: Why Satan is boring and why that makes him dangerous ~ Matthew 16:21-26 (Sermon Three of Four Part Series on Spiritual Warfare)

 

²¹ From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. ²² And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” ²³ But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” ²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ²⁵ For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life? ~ Matthew 16:21-26

On May 11, 1960, Adolf Eichmann, a Nazi fugitive, was discovered by Israeli operatives living in Argentina under a false identity. Eichmann was called “the Architect of the Holocaust” because during World War II he was the SS officer charged with handling the logistics of the mass deportation of the Jewish population to the Nazi extermination camps. His trial became an international sensation and the first televised courtroom trial in history. Hannah Arendt, a Jewish political philosopher who had fled Germany during Hitler’s rise to power convinced the New Yorker magazine to send her to Jerusalem to cover the trial, giving Arendt what she wanted most: her own personal, face-to-face encounter with the Devil himself. Arendt claimed she wanted to see a Nazi war criminal up close and went to Jerusalem looking for a monster. But what she found was quite different. In her account of the trial, Arendt describes her surprise to find not a devious fiend but a bland, polite, and intellectually shallow man – more fool than devil. She wrote, “Everybody could see that this man was not a ‘monster’ but it was difficult indeed not to suspect that he was a clown.” Arendt had wanted to know why Eichmann participated in genocide and the answer surprised her. He did what he did because he loved his country, because he trusted his superiors, because he never questioned their orders, because he went to work each day and did his job. In response to this discovery, Arendt coined the term “the banality of evil” to describe Eichmann’s self-defense, a defense rooted in an unthinking patriotism and deference to those in authority. We often assume that evil, the work of Satan, functions like the demon possession in The Exorcist. But like Eichmann, evil and the satanic, are more often than not, quite ordinary, subtle, even boring – as boring as forwarding emails, buying stuff, and simply ignoring our neighbor. And that’s what’s truly scary about our passage today. 

But first things first. Who is (or is a) Satan?: a quick biblical tour

In the Old Testament satan is both a noun and a verb. The verb occurs six times and can mean “accuse,” “slander,” or “be an adversary” or “oppose.” Five of the six occurrences are in the Psalms and are actions committed by human beings, e.g. Ps. 109:4. As a noun the word means “slanderer, “accuser,” or “adversary” and the Old Testament has two categories of satans: 1. Terrestrial satans – humans who are referred to as satans, e.g. in 1 Samuel 29:4, David is referred to as a “satan [adversary]” of the Philistines; 2. Celestial satans – there are four passages (the word appears 19 times) which refer to a celestial satan; Num. 22:22, 32; Job 1 & 2; Zech. 3:1-2; and 1 Chron. 21:1. Some of these speak of “a satan” and some of the “the satan.” In the New Testament, Satan falls much more into the celestial category (except for maybe our text today) and is mentioned thirty-five times with the designation of “devil” thirty-two times. He holds a number of titles like “the god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) but also is described as an “enemy” (Matt. 13:39); the evil one (Matt. 13:38) a tempter (Matt. 4:3); an adversary (1 Peter 5:8); the father of lies (John 8:44); a murderer (John 8:44); a liar (John 8:44); a deceiver (Rev. 10:9); an accuser (Rev. 10:10); and one disguised as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14).

So far we have been engaged in constructing a complex vision of spiritual warfare – complex because the Bible is - that allows us to see and act in ways which promote God’s kingdom in the face of powers and principalities that seek to thwart it. And we’ve seen that this complex vision entails both heavenly and very earthly and mundane elements. The author Richard Beck points out that in Ephesians 2:2 Satan’s ways are described as the “ways of this world” and he is identified as the one who is “the ruler of the kingdom of the air.” And air, we know, is everywhere but invisible – an unseen force that is normal, hidden, and so obvious no one notices. That’s what makes evil so banal. That’s why the devil is boring and that’s what makes him dangerous. We’re going to discover that if we are unaware – we do his work for him even speak on his behalf. So we need to talk about Satan and spiritual warfare because we need to name what we breathe in everyday but often rarely see or discern.

So I have been trying to offer an apocalyptic theology of spiritual warfare that gives an honest account of the world and how it is regularly described in the Bible as the domain of Satan. “Apocalyptic” is a Christian term which means “unmasking”; it’s an unveiling of the real character of what presents itself as benign. If following Jesus is an act of nonconformity to the world, we need to have a clear sense about what conformity to the world looks like. If the kingdom of God is an act of rebellion, you need to know what you are rebelling against. If Jesus is calling out Satan, if we are told to “resist him,” then we’d better learn who he is and what he does.

To do that we need to reflect on what Peter was saying and why Jesus felt the need to call Peter Satan. Jesus was explaining that he was heading toward the cross. Peter, confused and appalled, pulls Jesus to the side and tries to convince Jesus to take a different path. Jesus then wheels on Peter and describes what Peter is saying as coming from Satan himself. We should recall that that “satan” literally means opponent, adversary or accuser. Being a satan, in other words, means being against something. So when Jesus invokes Satan what was Peter opposing? Peter was opposing the cross, tempting Jesus away from self-giving love. And this cross isn’t just for Jesus, as we’ve just read, but for every follower of Jesus (Matthew 16:24-26). This means that spiritual warfare, the choice between Satan and Jesus is fundamentally about the cross. The satanic then is everything which tempts us away from taking up our cross and following Jesus. And satanic means everything that is opposed or adversarial to self-giving, sacrificial love. So on one level it’s totally in keeping with the biblical vision of satan to say:

Hate is the satan of love.

Exclusion is the satan of inclusion.

War is the satan of peace.

Oppression is the satan of justice.

Tearing down is the satan of building up.

Competition is the satan of cooperation.

Revenge is the satan of mercy.

Harm is the satan of care.

Hostility is the satan of reconciliation.

Now, I would like to offer two implications about Satan from our passage so that we can resist him:

          1.    Satan is not troubled by God-talk, particularly the dogmatic kind. Just make sure that it costs you nothing.

One of the things that our texts suggests is that Satan and the satanic are quite amenable to religious language and hubris – a certitude about who God is, what God wants, and what God will do. We should find it incredibly ironic that Peter, who has just aced the messiah test (Matthew 16:13-20) by rightly calling Jesus “the Christ [hear “King”], the son of the living God” (vs. 16), finds himself a pawn of Satan by theologically telling Jesus what God doesn’t want – that is, for him to suffer. Peter will even invoke God in his rebuke, “God forbid it,” and use the double negative. The Greek literally means “this will not in no way happen to you.” Ironically, on behalf of God and with double-negative certitude, Peter is playing the satan.

In response Jesus remarks that Peter “the rock” has become a skandalon. In secular Greek, the word normally meant “trap” but among Greek-speaking Jews whose primary literature was the Scriptures the word meant “stumbling block” (see Lev. 19:14: “You shall not . . . put a skandalon before the blind.” Used figuratively, it referred to causes or occasions of sin (e.g. Matt. 13:41; 18:7) or hindrances to faith (1 Cor. 1:23; Gal. 5:11). So Simon the Rock has placed himself in front of Jesus and become a rock to stumble over because he cannot imagine that anything or anyone of God would suffer. So one of Satan’s strategies is to suggest that God would never want us to suffer and that we should avoid it all cost. Let me be clear: Jesus is NOT saying that “suffering” by itself is inherently good. He is speaking about the cross which is a particular act and posture of suffering-love on someone’s behalf. It’s a suffering that fundamentally is defined by the gospel message of redemption and not any or all suffering. 

Jesus’ response to Peter is interesting and signals that he is speaking to Peter. He calls Peter to resume his rightful place “behind me.” When Jesus encounters the devil in Matthew 4 he ends by saying “Go, Satan!” (Matt. 4:10) However, when Jesus encounters Peter acting like Satan – he doesn’t send him packing but says, “Resume your proper role as a disciple; learn from me, don’t try to teach me. And don’t stand in my way, but follow it. And following me will always cost you something.”

If there has to be a cross, Satan wants you to leave it only for Jesus. I imagine Satan whispering, “Don’t incorporate it into your life. Don’t lovingly suffer for others in any way. Maintain good boundaries, vote in ways that always protect your interests, and always carry a weapon.” However, if we remove suffering-love from the divine economy, when we seek to avoid it all cost, I believe we fall prey to one of two Satanic outcomes: 1. Make others suffer. If suffering love is not part of God’s will for discipleship then preserving my life at all cost is the highest good. 2. Determine to do nothing. If suffering love is not a part of God’s will for discipleship, then the very presence of suffering should cause me to run the other way, avoid it all cost.

          2.    Satan doesn’t want you struggle. In fact, he’s willing for you to gain the whole world. 

Jesus defines the struggle with Satan as a struggle over “things” (vs. 23). And friends the struggle is not between the physical and the spiritual but between the “human” and the “divine.” And all of these things have a spirituality that animates them, which seek to shape our vision, aim our worship, and give us everything that we think we need. (As you walk through your day try and pay attention to the many ways that advertisers seek your attention, your loyalty and your love  – it truly is the air we breathe)This means that rather than Ouija boards, the satanic plan may have much more to do with commercials during the Super Bowl and techno-devices like our smart phones, which allow us to buy with a god-like whim. In fact, I urge you to spend 5 minutes this week pondering the spirituality of your cell phone. What is it shaping you to do/be?

Friends, I want to humbly suggests that if we are to “resist the devil” we must begin with the values of a global marketplace that tell us never to suffer, urge us to acquire more, no matter what the costs to others or the planet. A world where advertisements are the air we breathe quite adept at coaxing us with religious language to shed our crosses and self-denial in order to buy, possess, and to accumulate more – but even worse they convince us that in buying, possessing, and accumulating more, we ourselves are more, are become something bigger. Not too long ago I heard an announcer on the radio say, “Sometimes you’ve just got to believe. Believe in a miracle. Believe in a leap of faith. Believe that there’s something bigger than yourself. Believe in a second chance. . .” 

I was expecting it to end as an ad for a new church and felt the need to repent until I heard, “California Lottery Powerball. You just gotta believe.” I am suggesting that the Satanic plan says that you don’t find yourself by self-denial or the wisdom of the cross but by an infinite commercial “yes” where global corporations exists as “powers and principalities” which aim to shape and redefine not only what we love but even what love is. Do you want to know what a satanic message sounds like? Well, this quote from the t.v. show Mad Men’s Don Draper captures it perfectly:

Advertising is based on one thing: happiness. And do you know what happiness is? Happiness is the smell of a new car. It's freedom from fear. It's a billboard on the side of a road that screams with reassurance that whatever you're doing is OK. You are OK.

So what should we do? What can we do? How do we challenge this air of dogmatic God-talk which costs us nothing and a gospel of consumption that foments violence, exploitation, against people and the earth? How can we resist the devil?

I want to suggest that we are about to do reflect two ways in which communion helps us resist the devil. So pay attention, listen and experience God’s illustration of the cross that beckons you. By taking communion, we “get behind, Jesus.” 

     1.    First, we are rehearsing a story that connects God to suffering and suffering-love to winning. This allows us to inhabit our world of suffering with the confident hope of its demise. It allows us to take our present time of suffering and not ignore it and believe it can hold redemption.

     2.    Second, we are participating in a shared meal where no one has any more than anyone else. There is no hoarding, there is no scarcity, there is simply “enough.” Let the enough-ness of this meal remind you of our future and judge our current vision of capitalism – a competition for things.