MONDAY MEDITATION: Christian “Soldiers” (October 21)

Therefore, pick up the full armor of God so that you can stand your ground on the evil day and after you have done everything possible to still stand. — Ephesians 6:13

Once upon a time, church folk sang, “Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war.” It’s not sung as much today, maybe not at all in United Methodist churches. That’s because of the militaristic language. It could have been the theme song of the horrific Crusades of centuries ago. It can also conjure up gruesome images of war, which are incompatible with the gospel of peace and love.

Yet, we lose something if we don’t look behind the intent of that politically incorrect hymn. To be Christian means to join in a struggle. When Christ ushered in God’s kingdom, it didn’t mean the kingdom of this world went away happily or willingly. If anything, it entrenched itself. Looking at all the vanity, self-adoration, and nationalism around us, we see idols that are worshipped that we should be pointing out and confronting.

We need to be reminded that we are indeed in a conflict of two kingdoms, and we’ve chosen God’s. Maybe that’s why Jesus began his ministry in Matthew with the Sermon on the Mount, which outlines the amazingly countercultural lifestyle of any who would dare follow him.

Perhaps this little exercise might help. The next time you pray the Lord’s Prayer, think of it as your pledge of allegiance to the kingdom Jesus gave his life for. We pray it so often that the words have lost some of their edge. But when we use it as a pledge, the heart of it reminds us of who and whose we are: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”