Gasmask

 

Focus Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11

November 19, 2023

I served in the United States Army Reserve in the Military Police Corps. Basic training was at For McClellan, Alabama one long, hot summer in the 80’s, the year of the Chernobyl nuke plant meltdown. I only knew that because of the USA Today newspaper headline in the vending machine in the company common area. Yes, pre-internet.

            One of the most memorable days in basic training was when we were exposed to tear gas. I did not say it was good, but it was memorable.

            When we arrived for our appointment at the Disco Hut, the name of the building in which we were to have our encounter with the gas, the drill sergeants were almost giddy with anticipation. They were familiar with what was to come – they had seen it many times before – and they looked forward to our shocking moments of discovery and improvised dance moves.

            The small, squat building, a basic block construction, was no more than 15 feet square. It had two doors, one on each of opposite sides of the building, one entrance, one exit. We lined up, donned our M17A1 protective masks, and waited for our turns.

            The instructions were clear: enter the building, join the line at the back, and wait for your turn at the front. Once that moment arrived, we were to remove the mask, state our name, rank, and unit, and then exit the building. Easy. Except it wasn’t.

            About one percent of the population is unaffected by tear gas. They are immune to it. I am not in that 1% club. As soon as I removed my mask, I wasn’t saying anything! My throat closed up, my eyes teared, and I had just one thought: GET OUT! And that’s what happened. All of us – nearly all of us – got shoved out that opposite exit door into the fresh air and Alabama sunshine. And then we discovered how the Disco Hut got its name.

            Once out of the gas, the body does everything it can to clear itself of the irritant. Eyes are tearing, noses are running, and everyone is dancing around, busting a move to get rid of that nasty stuff. All the while, the drill sergeants were standing around watching us to see who would get the John Travolta award. I think they took pictures. Anyway, I did not win.

            Paul tells us to put on our protective gear in today’s letter to the Thessalonians. As children of light, we are to put on the breastplate of faith and love as well as the helmet of salvation. As we consider this metaphorical armor, it is important that we think of these as purely defensive items, the breastplate and the helmet defending us from attacks, attacks from wherever and whomever they come.

            The world sometimes attacks people of faith in ways that range from the subtle to the obvious, attacks that can be easily dismissed or, if we allow, grievously internalized. If we consider the virtues associated with the breastplate and helmet, though, we have ways God gives us to deal with these challenges.

            Faith: Because we know that Jesus Christ died for us, taking on the debt of our sin so we would be forgiven, we have the strength of knowing that we are all part of the Kingdom of Heaven. We are the saints called to do the work we have been assigned with the gifts we have been given.

            Love: Again, the items are defensive, not offensive. When others attack or deride us for our faith, we do not counter-attack. As Jesus taught, we forgive seven times seventy times, turning the other cheek and doing all that we can in love to help others come into the kingdom, too. A counterattack does not transform hearts and minds for the good. It only hardens hearts and affirms the beliefs of those who do not understand the truth of the Good News.

            That’s right, love! When others seem repulsed by this Good News, we are to love in return. Our love, quiet joy, and ongoing service to others, all with the confidence that Jesus Christ gives us, will transform hearts and minds from cold bitterness to warm acceptance and, ultimately, relieved welcome. And that welcome is the acceptance of salvation in Christ.

            Hope: The helmet is that of the hope for salvation. It is not a futile hope. It is a hope built on the solid foundation of the promises made by God since the beginning of time – the promise of peaceful life eternal in the garden at the beginning to the promise made by God incarnate, Jesus Christ, when he said time and time again, your faith has saved you.

            This hope is sorely lacking in our Western world. As the rest of the world, especially the global South, experiences a flourishing of our Christian faith, in the African and South American continents to be more specific, we continue to see an increase in loneliness, despondency, and hopelessness while at the same time we see regular engagement in faith traditions and church attendance decline.

            So few see that hope that we have. A short walk or ride can bring one into a faith community, our community here at First Shelton, but so few make the effort. So it’s up to us to go to them, opening the doors with warm hospitality and welcoming all in.

            And this is where the M17A1 protective mask comes back into the story. As the breastplate and helmet are not offensive tools, neither is the mask. And the point of the Disco Hut was nothing more than to show us it works. The experience was to help us understand that the mask would do its job when the call of “gas, gas, gas” was heard. It would save our lives. It was about confidence.

            Similar confidence should come from our metaphorical spiritual armor. When we step out into the world, we can love our neighbors as ourselves, even the sceptics, and invite them in to discover what we know, the Good News of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior.

            And one final point concerning this work: when we are on this faith journey, we watch out for one another. Paul tells us to encourage one another, to build each other up. In the army, we called it the buddy system. Sometimes we need to remind our sisters and brothers on the journey that they are wearing the same armor. We should all have the confidence in God that comes with these gifts of faith, love, and hope.

            Sure, life can be like the Disco Hut – it will make us cry – but we are not alone and defenseless. Walk with the faith, love, and hope as God’s children, as God’s people of light.

[This is the full text of the sermon of the same name shared by Bill Florin on November 19, 2023 at First United Methodist Church of Shelton, Connecticut.]