1 Kings 8:22-30, 41-43 Ephesians 6:10-20

Sword drills. Did any of you here grow up in churches where you had sword drills? Now, for those of you, who, like I, were deprived of such an experience, let me explain. It's really rather simple. Sword drills are a way to memorize Bible verses, many Bible verses – and be able to know them well enough to say them in rapid fire, in quiz show fashion.
A chapter and verse would be given to you – say John 3:16, and you were expected to quickly and accurately repeat that verse – For God so loved the world... And the quizzer would go down the line of students, giving chapters and verses, and they in turn roted back the hopefully correct response. And this went on until there was one left standing. I guess I would call them Bible Bees, since they remind me so much of spelling bees.

But, as I said I didn't grow up with these. The only Bible verses I had to memorize were the 23rd Psalm in first grade, the 10 Commandments in second grade, and the Beatitudes in third grade. Then we were given a Bible. And my 4th grade Sunday school teacher had us learn John 3:16. And that was it. No sword drills in my past.
I learned about them when I went to seminary in the south. Most, if not all Baptists and ex-Baptists I knew learned their Bible through sword drills. But I wasn't sure why they were called “sword” drills. I think I assumed that the chapters and verses were like swords being hurled at you, and if you gave back the right answer, you had dodged that sword.
Finally, at a TCMA meeting, it all came together. One of pastors got out his Bible and another said something like – I see you never go anywhere without your sword. The name Sword Drill had its origin in this passage from Ephesians.

Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Of course – since I hadn't had sword drills I didn't know it was Ephesians 6:17, but I knew the verse and had a pretty good idea it was from Ephesians. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
But even after I out all the puzzle pieces together I still didn't quite get it. I wasn't sure how spewing back a barrage of Bible verses offered much protection from whatever evil was lurking, waiting to catch you with your sword undrawn.
I knew that there were folks who, in a dire situation, found great peace and strength by reciting Bible verses they had known since childhood or singing familiar Sunday school songs, but I never knew of a POW who was saved because he could win a sword drill against his captors.
To my way of thinking, the armored protection of the Word of God needed to be more than various memorized verses without context or substance.

It seems to me that the Word of God protects, not with the rapid fire shots of a video game, but with a weapon that is well-used, that you know to be dependable, tried and true.
The Word of God is not a rapid-fire bombardment of moralisms or haphazard thrusts and parries, but something with the same strength, depth and stability as the one who is the living Word of God. Somehow I can't see Jesus shouting one verse from Torah after another to prove a point.
He always seems to use scripture methodically, with particular purpose, and it always seems to be firmly grounded in both its original context and to be pertinent to whatever situation Jesus happened to be in.
But the sword is not the only metaphor that is used here to help us ward off those things that are evil in the world.

It really doesn't matter whether or not you believe in an evil being – call it Satan, the devil, Lucifer, whatever – or not, the reality is that there are forces of evil in this world that can harm or even destroy, not just our faith, but our very being.
And the writer of Ephesians says that in order to withstand the powers of evil we are to put on the whole armor of God. Now – have you ever seen a whole coat of armor?
By medieval times a coat of armor covered its wearer from head to toe, with often just a slit to see through. A claustrophobics worst nightmare. And in order for these knights to get on their horses they had to be hoisted up, often with system of pulleys and ropes. And if you were ever to fall off your horse, you could be as helpless as a turtle on its back. Wearing armor is not comfortable.
And even though the armor the writer is talking about in Ephesians was less cumbersome than the medieval armor that came 1,000 years later, it still was heavy and unwieldy.

Metal guards were strapped to arms and legs and a breastplate covered from neck to thigh. A belt was worn with sword and often a dagger attached. Often the warrior carried a quiver of arrows and a bow over a shoulder. And there was always the shield to be carried and the helmet to be worn.
With that image in mind, when the Ephesians heard they were to take on the whole armor of God, they probably thought knew it would not be easy. Leading a life that is truly committed to Christ and building up the habits and practices that strengthen us in faith is a difficult task.
What are some things that each one of us can do to strengthen ourselves against those forces that would seek to do us harm?
The passage from Ephesians mentions prayer. We strengthen our relationship to God with regular communication.

Questions to ask ourselves are: How often do I pray – and what do I pray for? Do I ever pray that my faith might be made stronger or that I might be more committed to it?
Do I allow time in your prayers so that God can speak to me? And am I listening for God's voice – and am I willing to hear what God might be saying to me? When I ask God for something, do I wait for and actually listen for God's answer or do I expect God will do as I requested?
If, as Ephesians says, we are to persevere in prayer, have you actually structured your day so there is time to pray? Perhaps, for some, persevering in prayer means starting to take the time to pray. We are made stronger in our faith when we pray.
We defend ourselves against evil when we put on the shoes that will make us ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. I take this to mean that we are to walk and to talk the ways of peace. And this makes sense.

Anytime there is division, there is hurt, there is violent thought or action, or there is hatred, we are opening wide the door to the powers of evil and inviting them to come on in.
Evil thrives where those powers that divide us reign – whether the power be prejudice, sexism, racism, classism – any ism - poverty, fundamentalist beliefs of every stripe and color, and just plain hatred. Where there is no peace, evil will prevail. When we bring healing where there is hurt, wholeness where there is separation, and peace where there is hate – we are doing battle against evil our faith is being strengthened.
When we give in to those things that keep us divided one from another, we are giving in to evil. Be ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.

And take the sword – the word of God. That sword is sharpened and honed, I believe, not by the rote learning of some Bible verses, but by the careful and conscientious study of scripture. Is regular Bible study part of your daily, or even weekly routine? How often do you read the Bible?

When was the last time you received a spiritual insight, learned something about your faith, or even were stirred to ask a question about what you believed from reading the Bible?
Or, more basically - when was the last time you read the Bible?
I don't think I am being an alarmist when I say that we are being besieged from many sides by powers that would undo our faith.
Secular powers and social conventions lure us to follow ideas and actions that are not in line with our Christian faith.

Our faith is often criticized, either by those who think any religious belief is foolishness, or by those who think their way of believing is the only right way of believing. Without faith that is strengthened in prayer and the Word of God it is easy to be made to feel weak, even foolish, because we actually are believers or because we might believe the wrong thing.
Even the situation the world is in today stirs up fears that lead us to trust, not in the God of our salvation, but in other gods whose promises are as dangerous and empty as they are alluring.
The writer of Ephesians is absolutely correct, We cannot defend ourselves against the insidiousness of evil - and evil is oh so very insidious – without the weapons of our faith. Prayer, Bible study, peaceful living – and, I might add, fellowship with others who share our faith – strengthen us against the powers that seek to undermine what we believe and who we are as followers of Jesus Christ.

And when we take on the whole armor of God we will find that it isn't hard to do or at all uncomfortable. When we are protected by a living, growing, active faith, we are not burdened with heavy armor, but, instead, our load is lightened by the grace of God.
Jesus has said to us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” When we take on the armor of God, we are not weighed down, but we will find rest for our souls.
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of God's power, given to us fully in Jesus Christ. He is the living word of God, made incarnate and given to save the world. He is our firm foundation, our unwavering protection, our true peace, and our only salvation.
Take on the whole armor of God.
Receive the strength only Christ can give.