"Soldiers of Christ arise,
and put your armour on .."
Thus begins the old hymn.
What pictures
are conjured up
in your mind
when you think
of being a soldier for Christ?
[PAUSE]
Perhaps,
you think of chain mail,
swords and shields and chivalry
all for a king
sat in bejewelled crown
golden armour and purple robe,
astride a beautiful white charger.
Rather a medieval view,
isn't it?
Perhaps you would prefer
something more up-to-date?
A soldier in camouflage,
bearing a rifle
and helmet
driving in a jeep
all for a king in a smart suit
and surrounded by
an entourage
of bodyguards.
Neither seem
to be the right model
for King Jesus
and His soldiers.
It is possible for
Our Lord to dress as
a medieval monarch,
a besuited king,
a tribal chieftain,
an enrobed emperor
but none seem to fit
the image of
a man from Galilee
riding into Jerusalem
on a donkey.
We do get a glimpse
of Christ the conqueror
sitting on a white horse,
dazzling all with the brightness
of His being
with a two-edged sword
proceeding out of His mouth
according to what St John sees.
Christ is the King
unlike any other.
[PAUSE]
This means that
we have to be His soldiers
unlike any other.
It means that
we have to fight
in a war unlike any other.
Let's not pretend
that we are supposed
to sit down and let
St Michael and His angels
fight for us.
We have to fight.
It seems odd
because
Christ has already won
the victory.
Why do we have to fight?
[PAUSE]
Our battle
is with darkness,
seductive spirits
and doctrines of devils.
In a last gasp of rebellion,
the Devil and his apostate angels
want to convince us
of anything but the truth.
Our fight
is to be ourselves
as the image of God
and it is something that
we have to do
because God wants us
to have a say in who we are.
This is our battle
and our victory
is Christ's victory
freely chosen
and freely given.
In struggling for Christ
the more we demonstrate
our love for Him,
the more we appreciate
His love for us,
the more we worship Him,
by showing that He is worth our struggle
even as He showed us
that we are worth His.
[PAUSE]
"The King of Love my shepherd is
Whose goodness faileth never.
I nothing lack of I am His,
and He is mine forever."
There is no depth
to a love without
a fight against hatred.
This is the king that we fight for,
however He may be dressed.
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