Earlier this month, we learned that "Christ is our Cornerstone," then "Christ is our Foundation," and today our text tells us that "Christ is our Strength."  Jesus Christ gives us strength for daily living, and He empowers the Church to do its work of changing lives and bringing salvation to millions.  In our second lesson for today, St. Paul encourages us, "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power."

          "Power" has been in the news the past couple of weeks.  Earlier this summer the papers told of electrical power failure in the Northeast due to heavy demand.  In a matter of seconds, millions of consumers were without electrical power, rather like people in West Africa have most of the time.  But unlike in Africa, power in the Northeast came back on in a short time, without any long-term implications for the economy or the people.

          The second mention of power in the news is of a very different sort.  Yes, we know of the current struggle for power in the Middle East by radical Islam, though I believe we don't always hear the truth behind it.  But for a moment, let us also think of another kind of power, the kind associated with the midterm elections coming up this fall, when our two major political parties will be engaged in a struggle over political power.  When the dust settles after the November elections, one party will have more power than the other.  One will control part or all of Congress, and then their power will be doled out like spoils of war.  Yes, power is often on our minds.

          It was on the mind of St. Paul, as well.  In Ephesians chapter 6 he wrote of three different kinds of power.  There are four words for power in the Greek New Testament, and this single verse, Ephesians 6:10, contains three of them.  "Finally," Paul writes, "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power."  These are the words of the New Revised Standard Version which is more exact in its meaning than other translations.  It lists three different Greek words for power in the same sentence.  Let's take a look at these words, and see what they mean for us.

          First is δυναμισ (dynamis), translated "strength."  Here it means, "be strong."  Dynamis is the basis of our English words, "dynamite" and "dynamic."  A person who has dynamis is truly dynamic, a strong person, rather like Arnold Schwarzenegger was back in his iron-pumping days.  Dynamis is physical power to accomplish things.

          The second Greek word for power in this verse is κρατοσ (kratos), or ruling power.  This word is found within our word, "democracy."  "Demos" means "people," so if you team up the two words you get democracy, "rule by people." Kratos is the power a politician gets when elected.  The NRSV translates this word as "strength," as they wrote, "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power."

         The third Greek word for power is ισχηυσ (ischayus).  Ischayus is more an aura of power, or "charisma," we often call it.  When a person with ischayus walks into a room, eyes turn and the talk quiets.  Ischayus is a kind of personal power.

          In 1968 while at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, I attended the installation of the Archbishop of St. Louis, Joseph Carberry.  As the service began, dozens of dignitary priests, all unknown to us Lutherans, processed down the aisle in all their robed finery to take their places in the front rows.  I had an aisle seat, and was taking it all in when suddenly you could feel all eyes turn towards the back.  And there we all saw a small man begin his long walk.  He was a little man, barely 5½ feet tall, but to us larger than life.  Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was a priest who had his own television program watched by millions of Catholics and non-Catholics alike.  And that day we saw Bishop Sheen's charismatic presence transform St. Louis Cathedral into a place where you wanted to be.  That's the power Greeks call Ischayus.  Some day I'll tell you what it was like to be a few feet away from Jackie Kennedy and President Lyndon Johnson during the funeral procession of Senator Robert Kennedy in that same year, 1968.

          The fourth Greek word for power doesn't occur here.  That word, ενεργεια (energeia), is the root of our word "energy."  In the New Testament, energeia is used only for God's power.  When the ancient Greeks spoke of energy, they meant the mysterious, invisible power of the gods.  Thus, the New Testament uses energeia for God's power.

          When Samuel F.B. Morse invented the telegraph, he may have been thinking of that kind of power.  The first words he relayed with his new invention, the telegraph, were, "What hath God wrought?" (What has God done?) (Numbers 23:23 - KJV)   As we can see, this little verse has a lot more in it than we think.

          Which among us does not desire to be stronger?  I am discovering it harder lately to walk up and down the stairs like I once did when I was young.  Back then I bounded up or down the stairs, taking several steps at a time, sometimes even stumbling.  My brother once said I was the only person he knew who could fall up the stairs.  Now I get winded if I try that.  And I used to be able to press 200 lbs. on barbells a half dozen times over my head.  Now I am fortunate to do that with 50 lbs.

          Inside each one of us there dwells a small, insecure child, an uncertain child.  That inner child is fundamentally weak and powerless, and would give a lot for a little more strength: physical or emotional strength (maybe "self-confidence"), the kind of strength that helps us get along better in life.

          I'm not talking about strength of the strong men who pump iron to gain massive body muscle and with it hope to scare the bullies away.  We don't need violent strength to make our gains.  In the nation of Iraq today, our soldiers gain far more among the people by rebuilding schools, roads and hospitals.  They have massive strength for fire power, but they exercise it most effectively as they help people rebuild their power plants, sewers, businesses and homes.

          Being strong in the Lord doesn't require much physical power at all.  It requires power of the Word, the power of faith in Christ.  Jesus Christ is our true power.  He is the one who breaks open the locks on our doors, and cracks down the walls that divide us.  He is one who builds walls to protect, not divide us.  He builds our churches and homes.  He keeps the enemies at bay and helps us grow strong in our faith.  His strength can move more mountains than terrorist bombs.

          "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power," says St. Paul.  Then he shows us what that divine strength is all about:  "Put on the whole armor of God... the belt of truth... the breastplate of righteousness... the shoes of peace... the shield of faith... the helmet of salvation... and the sword of the Spirit."  And then he shows us our greatest power, prayer.

          All this is a metaphor, not to recruit soldiers for the army, but to get people to follow Jesus Christ, the Son of God who takes away the sin of the world.  A popular metaphor for the church is the army of God.  When we sing, "Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before," we're saying Christ is our power and our leader.  His power helps us in life at all times.

          Christ is the Commander-In-Chief who prepares us to do battle with the enemy.  He is the medic who tends to our wounds, and brings us to safety.  He is the Signal Corps who tells us where the enemy is.  He is artillery commander who lays down the fire so that we can walk through the valley of the shadow of death to safety.  Christ is our fellow platoon soldier who has laid down His life for us and all our comrades.  And finally, Christ is the one who brings peace on earth at the end of battle.  He never starts the war, but He will always finish it, and He will win!

          "Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power."  This is God's strong word for us today.  May each one of us be empowered to follow Him through the battles and into the fields of peace, the peace that surpasses all understanding.  Amen

Copyright © 2006 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.