Walk this way
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:15–20 (ESV)
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We often describe life as a walk: we talk about people coming “from all walks of life” and, particularly as people who follow Christ, it’s helpful to picture our lives as a walk with Jesus leading us.
There are times when our walk is easy, smooth, straight, and clear. There are other times when our walk takes sharp turns, a fork in the road where we have to make a tough decision, and sometimes it’s just hard, slow work. Physically speaking, it’s important for us to walk the right way—wear supportive footwear, hold good posture, those kinds of things.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul encourages them to pay attention to how they are walking in the way they live out their faith. He points out to us today that we should walk carefully because the days are evil, that understanding the Lord’s will for us will help us to walk on the right path, and that being filled with the Spirit will influence our walk of life in Christ.
Let’s pray…
Lord, sanctify us in your truth. Your Word is truth. Amen.
The days are evil
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:15–16 (ESV)
It was true for the Ephesians back then and it’s true for us now: the days are evil. Bad things are happening locally and all around the world. You only have to watch the news or read the paper to see that the world is full of conflict, violence, suffering, greed, and all kinds of evil. Some of it is shunned by the media, while some of it is accepted or even praised. Either way, the days are evil.
In the 21st century since Jesus walked the earth, we are still in the in-between phase that started when He ascended into heaven and took His seat at the Father’s right hand. We confess in the Creed that “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and His kingdom will have no end.” As we wait for the Last Day, the day when Jesus promises to raise His people up, evil will rage against the Church. This has been the state of the world forever, but the media only makes us more aware of that evil today.
So, as Christian people who live in a time of evil, what should we do? Build a bunker and hide while the storm blows over? No—we’re called to go out into the storm and “make disciples of all nations”, but we need to be careful how we walk that walk.
If people know that you’re a Christian person, they will notice how you walk, how you live. It’s so easy to underestimate how powerful our witness can be by simply living in a Christ-like way. To live in a way that is not Christ-like, or “foolish”, sends an equally powerful message in the opposite way.
We know that, in today’s world, the public does not have a positive view of Christianity or the Church by default. They used to, but that time is over. The default position, now, is negative and highly critical.
If people see anything that confirms their assumptions about Christianity—we take people’s money to serve ourselves, we abuse children, we’re sexist and racist, or that we’re “religious” just to cover up our hidden agenda, that will only strengthen their negative view of the Church and we will never see them come to faith in Jesus. “Look carefully then how you walk…because the days are evil.”
As Paul puts it in Ephesians 4, “Walk in a manner worthy of your calling” (Eph. 4:1). Live in a way that reflects the grace, peace, hope, and love that we talk about so much. Surprise people with how generous and accepting we are. Prove their negative assumptions wrong. Most importantly, do not feed those assumptions.
Our common calling as Christian people, and the purpose of the entire Church on earth, is to reach people with the gospel. Our work is not done when we enjoy a good worship service, have good programs running, or reach a certain level of membership. The work of the Church never ends because God’s grace is endless. There are always more people to reach with the gospel—one way to do that is to show them what it looks like to walk in it.
Understand the Lord’s will
Therefore do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Ephesians 5:17 (ESV)
In any decision we make in life, it is a choice between what is God’s will for us and what isn’t. Sometimes, it’s not easy to tell the difference. Sometimes, it seems as if we have a choice between the lesser of two evils and there are tough consequences either way.
So, how can we determine what the will of the Lord is? How do we know what’s foolish and what God wants for us?
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10). The First Commandment teaches us that “we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things” (Small Catechism). As our Creator, God is the one who gives us the ability to think and comprehend things. When God hands down His Law to Moses for the people, the very first thing He commands His people to do is to respect, honour, love, and trust Him for everything. That is His desire, His will for us. Trust Him. Love Him. Fear Him. When we do that wholeheartedly, we’re in a much better position to know which choice is foolish and which is His will.
People make foolish choices when they don’t fear, love, or trust in God. All of us have very deep needs that must be met—our identity, our sense of belonging, our sense of purpose. Human beings are designed to be tethered to their Creator and depend on Him for our deepest needs.
We are born into this world cut off from God, which is why we baptise infants in the Lutheran Church—we tether our young children back to their Creator. When we are tethered to our heavenly Father, He meets our deepest needs. If we are cut loose from Him—whether we cut ourselves off or were never connected to Him in the first place—it is in our human nature to attach ourselves to something for our identity, belonging, and purpose. We cling to all kinds of things which we tend to label as addictions: drugs and alcohol are the biggest offenders of course.
God created us to walk as if we are tethered to Him as He leads us along His path. When we are not tied to Him, we cling to other things that take us away from His leading. That’s the difference between foolishness and the Lord’s will.
Be filled with the Spirit
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:18–20 (ESV)
It’s in our nature to cling to things in the hope they will give us meaning. Paul says to harness that natural desire and use it to cling ever tighter to Him through the gift of His Spirit. Don’t get drunk on wine—that will only lead to harm to yourself or others—but, in a way, Paul is saying that we should be “under the influence” of His Holy Spirit. It sounds cliched, but it’s actually a very helpful description.
When we are filled with the Spirit, we are inspired to do two things in particular, Paul says here. First, we “address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, making melody to the Lord with your heart.” We are inspired to sing praise to God together.
Secondly, we “give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” We are inspired to give thanks to God.
You know the Holy Spirit is active in a church community when the people sing praise and give thanks to God. Our liturgy helps us to do both these things, particularly in the Lord’s Supper where we give thanks to the Lord “for that is fitting and right”, before we then sing praise to Him using the song of the angels. That’s just one example.
Our thanks and praise is not just reserved for Sunday mornings, though. We address one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. This means to talk about our faith with each other, to share how God has been good to us and point each other to His grace.
We also don’t just give thanks to God at church, but “always and for everything”. A thankful person is not greedy, but just glad to be given what they have. A thankful person does not expect from others, but is instead generous to others. A thankful person does not see themselves to be entitled to anything, but is instead humble before God and other people.
It’s a big ask to be thankful for everything. Does it mean we should thank God for the war and violence we see in the world, or for the tough times we go through ourselves? Maybe not, but we can give thanks that He promises a life beyond this one that is free from sin and lasts forever. We can thank Him for the hope we have and for giving us the opportunity to help people who are suffering.
The days are evil—there is no denying that—but as God’s people, we are called to walk His way, keeping our eyes fixed on Him and His will, and being filled with the Spirit as we do.
May the peace which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus. Amen.
