17 …and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
– Ephesians 6:17 (ESV)
Alright, confession time again, I don’t like helmets. Obviously this fact does not set me up well for preaching this coming Sunday. To clarify, I do wear helmets (you’ll hear more about that Sunday). What I’m saying is I just don’t enjoy wearing them very much. In almost every context, I find them restrictive, hot, and cumbersome. In recent conversations, I’ve found that I’m not alone in my sentiments. The reality however is that whether I’ve liked them or not, the benefit of wearing them generally far outweighs the inconvenience. Think about it, the helmet protects our head. A hard hit to the cranium can mean, lights out. As my dad would say… “You’ve got to protect your melon.”
So, if we’re in a situation where we need a helmet, it’s best to make sure it’s a good one. A simple Google search reveals that organizations devote time to inspecting helmets. Motorcycle helmets are DOT approved, I believe sports helmets are inspected by NOCSEA, while OSHA has clear stipulations for hard hats on job sites. Whatever you think about the alliterated organizations is secondary to the point that a lot of scrutiny is shown toward anything that claims to protect our head. We instructively know how precious our minds are. They are worth protecting.
The other byproduct of having a good helmet is how it gives us confidence. Our boys have “play” football helmets and inevitably they each had a time when they put one on and tried running me over. Why? Because helmets have a way of invoking a measure of security and courage in us. I think I could go on but you’ve probably already begun to make applications. This Sunday, we'll learn about the Helmet of Salvation. But unlike other helmets, its a joy to wear, it’s not cumbersome, and indeed, it does provide us the spiritual security we need to courageously fight he spiritual battle we are currently in.
Friends, I’m telling you, you're not going to want to miss Sunday. The helmet is arguably the pinnacle of the defensive armor. All that we’ve been learning is going to come together in a climactic way. I’m confident you’ll walk away with a clear battle plan to celebrate your victory in Christ!
Take some time to listen to the worship set to prepare your heart.
Love you Church,
Jerry Lingenfelter
Senior Pastor