Those of you who know me--

those of you who have heard me enough over the years--

would not be surprised to hear me say that I don't believe in the Devil.

Certainly not in a literal sense!

I don't believe in some creature with cloven-hooves, spiky-tail, pitch-fork, and horns.

But nor do I believe in some transcendent personification of evil. 

To be honest, the concept of "the Devil" made sense in the ancient world--

and in the world-view of those who wrote the Bible--

because, as I have said many times before, they didn't have a concept of impersonal causality.

For them nothing "just happened".

Everything and anything that happened did so because someone caused it.

The sun shone because God made it shine.

The rains fell because God made them fall.

So if the rains didn't fall--

if there was a drought--

it was because God caused it to happen.

Which could be because I-- 

or someone else in the village-- 

did something wrong... 

or didn't do something right.

Similarly, if I became ill or if I had a disability... 

it was because someone caused it.

Perhaps an enemy had put a curse on me.

Perhaps it was God who caused it, as a punishment--

because I had done something wrong...

or my parents had.

Otherwise, it had to be due to some evil spirit;

or, as a logical extension, the Devil.

As I said, that sort of thinking made sense in the ancient world.

But it doesn't today.

Not with all that we know about the way that the world works--

not with our understanding of astronomy... 

and meteorology... 

and physics... 

and psychology...

and medicine.

But neither does it make sense if we really think about it metaphysically... 

or philosophically... 

or theologically.

When we believe in the Devil it gives us someone else to blame...

which can be a convenient way to let ourselves off the hook--

either individually or corporately--

so that we don't have to take responsibility for our actions:

"Oh! The Devil made me do it".

No!

On this matter, I'm with the author Joseph Conrad, and I quote...

"The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness".

And, let's be honest, don't we see the truth of that down through history.

In each and every age...

in so many different ways...

we see humanity's capacity to be inhumane...

to be cruel...

and selfish...

and uncaring...

and... yes... evil.

 

All of which brings us to our reading from Ephesians.

As the author reflected upon the state of his world--

he proclaimed that it was evil...

that the times in which he lived were evil.

After all... 

his was a world where the gap between rich and poor was enormous...

and ever-growing.

It was a world where the rich used their enormous power to exploit and dominate...

with scant regard for those they stepped on in the process.

It was a world that was dominated by the Romans...

who used their enormous military might...

to oppress and exploit the countries that they conquered...

while brutally suppressing any resistance... 

driven by a belief that it was their divine destiny to rule the whole earth.

It was a world in which those who followed Christ occupied an increasingly vulnerable position...

as religious devotion towards the Emperor grew...

and they were increasingly blamed for any disaster that befell their wider community. 

In the face of all that, our author exhorts his readers...

"Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is"

Be careful how you live.

Think long and hard about it.

Don't get sucked in by the official line or the propaganda machine.

Don't bow to the pressure to conform-- 

whether for the sake of expediency;

or out of some misguided sense of loyalty or patriotism;

or out of a sense of vulnerability or fear.

Instead, be wise...

be discerning...

be diligent...

and be intentional.

Make use of every opportunity you have to do what is right. 

Make use of every opportunity you have to emulate Christ--

doing what is just;

showing mercy;

living humbly;

being motivated by honesty, integrity, and compassion;

standing up for what is right, despite the cost;

welcoming the outcast and the marginalised;

healing the broken;

feeding the hungry;

lifting up the downtrodden;

freeing the oppressed;

and opposing anything and anyone that denies or denigrates another's humanity.

 

And that's as true, today, as it was two thousand years ago.

Sure, we live in a very different world--

a technologically sophisticated world--

but perhaps in our global world the presence of evil is even more apparent.

We live in a world plagued by terrorism...

genocide...

racism...

strident nationalism...

religious fundamentalism...

and economic rationalism.

We live in a world--

and, indeed, a country--

where our politicians have enacted unjust laws;

laws that deny the dignity and worth of other human beings...

in the way that we have treated asylum seekers...

or the indigenous people.

We live in a world--

and a country--

where we allow stereotypes to flourish...

and where we permit racial and religious prejudice to thrive.

We live in a world--

and a country--

where we strive for security and comfort at any cost...

and where all that really matters is what's in it for me;

so it seems that the only really important matters of political policy are tax-cuts...

interest rates...

petrol prices...

and the length of custodial sentences.

But as the people of God in this brave new world--

as those called to imitate Christ--

we, too, are called to live wisely.

We too are called to stand firm.

We too are called to oppose all that is un-loving...

all that is life-denying...

all that is not of God.

We too are called to resist evil.

In the face of oppression, we're called to work for freedom.

In the face of violence and conflict, we're called to be peacemakers.

In the face of greed and self-centredness, we're called to be open and generous.

In the face of terror and fear, we're called to proclaim hope.

In the face of political forces that devalue and dehumanise, we're called to bring life.

In the face of evil, we're called to stand up for what is good...

and right...

and just.

And we're called to make known the healing, freeing, life-giving love of God. 

Of course, sometimes, it's easy to sit back...

to shake our heads...

let out a tut-tut...

and think to ourselves...

"Yes, there's much that's evil in the world...

but what can I do...

what difference can I make?

After all, I'm only one person,

and a pretty insignificant one at that.

I'm too old or weak or tired to storm the citadels--

best leave that to the energy, idealism, or naivetÇ of the young".

Perhaps.

But in the words of a modern proverb-

of which I'm sure the author of Ephesians would approve-

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good people do nothing".