Lent 4 - Ephesians: The Desires of Flesh

Lent 4 – Ephesians
Ephesians 2.1-10

…in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses…(Eph 2.3)

When we read “passions of the flesh” we most likely think first of sexual passions. Sex is the ultimate taboo—as we are seeing in this crazy political season that is forcing us to re-defend women’s right to contraception.

But I’d like to suggest that our sexual passions do far less harm to God’s desires for a world of peace and harmony than some of our other passions. What are the “passions of our flesh”—the things we truly cannot live without? The things we give up everything else for?

How about cheap oil? Or cheap electronic gadgets? Or coffee/tea/colas? Or being well-liked? Or financial security? Or safety from terrorists?

I’ve written a lot lately about the Palestinian prisoners being detained by the Israeli military, the ones being held without being charged with a crime. The rights of Palestinians to know why they are being detained and to defend themselves are sacrificed to the god of security.

It’s not only in Israel that human rights are being exchanged for a feeling of safety. Our own Attorney General Eric Holder justified the killing of American citizens in other countries if they are deemed by the President to be a terrorist threat. What happened to due process? Attorney General Holder tells us that the due process guaranteed to criminals in the US is not the same as the due process required when terrorism threatens US citizens. For suspected terrorists, the President’s judgment is all that is needed—this gives him a “license to kill.”

Israel does the same. Last Friday, an Israeli strike targeting a car in western Gaza killed the head of the Popular Resistance Committees and a former prisoner released by Israel four years ago. PRC secretary-general Zuhair Qaisi and Mahmoud Hanani were killed in the attack because Israel deemed them a terrorist threat. They were not charged with a crime. They were not given a chance to answer to the charges. They were simply murdered because “someone” decided they were a threat. We will never know if they were guilty of plotting a terrorist attack.

Reports indicate that militants responded these attacks by firing rockets into southern Israel from Gaza. Israel launched several other attacks. Eighteen Palestinians were killed, including a 12-year-old boy and a grandfather; four Israelis were wounded in the rocket attacks. [Photo shows attacks on Gaza on Friday] Read more....

We sigh and wonder what we can do. It all seems so hopeless. Not even Christ defeated the powers during his lifetime. Jesus was defeated by the imperial powers, crucified on their cross. It is only after his death that his resurrection defeats the powers. This is our hope.

God of all creation, we mourn our complicity in needless deaths. Release us from our captivity to our passion for safety and security. Raise us to new life in you; give us courage to abandon our feeble attempts to make ourselves safe from terrorism. Amen.