The Armor of Light

You know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:11-12a

Blessed and happy Advent to you! This is the start of the new Church year, and also the start of the three-year lectionary cycle; this is the year our Gospel reading will be focused on Matthew’s account of Jesus’ life and ministry and our salvation.

We always begin Advent I with the Collect that we prayed this morning – the principle prayer of the day. It was written by Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury for the first Book of Common Prayer in 1549. And for more than 300 years, starting in 1662, this collect was assigned as part of the daily prayers to be said throughout the season.

The Collect draws from a variety of New Testament passages, but the most direct quotation is from Paul’s Letter to the Romans which we have heard today: “Cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light”.

That is a very evocative image in so many ways: works of darkness – armor of light. In just a few short phrases, Paul is encouraging the Christians in Rome to remember that they are called to live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and not under the lordship of Caesar.

The “works of darkness” that he particularly outlines are those that were common in the Roman world, particularly among those who had means: reveling and drunkenness, debauchery and licentiousness, quarreling and jealousy. Actually, that list may sound pretty contemporary.

Paul was not ignoring other kinds of sin like injustice and oppression and the squandering of resources for the sake of luxury in the face of crying human need that the Old Testament repeatedly condemns; far from it. Instead, Paul was both encouraging and exhorting the Jesus-followers in Rome to stay faithful in the best ways they could by laying aside, casting off, stripping themselves down spiritually and morally, and starting anew.

In the place of these “works of darkness” he urges them to “put on the armor of light.” We’ve probably all seen enough science fiction and fantasy films to give us any number of images of what the armor of light might look like. But we would do better to remember the kind of armor Roman soldiers wore: a tunic or breastplate of hinged metal, a helmet, and leg protectors that looked like shin guards; along with a round shield and a sword or spear. This armor provided protection against the weapons of enemies, but it left many areas of the body open and vulnerable – a necessity for soldiers on foot who needed to be agile.

Paul’s image of the armor of light, therefore, is not an image of invincibility; it is not a spiritual force-field that will repel every attack of the Enemy. The armor of light refers to acting with integrity and honesty, putting aside one’s own cravings, being aligned with Christ morally, spiritually, and in daily faithful living.  

And Paul urges all this against the backdrop of the good future that God has prepared for God’s People, which will come to fulfillment at Christ’s return – what is sometimes referred to as his Second Advent. The earliest Christians thought that fulfillment would take place soon, within most of their lifetimes; and Christian history is littered with the failures of those who were convinced of the date of Christ’s return.

Jesus, of course, says we will not know the day or the hour, but that we are to be ready nonetheless – to be awake, and aware. This is what Paul means when he says that “salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.”

We are always closer to the fulfillment of God’s purpose and plan of salvation today than we were yesterday; the Day of Christ is always dawning. And as we look to that unknown but certain hope and future, we need to allow the future to shape our present; we must borrow from the goal to guide our behavior and our attitudes in the here and now.

The armor of light that we put on is not only to ward off the unwanted works of darkness, but it also forms our souls and conforms us to Christlikeness. The faithful living Paul urges is not a “one and done”, but is a daily practice, and one that will keep us awake and alert for all the ways Christ shows up in human life.

And in this Advent season I can think of no better prayer to help us do this than today’s Collect. You have it printed in your bulletin; take it home with you, cut it out and put it on your fridge or in your Bible, or where you sit and have your morning coffee – anyplace where you will be able to pray it each day.  And if you want to find it in the Prayer Book, the traditional version is on page 159 and the contemporary version is on page 211; the important thing is to pray it and to let the words and images seep into your consciousness, and into your spiritual muscle memory. Maybe it can even become as familiar to you as the Lord’s Prayer!

Let us begin the season of Advent, and the Church year as a whole, as we mean to go on, awake, aware, and walking in the Light of Christ.

Let us pray.
Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP p. 159

Victoria Geer McGrath
All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Millington, NJ
First Sunday of Advent
November 30, 2025