A Peace That Passes All Understanding

John 14:23-27

Peace has been on my mind quite a bit lately, partly due to two things happening in my life. First, the choir that Laurie Anne, Paula, and I are singing in, the Southern Oregon Repertory Singers, is singing an excellent piece composed by Jodi French called "Cannons into Bells." It is a profound work about humans' yearning for a peaceful world, surrounded by the reality of a vengeful, war­ torn existence. One of the movements in the piece, "The War God," utilizes a poem by British poet Stephen Spender, which expresses the frustration of continuous conflict in our world.

Spender writes, "Why, Why, WHY cannot the one good benevolent feasible final dove descend"? It is a good question.

Why hasn't that divine dove descended? Why haven't we ever experienced a long and lasting peace? Why are we still talking about two wars raging for years? First, the war in the Holy Land, which began with Hamas's attack against Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023, killing almost 1,200 civilians. Israel is bent on vengeance, and Palestinians in Gaza are being slaughtered wholesale, with no end in sight. Our nation is complicit in its provision of weapons and uninterested in pushing Netanyahu and the Israeli government to work for peace in the region. To date, nearly 1,00 Israelis have been killed with over 5,000 people wounded. Almost 48,000 Palestinians have been killed, with more than 110,000 wounded. After weeks of pleading, Israel finally let food trucks into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian crisis, as people are starving. 59 Hostages first taken almost two years ago remain captive, with an estimate of only 24 still alive.

Then there is the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for three years now, with an estimated death toll of over 1 million people. There is no end in sight to this war, begun by a Russian invasion in February of 2022. Peace negotiations have stalled, as Russia feels they have the upper hand in this war, throwing men, drones, and advanced weaponry into the fray despite the heavy cost of Russian soldiers' lives. Despite his initial plans mentioned just a week ago for 500% tariffs on all countries that import Russian oil, the President of the United States has turned away from imposing such sanctions. The war continues.

It seems humans are good at pursuing vengeance, warfare, and discord, and even work to dim the calls for peace. For example, when the war in Ukraine began, our congregation decided to act and sponsor Ukrainian families to come to Ashland. We helped bring two families out of that war zone, and in a show of support for the war-to-end and a call for peace, we placed a prominent lit­ up peace symbol on our church bell tower on the corner of the property. It proclaimed a message of peace for months as it lit up at night. But then, someone decided they didn't like the message about peace. So they cut the electrical wire to the display, which was initially hanging outside the bell tower. We fixed it, secured the door to the tower, and moved the wire inside, threading it up to the top of the tower. Peace once again lit up the sky at night. Someone broke into the tower, climbed up a 40-foot ladder, and again snipped the wire to the peace symbol. Due to the

estimated high cost of securing the tower from knuckleheads, the sign remains on the tower but is unlit. Maybe we need some noisy offerings to get that peace symbol lit again.

I think we long for peace, even though we may not be very good at seeking ways to pursue peace, which leads me to the second thing happening concerning peace. In September 2018, a World Peace Flame was lit in the Thalden Pavilion, Sustainability Center on the Southern Oregon University (SOU) campus, just down Walker Avenue, a few blocks from our church. Many ofus from the congregation were part of that ceremony when the flame was lit. This symbol of peace, which remains lit 24 hours a day and is one of only eight peace flames worldwide, aims to inspire people everywhere that the individual plays a crucial role in creating peace at every level. It encourages our community to seek peace. The flame is very near our church and close to several elementary and middle schools. A group of middle schoolers tend to the flame, ensuring it has fuel to remain lit.

I share that story about the peace flame, because it is about to become part of something much bigger. Rotary International, something I am part of, is very involved in working for peace in the world. We are working to bring peace to the world by eradicating diseases like polio and providing funding and staffing for peace and conflict resolution training. We even have a global peace institute where people come together to learn about different cultures and work towards a peaceful world. Rotary's work to demonstrate peace in our world is coming to Oregon, specifically to Ashland. About a month ago, David Wick, who was very involved in bringing the flame here, spoke at our Rotary Club about creating a Peace Trail through Rotary that promotes peace in this world.

The Oregon Peace Trail will be a 296-mile peace pilgrimage from Portland to Ashland, Oregon, modeled after the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain, walked by 500,000 people each year.

Each mile of this epic journey takes one deeper into the experience and practice of peace. One ends the journey with an appreciation that Peace on Earth is more than a dream; it's imminently achievable. The Oregon Peace Trail will be a transformative process that empowers individuals to become peacemakers. This trail will involve seven peace practices, encourage participants to take peace actions daily, and has already inspired over 1,500 Peace Actions by Rotarians. Our goal is to show places where peace is possible, in opposition to the drumbeats of war and vengeance. Two of our church members, Sandra Slattery and Amy Lepon, will be interviewed later this morning for a film about the creation of this trail, with construction to be started very soon.

The trail ends right by us, at the World Peace flame just down the street on Walker. Wouldn't it be nice to have a place to end the time on the peace trail with a celebration in worship, just as the church at the end of the Camino offers to their pilgrims? We could have the service weekly, and in the evenings, have our peace sign lighting up the sky as folks travel by foot to sit at the peace flame just a few blocks away. We could offer the peace that Jesus talks about in this morning's

Passage - A peace the world cannot give, a peace that passes all understanding, a peace, in antithesis of what this war-filled, vengeful world offers. What is this peace Jesus speaks of?

The Greek word for peace is eirene, EtpEvE, which is undoubtedly a translation of the traditional Hebrew greeting shalom. Shalom signifies more than the absence of conflict; it is a profound and holistic sense of well-being. It is the kind of peace which the world cannot give, but can only come from God. This gift of peace accompanies the gift of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus breathes into his disciples as he sends them out in mission (20:22).

Jesus is saying that his peace is different from what the world offers. The world cannot give peace; instead, it provides unfairness, death, and destruction. Peace is impossible because it fails to address the source of the lack of peace: humankind's fallen nature. Jesus made peace possible by his work on the cross. And now we can have hope and reassurance far beyond what this world can offer.

If you want the peace promised in this verse, you have to go to the source. Jesus is clear, it's not found in the world, it's found in him. Whatever you are going through, whatever you will go through, go to Jesus. He has peace for you. Focus on Jesus. Pray to Jesus. Carve out time in your day to be with him. Don't neglect your prayer life. Study God's Word, especially Matthew 5-7. Listen to what it says. And the promise of this verse in John 14:27 will come true in your life.

You will find peace.

What kind of peace is this? Jesus gives us peace. We often think peace is found in the absence of storms. But that's not the kind of peace Jesus is talking about. The disciples and Jesus are about to go through some traumatic events. And Jesus promises peace in the midst of all that. This is not the kind of peace where there are no difficulties. Christ's peace isn't found in the absence of storms, but in the presence of Jesus.

The peace Jesus speaks of is also the knowledge that a life in heaven is waiting for us after our earthly lives are done. In the passage's context, Jesus is speaking to distraught disciples who have heard of his pending death. He lets them know that in God's heaven there are many rooms and that through his death, he will go and prepare a place for them and see them again (John 16:22). We, too, can find peace in the hope of heaven.

We can have hope during dark days because of what God has done for us. We can find peace in the middle of storms. That doesn't mean we won't struggle or grieve, and it doesn't mean we have to like everything we go through. It means that we can have hope and confidence that what we face is momentary and God will lead us through it. That hopeful message is for us this morning, and someday soon, could be the same message we share with pilgrims from around the world seeking peace.

Christ's peace is also offered in his teachings. The Rev Dr King once said, "There can be no justice without peace and there can be no peace without justice. " When the world is more just and we live this life in love for God and others, peace is more possible. I mentioned reading from the Gospel of Matthew just a couple of paragraphs ago. I firmly believe that if all Christians focused on following Jesus' teachings in Matthew 5-7 for the next year, this world would be more peaceful. It would be a world where the poor are lifted, those who mourn are comforted, the meek inherit the earth, those who hunger and thirst for a just world will experience it, the merciful shall obtain mercy in abundance, the pure in heart will see God, and the peacemakers will claim their birthright as Children of the living God? That is a world I want to live in, a vision I want to work for. That is a peace Jesus offers that the world cannot give us.

How then can we access this peace today?

First, pursue peace within your own soul. I find that now, in this hyper political environment, with a president who continually sows strife in his speeches and Tweets, if I have a choice of listening to music on my satellite radio or turning on one of the news networks, the peaceful choice is to listen to Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, The Police or the Beatles rather than one of my favorite talking head pundits. And when I come home, I try to have 15-20 minutes sitting on my back porch, staring at the trees, the clouds, and Mt Grizzly, before re-engaging with the world, plopping down in front of the TV to stress out about the news of the day. Spend time in God's creation. Go to the Peace Flame just down the street and contemplate peace. Come to the Prayers for Peace services in the chapel on Monday evenings. Find those opportunities to quiet the noise around you and inside your head. When I finally quiet all the noise from the day, I pray to Jesus, and peace comes. Finding time for prayer and quiet helps me experience peace most profoundly.

Second, pursue and spread peace in your community. When you get to an intersection simultaneously with someone else, wave the other person through. Say hello to folks you walk by. Make eye contact with those who serve your coffee, ring you up at the register, or pump your gas. Be helpful to tourists looking to find restaurants or OSF, or the old water fountain at Lithia Park, and tell them not to drink the water. When we value the humanity of others, when we connect with others, we promote peace and understanding, and pass that peace onward.

Third. Work for the peace you envision for this world. Call your senators and congresspeople and encourage them to promote justice that does justice, loves mercy, and walks humbly in faith. Support the food bank. Help Ukrainian war refugees right here in our community and church. Bring food to the Little Free Pantry. Support the fantastic work of OHRA, and pray for its current president, Cathy Gerbracht, who followed two other Presbyterians in that role. Help build a home through Habitat. Demonstrate Christ's vision of peace through acting out your faith.

So, as we go from this place out into the world, all I am saying is, give peace a chance! Seek and pursue it. Find comfort in the peace from a relationship with Christ through prayer. Rest in the comfort of the peace that comes with the knowledge of heaven. Live in genuine agape love and spread peace. Work for justice so there can be peace. Work must be done until we see that peace here upon the earth. And may Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace be with us all. Alleluia. Amen.

Prayer

Words written by Carl Daw, Jr.

0 day of peace, that dimly shines, through all our hopes and prayers and dreams, guide us to justice, truth and love, delivered from our selfish schemes. May swords of hate fall from our hands, our hearts from envy, find release, till by God's grace, our warring world shall see Christ's promised reign of peace. Alleluia! Amen.