Scripture: Philippians 4:1-9; Matthew 22: 1-14

"And the peace of God, which passes human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."

-- Philippians 4:7

Last week the Congress gave the President carte blanche to take us to war and Jimmy Carter won the Nobel Prize for peace. On Friday Mark Manley of African Enterprises told us of the 1994 miracle of the peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa, and on Thursday the clergy of our area decided to start a weekly gathering to pray for peace, (which will have its first meeting at Valley Presbyterian church next Tuesday at noon). I was asked by the Anti-Defamation League of B’ne Berith to meet with their representatives to explain criticisms of Israel in my sermons, posted on our website, and the Israeli dissident speaker we had scheduled for next Tuesday’s Forum, Shamai Leibowitz, canceled amidst rising local opposition to his appearances, for reasons having to do with his participation in the defense of a prominent Palestinian now on trial in Israel. The markets bounced like a rubber ball dismaying those of us who depend on them to make retirement possible in the foreseeable future. WVC held another successful rummage sale. With so much going on in only one week its no wonder some of us are anxious, or as we prefer to say these days, stressed. For that reason alone I am wonderfully comforted by the words of Paul that include our text above, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (4:5-7).”

My current anxiety arises from many sources. One source is the study I have made of war and warfare over the years and my conviction that war usually does far, far more harm than good and the outcome of war hardly ever justifies the carnage and destruction it causes. Waging war is always sinful even when it is a just war, and therefore does not only material damage but also spiritual damage. To justify war there must be the most evident presence of imminent danger to warrant self-defense and I do not believe we are in that state now. (I remind you that I shall be lecturing on the theory of “the just war” at the Fall Colloquium of Messiah Lutheran Church, corner Woodside Road and Valota, on the 23rd at 7:00 p.m.). Another source of anxiety is the ongoing disclosures of fraud in our corporations. Many of us depend on the markets for financial security, and who can trust them now? What can we say when we discover that Enron corporate bonds were rated AA by the most reputable rating agencies when the corporation was essentially bankrupt? These are some of my current points of stress, but they might not be yours; you might not be emotionally involved with these national matters as I am, nevertheless, I am sure you cringe with horror when you hear of people being killed randomly by a sniper, not in Afghanistan or Ivory Coast but in Washington DC, or of the ongoing carnage in Palestine.

There I go again! No matter how hard I try I cannot keep my meditations on the purely positive. They always stray to the negative. What can I do? Apologize? I know there are those of you who wish I would not connect us so vividly to the negative things in the world out there. Today I plead that it is no small matter for our nation to initiate an invasion of another sovereign state and commit our sons and daughters to war, and it should not pass unnoticed by the pulpit – especially when the set reading from scripture speaks of the peace of God. I shall return to that next week when our text will be the saying of Jesus, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

Today let us focus attention on the winner of this year’s Nobel Peace prize, Jimmy Carter, and let him edify us by his example of selfless service in the cause of peace and of Christ, the Prince of Peace. Carter was our 39th president whose one term is regarded by many to have been undistinguished, although I do not share that opinion, if only because of the peace he brokered between Israel and Egypt. He is the only president to have made any lasting contribution to the peace of Jerusalem. Since leaving the office, however, opinion is universal that Jimmy Carter has been an extraordinarily positive force in the world. He has published good poetry, written good devotional books for the Christian faithful, strongly supported Habitat for Humanity in its efforts to provide low cost housing for people (He and Rosalyn have volunteered one week a year since 1984), made research and action on world and local problems possible through the Carter Center founded in Atlanta by him and his wife Rosalyn (1982), brokered a number of accords, especially in Africa (1989, Ethiopia and Eritrea; 1994 North Korean nuclear issues; 1994 Bosnia; 1995 Sudan and Uganda), monitored elections (Liberia 1997) and last May became the first former president to visit Cuba. It is refreshing and encouraging to hear of a president who was not corrupted by the office and turned into a war monger and a bully by all that military power.

The list of Carter’s achievements reminds me of the list of positive attitudes that Paul gives in our passage. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the peace of God will be with you” (4:8). Carter is a Christian, not a saint, and so let’s be clear, I’m not attributing to him the excellences Paul recommends here, or suggesting that he might be an example of the same quality and authority as the Apostle, nevertheless, he is a Christian who lives his creed in a strenuous and effective way, and whatever his shortcomings, that is inspiring. It is refreshing and inspiring to hear of people actually succeeding in doing good, and I want to celebrate them today.

I might add to the example of Jimmy Carter the work of African Enterprises of which we heard last Friday. Their very impressive representative, Mark Manley, told encouraging tales about Africa, a place from which we routinely expect discouragement. God has done wonderful things there, not least the miraculous transfer of power in South Africa in 1994 virtually without bloodshed – if only the Jews and Arabs could discover that power of reconciliation!  That did not happen by chance; there was behind it a huge spiritual effort with practical applications, an effort of constant prayer and vigilant, selfless, action, brokering deals and pacifying hostiles. The Christians were in the thick of those things; Christ was present not only as crucified in the pain but also as resurrected in the power of reconciliation and renewal. He is still present and still bringing forth good fruit in that marvelous continent through the work of devoted, energetic Christians.

So the peace of God is the power of Christ Risen in the midst of our wreckage, bringing order out of chaos and light in our darkness. The antidote to anxiety, the cure for stress is precisely to internalize that reality of the crucified and risen Christ who can and does change the world for good, and in any case changes us, from the “stressed out” victims of a culture, pitiless in its demands, into joyous Christians and effective actors for good. So, “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God.” And then, having handed it all over to God, relax and rejoice. “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say rejoice “(4:4). And then get busy, always keeping before the eyes of your mind, everything that is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, excellent, and praiseworthy…”and the God of peace will be with you.”

Amen.