You are all aware that on March 19 United States forces began armed engagement with Iraq. In Valley Covenant Church a small group of us met here to pray at our usual time. Our Wednesday evening Home Fellowship Group also met, discussed the war, and prayed. I know that many others of you prayed as well, asking God's help for ourselves, for our country, and for the world in this time.

What we did not do on Wednesday, nor at any other time, was to come to any kind of unity regarding the war. Some of us believe it is a just action. Others of us do not. The passion with which we hold these different and contradictory viewpoints has been stirred and elevated by the fact that the war is now actually underway. This difference in conviction has caused hurtful things to be thought and spoken among us and has troubled the body of Christ.

Friday morning, a church member sat in my office and declared that he and his wife would no longer be attending Valley Covenant because we have not taken a definite stand against the war. I would not be surprised if some of you are not considering something similar for the same or for the converse reason, that we have not taken a clear stand in support of the war. I am broken-hearted over the couple that has left and it would grieve me still more if others of you would choose to leave this fellowship.

Just before He died on the Cross, in John 17, our Lord Jesus prayed that all who believe in Him might be one with each other. He prayed that the power of His name might protect their unity and that their unity might be a witness. It is by the oneness of those who believe in Him that the world is to know that Jesus truly came from God the Father.

Based on our Lord's call to be one, the Covenant Church was founded upon the principle that unity in Christ should take precedence over many other concerns, including doctrinal and political differences. Our congregation has sought over the years to model that unity and to welcome and include people of varying theology and politics.

Therefore, I appeal to you to cherish and maintain the unity we enjoy in Christ our Lord, despite our differences regarding the war. Real unity is not mere passive toleration. It is an active love, expressed in word and deed. So being at one with each other in this time calls us to thought, prayer and action in several areas:

First, read and wrestle with what Scripture says about the issues. Different Christians emphasize different parts of God's Word in drawing conclusions about this war. Pacifists believe that Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount demands relinquishing all violent opposition to evil. Proponents of a just war believe that Romans 13 confers authority on properly constituted governments to use defensive force against evil. Some who believe in just war might still believe that the current war is not in fact truly defensive and so not just. All these positions may be argued from Scripture and held with deep sincerity by committed Christian believers. And many of us may be struggling between these views, seeking God's will, but unable to come to a definite stance.

Second, be humble in holding views which see the fulfillment of biblical prophecy in current events. The war takes place in what was known as Mesopotamia, a land which figures large in Scripture. Some believe it to be the original location of the Garden of Eden. Others see it as the place of Armageddon, the location of the last great battle between God's kingdom and the forces of evil. Baghdad is located near the ancient site of Babylon. Yet we cannot forget that Jesus made it absolutely clear that we cannot know the time of His return. We ought then to be duly cautious in supposing we may identify the events surrounding the second coming of our Lord. Nonetheless, all of us ought, as Christians from the beginning did, to pray for the swift and glorious return of Christ.

Third, avoid all speech which challenges the faith and integrity of Christian sisters and brothers with whom you disagree, merely because they disagree about the war. Language like "un-American," or "traitor," "war-monger" or "terrorist," to describe a position on the war is wrong. It violates the Body of Christ when it is used of other Christians. Rather than impugning the motives of fellow believers, extend the benefit of the doubt and try to see how their stance is based in Scripture and a desire to be faithful to our Lord.

Fourth, remember that your first and primary citizenship in this world is in the kingdom of God. All allegiances to a country or to a world community are secondary to your allegiance to Christ and to His people. So do not break fellowship with other Christians, and thereby break your primary allegiance, for the sake of either an allegiance with our government or with the peoples of the world.

Fifth, the Bible commands us to respect and pray for those who govern. And Jesus taught us to love and pray for our enemies. Therefore, whether or not we criticize our president for prosecution of this war, we must respect and pray for him. Likewise, whether or not the government and people of Iraq have committed acts worthy of armed response, we must love and pray for them.

Sixth, Jesus said "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." Whether or not we believe this war is God's choice as an instrument of peace, each of us should seek peace on earth and pray for it. It begins by seeking peace among ourselves, even as we disagree.

Seventh, and perhaps most important, forgive each other. In the season of Lent we are especially reminded to think first on our own errors and sins, before we respond to the errors and sins of others. Even if, contrary to what I believe, those Christians with whom you disagree are ignorant, misguided or actually malicious in their intent, recall your own sins and how God in Jesus has forgiven you. Christ calls you to patience, forbearance and forgiving love. Colossians 3:13 says, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." It is in the act of forgiving others that we become most like our Lord and draw nearest to Him.

Unity in Christ is a precious gift which we hold in trust not only for ourselves but for the world. It is by our love and oneness that God has chosen to manifest His love to those still lost. With all our heart and mind, we must hold onto that gift and trust so that all those who are seeking might finally find true peace in the Savior.

Amen.

The river of God is full of water. Psalm 65:9