Don’t you just love the 23^rd Psalm?  For many of us, if we’ve memorized any scripture, it’s this one. But does it make for a good Peacemaking text???  This is Peacemaking Sunday, after all.

The Psalm is great with the ole shepherd and sheep analogy. And there are some marvelous paraphrases of the 23^rd Psalm. One of my favorites is a Japanese version that speaks to the stress of our lives, very appropriate for those of who live the Silicon Valley Rat Race.  And it does talk of a kind of peace – but it’s an inner peace.  I like it.

“The Lord is my pacesetter, I shall not rush. He makes me stop and rest for quiet intervals, He provides me with images of stillness, which restore my serenity. He leads me in ways of efficiency, through calmness of mind, and His guidance is peace.

“Even though I have a great many things to accomplish this day, I will not fret, for His presence is here, His timelessness, His all-importance will keep me in balance.

“He prepares refreshment and renewal in the midst of my activity by anointing my head with the oil of tranquility, my cup of joyous energy overflows.

“Surely harmony and effectiveness shall be the fruits of my hours, for I shall walk in the pace of my Lord, and dwell in His house forever.”

Did you feel the peace?  It is a peace that is truly a gift from God. We need more of that kind of peace in our lives. But that’s not the only kind of peace we are invited to enter into in this Psalm.

We are all familiar with the most common image of God we take from the 23rd Psalm, that of a shepherd. But we also have in this Psalm, the image of God as a host, God spreading a table, providing for us as he did for Israel in the wilderness.

But don’t be misled. In this Psalm, God, is not the sort of host who is saying: “come over for dinner, we’ll barbeque!” The picnic God’s talking about is one where we are surrounded – and not by our friends.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” Now there’s a peacemaking verse if I’ve ever heard one! 

Have you ever wondered about that phrase? I’m not sure I feel comfortable sitting down to eat with my enemies looking on … that certainly doesn’t make me feel very safe or secure.

Not only that, doesn’t it sound pretty exclusionary? I mean God spreading a table out for one group (my group, of course) in plain view of another, apparently uninvited group (that would have to be - your group). 

Yet, we see that a lot today, even in churches, sometimes especially in churches, don’t we?  One group claiming to sit at God’s table … thumbing their nose at that other group.

 “My God spreads a table before me. Aren’t you jealous that God sets a table just for me and my friends, who think like me? Don’t you wish you could be like me?” It’s evangelism at its worst!

I mean, do you really think that the sight of us sitting at this table will change our enemies’ minds? Do you really think they will respond something like: “Dang it, clearly I’m on the wrong side of things. I’d better change my ways so I can be on their side!”

I have a friend who, in her first year of seminary, said something or other about the Bible that another classmate disagreed with. And although I don’t now exactly remember what she said, I do have a vivid image of how my classmate responded.  He sat my friend down and said, almost condescendingly something to the affect: “Now let me tell you why you’re wrong.”

I would like to think I am not like him – at least not in that way. But I know that sometimes I am. No matter what we think or believe, we all think that if we just present the right argument, if we are just convincing enough, if we just tell the right story, we can change people’s minds.

We can transform them into … our image, their theology into … our theology, their understanding of the gospel into … our version of the gospel.

But you know what I wonder? I wonder if my enemies are reciting this exact same Psalm. I wonder if God is actually setting a table for my enemies, in my presence.  And if that’s true, then God is setting a table for me and a table for my enemies … and you know what? I’ll bet it’s the same table.

Can you imagine what that might look like? You would see Yankee fans sitting with Red Sox fans, Shaq sitting with Kobe, the Cal Bears sitting with the Stanford Cardinal.

You would see the shy kid sitting with the bully, Iraqi insurgents sitting with the U.S. military, the U.S. Border Patrol sitting with migrants, environmental activists sitting with the oil and energy lobbies.

We are invited to eat, each and every one of us, at the table God has set for us. But here’s the catch. This table in Psalm 23 is not the table we sit at every evening. It is not a group of people we choose. It is not the table we set. God is in charge this time.

We don’t know what the table looks like. We don’t know if it will be square, rectangle, or maybe round. Maybe the table will be made of wood. Maybe it will just be a cloth on the ground, or a bamboo mat. We’re not in charge of whether we’re eating off of china or pottery or plastic. God sets the table.

We don’t get to request what we’re served. We don’t get to express our preference for sushi, steak, burritos, or chocolate cake. Nope. God’s in charge of that part, too.

And, deep breath, we have no idea who is invited.

We have no idea what kind of weasel will be sitting right next to us. It might be that annoying neighbor you have who won’t stop talking until you physically turn and walk away. Or that member of your group (doesn’t matter which one) who goes up against you at every meeting.

It is up to us, knowing that this God is the God of everyone, to accept the invitation to this table that we didn’t set, to the table where we won’t always like the other guests, the table set by the God who loves those we consider our enemies.

In the end, we are in this world community with everyone. We may fear the other, we may dislike those who disagree with us, we may even feel like we want to hurt those who have hurt us, but ... even these are our sisters and brothers. Even these are created in the image of God.

I admit I feel somewhat uneasy in these moments. Because it takes energy and commitment to be willing to be transformed, to be willing to see these people differently. I’d rather keep those people over there, and hang out with my friends over here.

There are times and places to be safe, to surround ourselves with people who share our perspective, and there are times to rejoin the rest of the world, to try stepping over the precipice because we trust God, this shepherd God, the God of hospitality who provides for us abundantly, and who protects us.

We are called, we are invited - it is up to us to respond, to come to the table, to say yes to this gift of grace. Here is our chance, our opportunity to be peacemakers.  And the Good News is that we don’t have to wait until God calls us home to participate. 

Each day we get to make a choice to be a peacemaker or not – in how we deal with our families, how we respond to one another in our communities, what we proclaim in our nation, and how we love one another in this world.

On Tuesday night I had the privilege to attend a dinner for the Moderator of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), Rick Ufford-Chase. 

During the question and answer period following his initial remarks he was asked, “How do we be peacemakers in such a fractious and violent world where even in our own denominations there are deep divisions?” 

First he said we needed to stop making such a big deal about things that don’t really matter and then start make a big deal about those that do.  Jesus, ultimately cares only about how we love each other, not how we exclude, judge, or intimidate one another. 

And how can we love each other if we don’t know each other?  That’s all an enemy is anyway – someone we don’t understand … yet. It take time, it takes energy, it takes you and it takes me.

The Apostle Paul had it right.  You want to know how to be peacemakers, how to set a Christ-like example for our families, communities, and the world?  Listen to Paul’s words as paraphrased in “The Message:”

¹⁴Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. ¹⁵Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. ¹⁶Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.

¹⁷Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. ¹⁸As far as you have control, live peaceably with everybody. ¹⁹Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."

²⁰Our Scriptures tell us what we need to do: if you see your enemy hungry, feed them; if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. ²¹Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Don’t you wish those in Washington, on both sides of the aisle, would take this and pay attention to it?

Being peacemakers isn’t easy.  But that’s okay, nothing worthwhile ever is.  God calls us to sit at table in the presence of our enemies because they are at the very same table! 

When we learn to REALLY love them (and not just pay lipservice) we will find ourselves on the way to peace.

May it be so for all of us. 

Let us pray…