- By becoming one with God, and one with our fellow man. And interestingly, this is precisely the connotation of the word peace as it is found in Ephesians, and understood in terms of it's Greek root, eirini, peace. Being at rest by being whole and complete. And how might we enter into this peace? This process of becoming whole? Well now this brings me to my second major point, peace is possible only through Christ Jesus. In Ephesians, we are told that Christ Jesus, having preached and having pursued peace even onto the cross, this Christ is our peace. He is the means, Christ is the process, by which we become whole. As our peace, we are made one when we enter into Christ. By the power of the resurrection and the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ takes us as are, different though we be by appearance, different though we be by habit or by custom, Christ takes us, and creates one new man out of the many. One new body with one mind, one will, reconcilable to God. Interestingly, in Christ, we are not changed in the way that we lose all distinctiveness, especially all distinctiveness as individuals. As racial roots, as nationalities, so on. In this sense we do not cease to be who we are at one level of our living. What ceases is the priority of superficial things over our lives. And when I think of this dynamic and I suppose miracle, I think of the burning bush, the way in which God set a bush on fire without destroying the bush. Changed it without destroying it. And even Moses' rod, at times it took the form of a snake and yet it remained a rod. God has a way. We do not cease to be who we are, rather we become what we can be. In Christ Jesus, we can be at peace. For in his flesh enmity was brought to an end. All customs and ordinances and commandments were abolished in terms of having priority of our lives. And the flesh of Christ Jesus, all woes were demolished. He took them unto himself and crushed them. And this then brings me to my third and final major point. There is peace when we live without walls, there is peace when we live without walls. For when we seek to live without walls, God works through Jesus Christ, he meets us as we are to be found in Christ Jesus, and then works to fashion and to mold and to reshape and to transform our lives so that we become and this is the beautiful imagery of versus 22, in this passage, we become as if we are living stones. And with these stones, God builds not walls to divide, but to unite, and to bind together one stone after another he brings together. Lays one upon another and one next to the other. And in this unity and this binding together there is peace, for these living stones bound together and cemented by the Holy Spirit, which came to us on the day of Penecost. These living stones are fashioned and shaped and built into a living temple, this is the language of the passage, a living temple, a living church, a living Christian community, in which in dwells the God who is peace. One of my dearest friends, and a person who was a dear friend to many in this universe and community lies in a hospital today, on a hospital bed, and I know he's listening. And I want to say to him and I want to say to all of us here and those who are listening by means of radio, that God has a way of taking stones even from the ashes of our trials, of our tribulations, of our wars, and reviving them and using them in the building of the walls of his living church. God has a way, this is the work of the Holy Spirit upon us. And to the end that we might be at peace, I'd cease to look for happiness, and I hope you, too, will now search for peace and pursue peace to the end that we might be at peace. Let us all commit ourselves to living without walls. For when we live without walls, there is peace. We have peace with ourselves, we have peace with our mothers and peace with our fathers, our family unit today is in such disarray. This is so much needed, we have peace with our parents, peace with our brothers, and peace with our sisters, we have peace with blacks and we have peace with whites, we have peace with Episcopalian's and peace with Charismatic's. We have peace from other lands, Americans and Russians, Chinese, Africans, all can get along in peace. When we live without walls we have peace to live together, to work together, to play together, to grow together, we have the kind of peace that the Apostles had on day of Penecost, the kind of peace that sometimes moves us to talk about it and speak of it in tongues, intelligible only to the faithful. We can have this peace when we live without walls. We live in Christ Jesus and by the work of the Holy Spirit, and so doing we have the peace of God, amen. (organ music) (choir singing) 

- We believe in God who has created and is creating, who has come in the truly human Jesus, to reconcile and make new, he works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust God, who calls us to be the church, to celebrate life in it's fullness, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus crucified and risen, our judge and our hope in life and death and life beyond death, God is with us, we are not alone, thanks be to God. The Lord be with you. 

- [Church Attendees] And also with you. 

- Let us pray. Oh God, you have made us in your own image and redeemed us through Jesus your son, look with compassion on the whole human family, take away the arrogance and hatred, which infect our hearts, break down the walls that separate us, unite in bonds of love and work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish your purposes on earth, that in your good time, all nations and races may serve you in harmony around your heavenly throne. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, amen. Eternal God in who's perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love, so mightily spray it abroad your spirit that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the prince of peace, as children of one Father to whom the dominion and glory now and forever, amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever, amen. (organ music) (choir singing) 

- Your prayers are asked for Bob Young. For Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need, we humbly beseech thee to behold, visit and relieve thy servant Robert, for whom our prayers are desired. Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy, comfort him with a sense of thy goodness, preserve him from the temptations of the enemy, and give him patience under his affliction, and thy good time restore him to health, and enable him to lead the residue of his life in thy fear and to thy glory, and grant that finally, he may dwell with thee in life everlasting, through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen. The peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds and the knowledge and love of God and his Son, our savior, Jesus Christ. And the blessing God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be amongst you and remain with you always, amen. (organ music) 

- Let us pray. Let us go forth into the world in peace. (choir singing)