Sermon Preached at Northbrae Community Church, July 31, 2005, by Ron Sebring

Oxymoron: Struggle for Inner Peace

There was an encouraging item in the news this last week. One news channel had a whole segment on it. It is of special interest, I think, to a church like Northbrae, concerned about peace among the world religions. Eighteen Islamic scholars from North America and Canada issued a Fatwa against terrorism and terrorist. A Fatwa is a religious ruling of significant influence in Islam. It does not have the power of a law; Islam does not have that kind of structure. However, it is an opinion that carries weight.

This Fatwa says that Islam is about peace, and terrorism or any terrorist is acting against both the Koran and Mohammad. My facts are a little fuzzy, but I believe they quoted from the Koran, chapter five, where it says that to kill one innocent person is to kill a whole world. They countered the scriptural justification for terror, perhaps chapter nine where it says, "fight them where ever you see them." This, they claim, is out of context.

I did some internet research on this, and found that The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has sponsored radio and TV ads based on this ruling and persuading the public that Islam is about peace.

With this thinking, a group in Saudi Arabia has reached out to 800 terrorist sympathizers.

Two hundred fifty of them converted to a more peaceful way. This group continues to appeal to the others. It appears that Muslim groups around the country are endorsing this Fatwa.

This is the news we need to hear more often. I believe the war on terrorism will be addressed first by the Islamic community. Second as other religious bodies, Christians and Jews, each in their own way, embrace Islam in their stand for peace. I dream of a day when the stained glass art in churches around our country can boldly exhibit a tribute to Mohammad and the Koran.

"Jihad" is an interesting word. The Arabic root "hd" means "to exert utmost effort," or "to struggle for something with everything you have. Hence, a "Jihad" can have a wide range of meanings for a "mujahid," someone who engages in a "Jihad." It can mean a "Holy War," if one believes the reference is external or in the world. It can mean an inward struggle, if one is looking for the spiritual significance. My sense is that Islamic mystics, Dervishes and Sufis, take it in the inward sense. It is in this sense that it resonates with other world religions.

The Bhagavad-Gita, the Holy Scripture of what we call Hinduism, is about a battle.

Just before the battle starts, Arjuna and his army of chariots line up on one side of the battle-line. The enemy forces pull up on the other side. There they pause, enemy looking at enemy.

Arjuna is overcome with confusion, for when he looks across the battle-line into the camp of his enemy; he sees his kinfolks, his relatives, his friends. Lord Krishna approaches Arjuna in his confusion.

Here is the strange part … the rest of the Bhagavad-Gita is not about the war. It is about Krishna helping Arjuna delve deeper into his own consciousness, to discover a Unitive Consciousness.

Clearly, the work is a huge metaphor; the real battle waged against the estranged parts of our selves. The battles we think we face in the world are a struggle with those parts of ourselves that get in our own way. No matter what the mix in a contentious setting, when we are at peace within ourselves, we are at peace with the world around us.                                                                          [TOP]

Christianity is replete with battle images. We find them in our hymns and in our theology, and today, we find them in the mouths of our politicians. Indeed, the Apostle Paul tells us to put on the "Whole Armor of God." [Eph 6:11ff]

Belt of truth.

Breastplate of righteousness.

Helmet of salvation.

Shield of faith … to deflect the flaming arrows of evil.

The Sword of the Lord, the Word of God.

There is a battle going on here. In addition, many a fundamentalist interpretation will justify military action in the name of a God-on-our-side righteousness. However, Paul himself is clear that this is not a battle with flesh and blood. Nevertheless, a battle with hidden powers and principalities. The text is metaphoric … In essence; it is a battle within us … like the Bhagavad-Gita … an inner Jihad win inner peace.

The Hebrew bible has the story about Jacob wrestling with an angel. I do not know whether this really happened. For me, the story works as a poetic way of talking about this deep and life changing struggle for inner peace. The story takes place just before Jacob reconciles with his brother, Esau. He cheated Esau all of his life. Got the better of him. Now, there could be war with his people and those of his very own brother … much like the set up in the Bhagavad-Gita.

However, the war was within Jacob himself. He had to wrestle with his own angel. Discovering his deeper purpose, he was able to submit to his brother. No longer did he have a need to prevail over him. Jacob fought his inner Jihad, with every fiber of his being, and it changed his whole life.

The most difficult battle we have to face is the battle with ourselves. I would go as far as to suggest that when we are arguing or complaining against someone, it is a piece of ourselves with which we are fighting. We just project it out there on someone else.

It does not matter what our external battle is.

It may be with cancer.

It may be with a broken relationship with a family member.

It may be a cause we hold passionately.

It is an opportunity to go to the mat with our innermost angel.

From here, our name will change.

From here, our whole destiny will alter.

From here, and not from books, creeds, or teachers, we discover our true gift.

I learned something in Yellowstone National Park, swimming in the Firehole River. North of Old Faithful, there is a side-road going to the west, leading to Firehole River. The geysers in the Old Faithful area feed this river and the water is like a heated swimming pool. When I worked at Yellowstone as a fishing guide, on our days off, we would go over to that river and swim. God designed it, just for us. The diving area was very deep. People dove off the high cliff into a deep pool. I never had the nerve to do that.                                    [TOP]

There were rapids that you could lean back in and bounce down over rounded rocks. That was a ride to beat any amusement park. Then there was a narrow and deep gorge with two or three elbow turns where the current picked up and carried us to a wide-open pool. It was fun riding through that gorge. My problem was that when I tried to swim through that gorge, I would come out the other end with bloody elbows and knees. The rocks were hard and sharp. Other kids could do it with no problem. Therefore, it became a challenge for me. I learned to relax in the current, to go limp like a leaf or a piece of moss.

Then I discovered that the current did not move near as fast as I thought. There was plenty of time to make subtle, slow motion, shimming strokes. I felt the rocks as not hard and sharp, but strong and supporting. That relaxed, let-go feeling is the perfect attitude with which to face any current, or any opposing angel.

A lot has been written about this attitudinal approach to life. One writer calls it the "flow experience." It is finding that feeling of doing something and yet carried along at the same time. Athletes call it "being in the zone." They work hard at their sport; but there comes that moment when something lets go, and something bigger takes over.

Researchers tested a dancer from an African drum troupe and found her heart rate to be surprising low for all her jumping and gyrations. She explained her experience something like, "I am not dancing; the drums are dancing me."

"Zen and the Art of Archery." "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance." The Taoist call it "wu wei wu," which translates as "doing without doing." It is a subtle thing, below the level of our conscious dictates. Indeed, it is something that happens when our conscious dictates let go.

One writer, Gerald May in his book, Will and Spirit, draws the distinction somewhat like this:

It is the difference between being WILLING unto the Will of God and being WILLFUL, insisting on the dictates of our ego. For me, this is literal. It a switch that can literally take place in our minds and in our bodies.

Paradoxically, it is struggling with how not to struggle. We are not trying to claim anything, or win anything, or learn anything. Rather, we are allowing ourselves to be claimed, to be won, to be understood by the Universe. It is the only way to prevail over an adversarial angel