We had been in Israel for ten days. And like any trip over a few days, you begin to long for home. Yes, it was nice, and yes it was pretty, and yes it was a once in a lifetime experience, but I wanted to get home.

I wanted my bed, I wanted a cheeseburger, I wanted to see a Wal-Mart and a Dairy Queen. In others words, I was ready to go.

There is only one airport in Israel, a modest size airport in Tel Aviv and our flight was leaving at 2am Israel time. I was packed and ready and up long before the phone rang with the wake up call.

I showered, shaved, got my roommate up and we loaded our luggage and souvenirs in the bus.

Now Israel is not a big place, you can drive from the tip to the bottom of the country in about two hours and the drive from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv was only about 30 minutes. Most people were trying to get some more sleep, but not me…I was going home.

We pulled into the airport and I bolted from the bus and made my way inside toward the security check.

Now as you might imagine, security is of utmost importance to the Israelis.

During the entire stay I bumped into the soldiers, both Israeli and Palestinian, carrying machine guns.

I watched with anxiety as our bus driver was interrogated at a border checkpoint.

There was a definite tension in the air wherever we went.

And there wasn’t any corners cut when it came to airport security.

There was a long line, which was long even at 1 in the morning. At the end of the line were two members of airport security checking through the baggage and asking questions to everybody boarding a flight.

Just behind the airport security personnel were dozens of Israeli soldiers with their machine guns watching everybody make their way through.

I was among the first in line, because I wanted to get home, and behind me was a guy named Jody and the professor who was on the trip with us.

As we were waiting, a nicely dressed Israeli woman came over to Jody, my professor, and me. She whispered something to my professor and then turned to us.

She introduced herself as the airport security supervisor and asked us if we would like to participate in a security drill.

Well, what were we supposed to say? I certainly wasn’t about to turn her down with dozens of machine gun carrying soldiers. And after all, it was 1 in the morning and we weren’t exactly sure what we were doing yet.

So Jody and I looked at each other and reluctantly said ok.

I’ll never forget what she said next.

"Before you get up to the security checkperson" she said, "you two swap passports and luggage and try to get through the security check"

I looked up at the security check and then I looked once again at all the soldiers who were standing against the wall clutching their machine guns looking for people like me who were trying to do something illegal like swapping passports and luggage.

I then looked at Jody and he looked at me. How in the world were we going to be able to do this.

Jody was at least three inches taller than I was, he was a good bit heavier than I was, he had reddish hair and absolutely, without a doubt, looked nothing like me.

What were we going to do? At least the security supervisor could have given us a fighting chance to make it through, no we were certainly going to die.

And I looked once again at all the soldiers that lined the wall.

Jody and I very carefully swapped passports and we exchanged luggage and inched our way toward the checkpoint.

It grew very hot waiting in that line, even though no one else was sweating, with every glance at the soldiers on the wall, I poured out sweat from my forehead and cheeks.

I was going to die! People in Israel don’t appreciate people swapping passports and luggage and trying to board planes.

I looked over at Jody and I see in his face that he was thinking similar thoughts and the sweat had begun to form on his face as well.

We shook hands and embraced just before we stepped up to the checkperson as if saying to each other ‘it was nice knowing you’.

As I stepped up to the checkperson, the passport just slipped out of my hand from all the sweat into the hand of a young girl was about the same age I was.

She asked me if a stranger had given me anything to put in my luggage and the other standard questions that they all ask.

And then she picked up my, or well Jody’s passport. My heart was visible through my coat. What was she going to say? What was she going to do? Would she just pull out a machine gun from under the table or would she call the soldiers over and let them do the job?

I had to be calm, the supervisor told us to act, so act Steve, act!

She looked at the passport and quickly noticed the picture and then looked at me.

This was it I thought, it’s time to say goodbye. She looked back and the picture and said "This is not you!".

And inside I was screaming "I know, I know, its not me it’s him, it’s him, just look and you’ll see!" But I had to act, Tom Cruise would’ve been proud because I just stood there and didn’t say a word.

She asked me were I got the passport and I made up some city in South Carolina. Oh, no, it’s coming, it’s about to be over! She then asked me what my birthday was, now I didn’t have any idea how old Jody was, much less when his birthday was, so I made up some date.

She knows, she is about to press the button, I thought.

I heard a commotion in the next line and I saw Jody having the same problem as I was, they were asking him the same questions and he was giving them the same made up answers that I was. And they were not happy just as my girl was not happy with me.

And then finally she looked at the luggage and said "this is not your luggage!" and once more, I just stood there.

"Don’t move!" she said and then she ran toward the soldiers.

Peace! Never before had I wanted something so bad! Of all the things that I experienced waiting in that line and going through that check, PEACE was not one of them!

Peace was what I wanted. I wanted freedom from the fear of those soldiers, I wanted relief from the anxiety that felt while waiting in line at the checkpoint.

Peace! For the longest time, I couldn’t understand why people, why nations and governments, didn’t want peace.

If peace was the opposite of what I experienced in Israel at the airport, why would anyone not want it?

I still have a hard time trying figure out why peace can’t exist in Israel, or in the United States, in our homes and even deep inside ourselves.

If we know, what’s it like to be without peace, why don’t we do everything in the world to work toward peace, to have it, to spread it, to sustain it?

We read a lot about peace, about summits and meetings and treaties, but we rarely see peace.

Where can we find it? Where is this peace that seems to allude us so easily?

I’m not sure if we know what peace really is. We view peace as a cease in argument or a stop in fighting, an agreement to behave, but is that really peace?

But if all the nations and governments agreed to stop fighting and bickering, does that mean that peace will exist between all people in all the world?

We think of peace when something is quiet and calm but some of the most brutal wars have been fought with silence.

Maybe this peace that we look for is so allusive because we don’t know where real peace, true peace comes from.

I think I am part of the problem. For too long ministers like me have stood in pulpits like this and talked about peace. We’ve screamed peace from the rooftops and we’ve whispered peace in the ears of our parishioners. We can have peace. God will give us peace, trust in Christ and we’ll experience peace.

Yes, but what is it? What really is peace? What does peace look like, what does it taste like, feel like, smell like? What is peace? Where does it come from? How will I know it when I see it, feel it?

Thursday I got in my car and drove on Highway 72 toward Athens. I turned on I-85 and drove all the way through Atlanta. My knuckles were white from weaving in and out of the six and seven lanes of traffic that were darting in and out in front of me.

I would hold my breath and close my eyes when changing lanes and the noise was unbelievable from all the 18-wheelers passing by.

I turned on I-20 and went to a little place called Conyers, southeast of Atlanta. Even in Conyers, the traffic was heavy and the air was hot. I am too cheap to use the air conditioner and I had both windows down and the radio up as I drove.

15 minutes later, I turned left into a long driveway. I cut my radio off and I put the phone away. I slowly drove up the long driveway that was lined with Magnolia trees. With both windows down I could hear and see the wind dancing in and out of the trees as if playing hide and go seek.

It was so quiet, even though the highway was just feet behind me. At the end of the driveway was a little monastery.

I parked my car and walked all around the beautiful monastery.

I stepped into the chapel that was nothing short of stunning and I sat in the back for a little while. The only sound in the chapel were steps of a monk who was walking around the sanctuary praying the Rosary.

I stepped out of the chapel and noticed a lake down the hill. I had the time so I walked down the hill to catch a quick view of the water.

As I was walking down I noticed around 50 ducks gathered along the path of to the lake. Beautiful ducks of all colors just enjoying the shade walking around and talking to one another.

I began to slow my steps as I neared the ducks, I didn’t want to start a stampede. Every duck I’ve encountered has always ran or flew away. And I didn’t want to make the monks mad by making a lot of noise, so I inched a little closer toward the ducks on the path.

They didn’t move! The ducks didn’t flinch at my presence. A few looked at back at me, but they were not threatened a bit!

I actually had to walk around them to a little park bench where I sat down to take in the view.

As I was sitting, a few ducks walked right and beside me and I just know, that one of them smiled at me.

I could’ve reached down and stroked the backs of their necks.

There right beside me and all around me was a tangible illustration of peace. Those ducks were at peace. Real peace, true peace.

I was so envious of those ducks! They knew a peace that was more than a truce or a cease in fighting. They knew a peace that took away fear. They knew a peace that whipped out tension. There was no need to look over their shoulder or to sleep with one eye open.

There was not any place for anxiety or worry, there wasn’t any room left. There was only peace.

"therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Through our faith in Christ, we have peace with God and we have peace from God. We have real peace, true peace, a peace that is more a cease in fighting or a truce, but a peace that takes away fear.

A peace that removes tension or anxiety. A peace that frees us from having to look over our shoulder or sleep with one eye open. A peace that governments can’t give, that nations can’t give, that summits can’t give, a peace that comes from God through faith.

A peace that removes the worry while standing the various lines of life.

A peace that is stronger than fear, a peace that is stronger than tension and anxiety. A peace that is stronger than bullets, bombs, and words.

A peace that allows us to enjoy the view of the world without having to worry about someone walking up behind us and making noise.

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.