It has been difficult for me to decide what sermon I should preach today. I had planned to preach on the lectionary text in Acts which is assigned for this Sunday. That story of Peter and Cornelius has been occupying my thoughts for several days, and I had a pretty good idea of how the sermon would be developed. But the present historical crisis has been capturing the attention of us all. My sense of call as a pastor has urged me to set aside the sermon on Peter and Cornelius and speak about following Jesus in the face of the threat of war. It has come to my attention that I would be shirking my duty if I did not offer you some help in following Jesus during this critical moment in history. God's Word has something to say to us about war, about enemies, the use of power and the sword, and …