“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
Black Elk, Oglala Lakota Holy Man
“Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable.”
Psalm 37:37
If on a wintery day you find that your house is getting too cold for comfort, do you stand around and curse the cold? No, you turn up the heat. Your desire is to produce more heat in that moment and you take steps to make that happen. Now the level of heat in your house has increased. Your personal world is a warmer place. And that is exactly what you wanted. It is the same with peace—if we want more peace in the world, it is up to us to “turn up the peace” in our own lives. If you want more peace, it is up to you to do what it takes to experience peace within your own mind and heart. When you do this you produce more peace in the world. And that is exactly what you wanted!
The foundation of peace is understanding that we are connected to everything and everybody. We are literally all created of the same Divine Substance, an expression of the matrix of life itself. We have within us God’s GPS – Guidance, Peace, and Safety. As we let that Divine GPS orient us we realize we are an essential part of the world. We are needed, wanted, loved. We are safe. The calm that we feel as a result radiates from us as an atmosphere of peace. In that ambiance other people have the opportunity to experience calm within themselves. For some, feeling serenity is a new or rare experience. The peace we experience widens the circle of peace in our immediate community and in the world one person at a time. What a joy it is to get to be a walking gift of peace!
We celebrate peace on this second Sunday of Advent. Peace is essential to developing conscious awareness of the Christ in us. And it is indispensable to our ability to see and relate to the Christ in others. This Advent week set your intention to be the peace you want to see and so participate in bringing forth the Christ in all.
In the Love and Light of the Christ,
Rev. Anna
