As we celebrate the Season of Advent, my messages are focused on divine qualities that we associate with Christmas and with how Jesus lived his life. So I hope you’ll permit me to lean into another of the world’s religions and quote Shunryu Suzuki, a Soto Zen monk and teacher who helped popularize Zen Buddhism in the United States. He said, “Calmness of mind does not mean you should stop your activity. Real calmness should be found in activity itself.” And Christina Feldman, author of “Silence, How to Find Inner Peace in a Busy World” wrote, “Peace is not a destination to be reached but a way of living, relating, speaking and being.” They both help to make my point from Sunday…that the peace of Christmas is more than spending time in solitude, gazing at a fire, or breathing deeply.
True peace is first a state of being, which we know when we realize that we are an expression of the Christ. As we practice living from Christ Consciousness, it allows us to maintain a peaceful presence, even in the midst of chaos. As a matter of fact, the more we “agree with God, the more we will know peace.” (Job 22.21) This week, whether life is chaotic or calm, I encourage you to agree (align) with God. Remember, “I am a spiritual being, and my nature is peace. The Universe is for me, and nothing can disturb the deep peace of my soul.” I promise that as you practice this, life will begin to flow with ease and reflect the true spirit of Christmas…which will then allow you to be a peaceful presence for others, inspiring them to know their own spirit of peace.
I hope you’ll continue to join us at Unity, either onsite or online, as we celebrate the Christmas season together. Join me for our Wednesday night Christmas Chats, Sunday Services and Christmas Eve Service…and embrace the power of Faith, Peace, Love and Joy. Details are below and on our website calendar at UnityInNaperville.org. For now, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.”
