We have lit the candle of peace this morning.  Peace brings light to the darkness.  In light of Christ, we can live in peace.  I want to say some things about the attitude of peace.  Peace in the Biblical sense is certainly more than a mental state of mind.  The Hebrew word Shalom is very broad.  Shalom (peace) is not just an inner feeling, but a global, ecological, social reality.  It covers economics, race relations, international relations, the stewardship of the environment, the judicial system, employer/employee relations, etc.  But I believe it all starts with an attitude.

I want to simply offer you one small slice of the pie of peace.  Peace begins with an attitude.  It is an attitude of acceptance.  Peace means accepting life as it is.

We all have expectations about everything.  In a funny way, the season of Advent is about “expecting”.  Elizabeth ends up “expecting” a child.  Mary ends up “expecting” also.  Advent is a season "pregnant" with expectations.  To have peace within ourselves,
we have to watch what we expect.  Peace alludes us when we expect the world to be
different than it is.  If we go through life expecting everyone and everything to be the way we want it to be, we will end up frustrated, angry or depressed, because that’s not the way life works.  If we want to have peace within, we have to accept life as it is.

To experience peace we have to stop fighting life and stop fighting God.  We have to stop demanding that life be fair.  It isn’t.

We have to stop living in some fantasy land where everything is always rosy.  It’s like the MVP of the Super Bowl…They always ask the MVP what he’s going to do now that he has reached the pinnacle of his career—won the Super Bowl and been voted the Most Valuable Player.  And you know the answer—he says, “I’m going to Disneyland.”  Well, when we leave the real world to go to the fantasy world, that’s when we get into trouble in our spiritual life.  In fantasy land everything is fun and exciting and gives us pleasure.  But in the real world it is not that way.  

If we want peace, we have to live in the real world.  We have to accept life as it is.

In the real world, people will betray you, you will get sick, tragedies will come your way, you will die, and those you love will die.

Now, I know those are harsh words.  Not exactly what some people go to church to hear, but I’m not going to lie to you..... that’s the truth.  And the truth is, the more we resist  accepting the truth about life, the more we fight against life, the angrier we get with God that life is unfair, and the less peace we will have.  Peace comes when we accept what is.

We have to climb out of the ring and put our fists down and surrender to life as it is.  Or to put it another way (which will sound strange, I know), we should do the Christian  thing and forgive; forgive life, forgive God!

Forgive God for not making the world the way we want it to be.  You probably know that short prayer called the Serenity Prayer.  It goes like this:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the courage and wisdom to know the difference.

It is certainly a helpful prayer, a realistic prayer, and a prayer that guides us toward peace.

There are some things we can change that need to be changed.  And when that is the case, we have the responsibility to give it our best shot.  But there are many things that cannot be changed.  And that’s where we beat up on ourselves and beat up on God.  We demand that life be other than it is.  And we find ourselves angry or bitter or despairing or cynical or unbelieving.

But we don’t have to live that way.  We don’t have to add to the suffering of life by fighting life and fighting God.  There is a better way, a more healthy way, a wiser way.

The way of serenity.  We have the peace of God in our minds and hearts when we accept life the way it is.

And here is the miracle that happens when we do that - When we accept reality as it is - suddenly we are able to do things we hadn’t imagined before.  When we accept the things that cannot be changed, the peace that results enables us to find a new energy to make a difference in the world.   Instead of using up our energy and imagination fighting life as it is, we are able to be better stewards of our energy and imagination, and begin to let our light shine in the world.

There’s a song called, “God Is Good All the Time.”  In other words, whether we are going through good times or bad times, God is always there with us, caring about what happens to us (remember the "Footsteps" poem?).  And the resurrection of Jesus shows us that this life is not all there is.  Nevertheless, feelings of injustice and betrayal are not uncommon feelings when we or those we love are struck with disease of other suffering.  It seems to be a natural response.  But it is a response that can be unlearned and replaced with a better response.

The Apostle Paul had learned to respond to misfortune with calmness and peace.  He was in prison when he wrote his letter to the congregation in Philippi.  In that letter he say:

"I have learned to be content, no matter what the circumstances.  I have learned to be at  peace whether I have a lot, or I have a little.  It doesn’t matter about the circumstances.  I can get through anything with the strength that Christ gives me." [Phil. 4.11-13]

It’s really our choice - we can live in the darkness of anger and bitterness, or we can live in the light of Christ, and by his power let our own lives shine with the brightness and radiance of God’s love.  We have lit the candle of peace.  Now, in spite of all the suffering and unfairness of life, let us light up the world with the kindness and peace of God in Jesus Christ, a peace that surpasses rational understanding.

Go In Peace, now My Spirit Friends-
Namaste~
"CharmedAngel"