Scripture: Psalm 4:8
In peace I will lie down and sleep, for sale for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Thought for the Day: Where do we find peace? In material possessions? In others? Scripture tells us that true peace can only come from a deep relationship with God. As much as I yearn for a peaceful world, I have to wonder if that is truly possible until the majority of us come to find real peace with God. Certainly, a peaceful world cannot happen as long as some people continue to argue that their spiritual path is somehow the only spiritual path. There are many paths to God—Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Bahá’í, Universalism—the list is very long, and as diverse as God’s creation.

Jesus was a radical. He thought differently about the structure of society, our relationships to each other, our responsibilities to each other, and our nature as manifestations of Creative Divine Love. As we excitedly await the birth of the Christ child this Advent season, I think it’s is a good time to consider the idea that Jesus’ birth was not intended to divide us into hateful, partisan, closed-minded religious groups. Jesus was born so that every human in the world could see that we have an astounding, if unfulfilled, potential—that our true nature is much more intricately woven with the fabric of the universe than we can imagine; that we are, all of us, no matter what we believe, children of God.

Prayer: May my heart be filled with peace and love for all your creations, God of infinite manifestations, especially when they think differently than I. Amen.