PEACE: Week Three - Advent Guided Meditation

THE WAY Of PEACE

“By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness…to guide our feet in the way of peace.

Luke 1:78-79

            The “way of peace…” Where is this way? How can we train to walk this path? The way of peace recognizes that peace doesn’t mean we are free of trouble, conflict, or the trauma that plagues the world. We soon realize the way of peace is paved within the heart, mind, and soul that rests in the belief that God’s goodness leads the way. It believes that everything – the troubles and the testing, the joy and the delight – all turn on the hinge of faith in the One who promised, that all will be well with your soul.

·       As I enter into a quiet moment, I ask for the grace to listen and learn the way of peace being spoken within my own life today.

·       I imagine myself walking along a cobblestone path on a quiet street. I walk slowly seeing each cobblestone as an individual life experience or season of my life that together make up the whole of my existence. As I travel along this path I begin at my childhood years, receiving images, words, or remembrances that marked the miles through this time of growth. I receive these memories, whether delightful or painful, and pray, “Lord, teach me your way of peace.”

·       I continue on my life journey in this way, remembering the years, seasons, events. Stopping at those that carry weight and offering the prayer, “Lord, teach me your way of peace.”

·       After I’ve made my way along my own path, I notice other pathways crossing and intersecting my own. As I stop at these intersections of life I pray, “Lord, teach me your way of peace.”

·       And finally, I notice many other cobblestone markers along the edges of my pathway, those who live on the fringes of society whose voices cry out for peace and mercy. I pray “Lord, teach me your way of peace.”

·       In the final moments of this meditation, I listen to how the Spirit prompts me to new insights, to action, and to invitations in exploring and further experiencing this way of peace. I close with words of gratitude.

Blessing

May your way of peace be clearly marked along your path.

May you always know the companionship of other pilgrims along way.

May you always go with a yielded heart, willing to be taught the Divine way of peace.

Amen.