Finding Serenity in Advent

             At the beginning of the year, I handed out cutouts of gold stars to the folks in my congregation. Each star had a different word written on it, and these were the “Star Words.” I had just heard about the concept of Star Words as an Epiphany practice. The basic premise is that as the Magi followed the star, we let the Star Word guide us into the new year. Maybe it’s a word that sticks with us all year and maybe it’s just a word we needed for that day. I know some people have kept their word visually present in 2020, and there were a small handful of stars returned to my office (anonymously, of course!)

            My word was “serenity.” I keep the star near my desk in my office, though I admit since I’ve been working from home, I don’t see it much. But, since I am the keeper of the gold paper that was used to cut out the Star Words (a project that took my husband and me about two hours), I made myself a new star with the word “serenity” on it. It’s been an important word for me this year and I have found it helpful, whether I’m at the office or at home, in a visually prominent place as a reminder to practice serenity. 

            Serenity is a kind of peace. Most commonly, the word serenity reminds me of the serenity prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change what I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” An American theologian named Reinhold Niebuhr wrote the prayer in the 1930’s, during a time in America when I’m sure serenity was a desperately needed thing. I learned recently his original version placed courage first and serenity second. I also learned that it wasn’t even called the Serenity Prayer until the 1950’s when Alcoholics Anonymous started calling it that. 

            But what does serenity actually look like? 

            Or maybe a better question is this: What does serenity feellike?

            When I think of what it means, I think about the feeling I have after I meditate. I sit quietly, alone in a room, with my eyes closed and my hands relaxed on my lap. I engage in a practice called “examen” where I think about all the events of the day, notice what gave me the most life, notice what caused me the greatest tension, and hand all the events over to God with gratitude. I breathe deeply and listen to soothing music. Sometimes I dab a little lavender oil behind my ear. After about five minutes, my teeth unclench, my shoulders relax, and my brow unfurrows. I feel like I could lay down and fall asleep.

            That’s what serenity feels like to me. It doesn’t mean that the things that caused me tension are gone or undone. It doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences I still have to live out tomorrow. But for a moment, my mind is clear and my heart doesn’t feel weighted down. That’s serenity. 

            I don’t know if there’s a difference between serenity and peace, but peace is certainly a Star Word for Advent. The second week of Advent is all about peace. In the Song of Zechariah (sung by Zechariah at the occasion of the birth of his son who would be known as John the Baptist), Zechariah sings (from The Message), “Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.” The NRSV puts verse 79: “To guide our feet into the way of peace.” I love the way The Message puts it: one foot at a time, down the path of peace. We walk one foot at a time. Have you ever tried to walk two feet at a time? It’s not easy. You have to jump, or you trip yourself. We walk one foot at a time. 

Now imagine God leading your feet, guiding you down the path of peace. Imagine it for Advent, and imagine it going into the New Year. What does a path of peace look like for you? What does it feel like? 

Once Epiphany arrives, we’ll have new Star Words to lead us on our way to love and follow Jesus into 2021. But I don’t think I’ll get rid of serenity. My guess is that whatever word picks me, I’ll still need a practice of serenity. 

 

How will you seek serenity in this Advent season? God is leading you down a path of peace. What does that path look like for you?