In my last post, I made a plea for a return to contemplation and silence on the part of North American Christians. This intentional commitment to making space for the Spirit of God to work in our hearts is not so that we might be irrelevant as Christians (saying nothing as the world struggles), but that we might be both relevant and reverent (relevancy without reverence usually leads to compromise).
Over ten years ago, I found myself sitting along the shore of the sea of Galilee (which a couple of days earlier I had attempted to walk across…please don’t ask how it went!). There, in the twilight of the day, I resolved to be a Dominican for the rest of my life. This resolution was whispered in my heart and no human being knew of my decision until later. The long hours of contemplation and silence had finally born fruit in my life, setting its direction.
While there has been a resurgence of interest in vintage Christianity and the practice of silence and contemplation (see for example the centering prayer movement), I fear such persons are usually viewed as “the spiritual junkies” of our parishes, families, and communities. In other words, commitment to contemplative prayer is not seen as normative for Christians in general, or local churches in particular.
While there are certainly those that have special gifts for prayer, we will have no Spirit driven reformation of North American Christianity without a return to silence, interior prayer, and contemplation by ordinary believers (if belief in the Triune God can ever be deemed “ordinary’). Where should we begin? With ourselves and our own congregations of course:
1. Add silence to our Sunday services
2. Then teach people to take advantage of this silence
3. Add silence to our daily lives
4. Learn how to take advantage of this silence.
5. Assume God is speaking and you’re not listening (I know many husbands who intentionally choose this approach with their wives…)
6. Do not read a variety of blogs, books, and articles about silence and contemplation. First, shut up for a while, then do the reading.
7. Start to reclaim the practice of Sabbath keeping.
Some simple starters, what would you suggest?
I think that another way to start is to examine if there already might be some moments of silence in one's life that can be re-directed and fostered towards God and a spiritual awareness. I use the term 'awareness' instead of 'discipline' which I think sometimes scares people off. Also, as a friend of mine says: "Take the cotton out of your ears and stick it in your mouth." Be quiet and listen.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea. We have instituted this in our church (an OPC church), where our pastor calls for a moment of silence after the sermon to reflect before the service continues. There is a lot to be said for simple, quiet, meditation.
ReplyDeleteLiam
Good ideas from Brother Gordon and Liam. I know part of the challenge is that many folk are uncertain what to "do" during the silence. Some folk, by wiring, have a natural apptitude for silence, some the opposite - all may benefit from it however.
ReplyDeleteThe other challenge is that we are constantly being trained by the culture to expect activity, noise, no "dead" space, etc.
I once heard it said; Don't just do something. Stand there. Something we don't do very well. And as men, we always want hunt it down and kill it. Or at best fix it. But sometime God does not want us to fix it, He wants us to listen to Him and allow Him to fix it.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree in principle and disagree in part. We are called to find God in the dishes and the spiders. Every breath, every step, every ache and pain. We must see God. We must see Him in every place and every person. Now I am not saying that every person is an shinning example of God's grace, but through that person God's grace and love can be reveled.
So yes God is in the dishes. He is in that spider, (even as I end it's miserable existence on this earth) Sorry don't do spiders. But they have their on this earth for God's perfect plan. But we must slow down enough to see that spider. It is in the stillness of creation that the spider exists. I offer this Celtic thought. Go outdoors and find the smallest creator possible. In the grass, in the air, in the fields and woods of your community. When you can see the smallest creator, there is God. Then look to the heavens and try and see the end of the sky. There you will find God.
I've also heard of treating silence as simply a person--just as you wouldn't interrupt a person, don't feel the need to "fill" (I.e., interrupt) silence. That way, one doesn't have to DO anything while the silence is "speaking".
ReplyDeleteYou have, I think, identified an important issue. We need to recover a greater practice and understanding of silence in our liturgies, prayers, and personal lives. Silence, as Genesis tells us, is the context for God's creativity activity. Silence allows us to face the deepest realities of our lives. Silence asks us to be present to the One who is already and always present to us. Thus, we learn to trust our being and presence more than our doing and busyness. That is not to separate the inner world from the outer world but to give the inner life priority. Silence is much more about an interior condition, a way of being and engaging the world, than it is the external environment in which we find ourselves. In that regard silence is not about the absence of noise but about the presence of God.
ReplyDeletePeace, Mike+
At one time I lived without silence. Now, silence simply is essential to my life in God. Group contemplation is very powerful. Where 2 or 3 are gathered there is God; there is love. In our congregation, some will be uncomfortable with the silence, others will welcome it. Let's try it out either on Sunday or at Evening Prayer.
ReplyDeleteRE: Point #6
ReplyDeleteSince contemplation was not something I was taught in church it was necessary to go to outside resources to learn how to go about contemplating. Even the simple time of silence preceded by inviting God into my heart was something I didn't know how to do. Now, that has become a habit for me. I'm sure there was mention of such practices here and there over the years, but I never heard it as an intentional practice that I could use as prayer. It seemed reserved for saints and other Holy people. Now I know that is not the case.