Today's Readings
1 Kings 19: 9-18 (NRSV)
John 6: 15-27 (NRSV)
Blog Reflection
The holiday season of Christmas and New Year's seems so very loud. All the shopping. Cooking. Wrapping. Holiday muzac. The annual New Year's eve parties. The phone calls, cards, letters, and endless things to do.
The Liturgical preparations and celebrations can also have their challenges to silence. There are the decorations for the church. The choral rehearsals. The sermon preparation. The unexpected cypher in the organ. The lector who showed up for Christmas mass drunk. The one day a year church goer who can't keep their mouths shut during the services.
All of these things go by us with the usual noise of the computers, telephones, cell phones, television and radio. The Iowa Caucuses have taken center stage in all the news programs this year. Can we please get a momentary break?
I am no expert in keeping quiet. My mind buzzes all day long. I usually have something that distracts me from the important things in life. This blog and these Scriptures are for me as much as for anyone else.
Among my many interests in the Rule of St. Benedict; here are the two that I would like to focus on for today.
The very first word in the Rule is the most important. Listen (Prologue, 1). The second focus is; silence which is based on chapter 6 of the Rule.
We cannot listen if we do not take the time to be silent. Our silence no matter how devout bears no fruit if we are not listening.
St. Benedict begins chapter 6 of the Rule by quoting Psalm 29: 1. "I said, "I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue". What I like about Psalm 29 is what is not included in the Rule, yet I think the next few verses are important here. "I will keep a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence," I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse, my heart became hot within me." Verses 1-3a.
These verses speak to an unfortunate reality that can happen when we chose to be quiet. Our hearts are still restless. There is no peace there. At least not yet.
In the reading from Kings we see the Prophet Elijah in a situation not too unfamiliar. His enemies within the King and Queen are seeking to kill him. He has escaped to a place where he is all alone. He actually wanted God to take his life before his enemies did. God sent an angel ahead to offer food and drink to the Prophet. After, Elijah with God's prompting tells God what is troubling him. God tells Elijah to go to the mountain and God will come and speak with him. Many things happen around Elijah as he waits for God. Yet, God is not in the earthquake, the wind or the fire. God is present in a silence so deep that it is almost piercing.
God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts when we stop and take time to listen.
This means turning off the computer. Clicking the off button to the remote control and literally putting it on the other side of the room if necessary. Switch the cell phone to silent and leave it in another room. Find a place where you can be quiet with very little; if any possibility of being disturbed. Just be quiet. Listen to your heart and your breathing. Enter into a period where you detach yourself from everything you are thinking about. And just listen to God speaking in the silence of your heart. When you feel something coming into your heart, let God speak to you about what is there. If it is painful, cry and let God be with you as you grieve. Let God be the compassionate Savior.
As activists for LGBT inclusion and equality in the Church and society, this is most important. Without some time to be quiet and listen to God all of the negativity and noise of rejection and injustice will harden our hearts to the movement of God's Holy Spirit with in us. We can find ourselves being torn apart by the mixed messages of God loves us as we are, but Christianists and others are out to define us as second class citizens.
The reality is that God does not see us as second class citizens. God sees us as God's holy people. God desires to bring us salvation and the healing of those broken relationships that need God's mercy to be made whole. We cannot do the work of healing, unless we take time to allow God to heal us from within. We cannot achieve justice and equality for ourselves and others, if we do not take time to be alone with the God who sees us as equal to all who call upon the Name of the Lord.
Jesus also knew that he had to take time to be alone and pray. Once he took the time to do that, he could walk on the water in the midst of the storm and claim himself to be the Bread of Life for those who hunger for the Goodness of God.
The Christmas Season still has two and half more days to go. There is still time to sit and be quiet and listen to the peace, love and joy that the Christ Child brings to those who will take time to be with him.
In this silence you just might hear the words from "Praying with Benedict" by Katherine Howard speaking to your soul.
Prayers
1 Kings 19: 9-18 (NRSV)
At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there.Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’
He said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.’ Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He answered, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill. Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.’
John 6: 15-27 (NRSV)
When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
When evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, got into a boat, and started across the lake to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The lake became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the lake and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. But he said to them, ‘It is I; do not be afraid.’ Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land towards which they were going.
The next day the crowd that had stayed on the other side of the lake saw that there had been only one boat there. They also saw that Jesus had not got into the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. Then some boats from Tiberias came near the place where they had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks. So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum looking for Jesus.
When they found him on the other side of the lake, they said to him, ‘Rabbi, when did you come here?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For it is on him that God the Father has set his seal.’
Blog Reflection
The holiday season of Christmas and New Year's seems so very loud. All the shopping. Cooking. Wrapping. Holiday muzac. The annual New Year's eve parties. The phone calls, cards, letters, and endless things to do.
The Liturgical preparations and celebrations can also have their challenges to silence. There are the decorations for the church. The choral rehearsals. The sermon preparation. The unexpected cypher in the organ. The lector who showed up for Christmas mass drunk. The one day a year church goer who can't keep their mouths shut during the services.
All of these things go by us with the usual noise of the computers, telephones, cell phones, television and radio. The Iowa Caucuses have taken center stage in all the news programs this year. Can we please get a momentary break?
I am no expert in keeping quiet. My mind buzzes all day long. I usually have something that distracts me from the important things in life. This blog and these Scriptures are for me as much as for anyone else.
Among my many interests in the Rule of St. Benedict; here are the two that I would like to focus on for today.
The very first word in the Rule is the most important. Listen (Prologue, 1). The second focus is; silence which is based on chapter 6 of the Rule.
We cannot listen if we do not take the time to be silent. Our silence no matter how devout bears no fruit if we are not listening.
St. Benedict begins chapter 6 of the Rule by quoting Psalm 29: 1. "I said, "I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue". What I like about Psalm 29 is what is not included in the Rule, yet I think the next few verses are important here. "I will keep a muzzle on my mouth as long as the wicked are in my presence," I was silent and still; I held my peace to no avail; my distress grew worse, my heart became hot within me." Verses 1-3a.
These verses speak to an unfortunate reality that can happen when we chose to be quiet. Our hearts are still restless. There is no peace there. At least not yet.
In the reading from Kings we see the Prophet Elijah in a situation not too unfamiliar. His enemies within the King and Queen are seeking to kill him. He has escaped to a place where he is all alone. He actually wanted God to take his life before his enemies did. God sent an angel ahead to offer food and drink to the Prophet. After, Elijah with God's prompting tells God what is troubling him. God tells Elijah to go to the mountain and God will come and speak with him. Many things happen around Elijah as he waits for God. Yet, God is not in the earthquake, the wind or the fire. God is present in a silence so deep that it is almost piercing.
God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts when we stop and take time to listen.
This means turning off the computer. Clicking the off button to the remote control and literally putting it on the other side of the room if necessary. Switch the cell phone to silent and leave it in another room. Find a place where you can be quiet with very little; if any possibility of being disturbed. Just be quiet. Listen to your heart and your breathing. Enter into a period where you detach yourself from everything you are thinking about. And just listen to God speaking in the silence of your heart. When you feel something coming into your heart, let God speak to you about what is there. If it is painful, cry and let God be with you as you grieve. Let God be the compassionate Savior.
As activists for LGBT inclusion and equality in the Church and society, this is most important. Without some time to be quiet and listen to God all of the negativity and noise of rejection and injustice will harden our hearts to the movement of God's Holy Spirit with in us. We can find ourselves being torn apart by the mixed messages of God loves us as we are, but Christianists and others are out to define us as second class citizens.
The reality is that God does not see us as second class citizens. God sees us as God's holy people. God desires to bring us salvation and the healing of those broken relationships that need God's mercy to be made whole. We cannot do the work of healing, unless we take time to allow God to heal us from within. We cannot achieve justice and equality for ourselves and others, if we do not take time to be alone with the God who sees us as equal to all who call upon the Name of the Lord.
Jesus also knew that he had to take time to be alone and pray. Once he took the time to do that, he could walk on the water in the midst of the storm and claim himself to be the Bread of Life for those who hunger for the Goodness of God.
The Christmas Season still has two and half more days to go. There is still time to sit and be quiet and listen to the peace, love and joy that the Christ Child brings to those who will take time to be with him.
In this silence you just might hear the words from "Praying with Benedict" by Katherine Howard speaking to your soul.
"I know you; I love you as you are. I will be your strength and consolation. My mercy, not your own strength, will save you." (Page 107).
Prayers
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully
restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may
share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share
our humanity, you Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns
with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever. Amen. (Second Sunday after Christmas, Book of Common Prayer, page 214).
O God of peace, who has taught us that in returning and
rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be
our strength: By the might of your Spirit lift us, we pray you,
to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are
God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Quiet Confidence, Book of Common Prayer, page 832).
Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is
hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where
there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where
there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where
there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to
be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is
in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we
are born to eternal life. Amen. (Prayer attributed to St. Francis, Book of Common Prayer, page 833).
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