Sheer Silence - Jan 3

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 68; PM Psalm 72; 1 Kings 19:9-18; Eph. 4:17-32; John 6:15-27

I believe the temperature here in Alabama begin in the 70s yesterday.  I broke a sweat on my walk, if that is any measure.  And then today I awoke to snow on the ground!  As I have heard a number of times in my four years living here, “Only in Alabama!”

A colleague of mine is not the biggest fan of Eucharistic Prayer C, the one that calls Earth our “fragile island home.”  He argues that mother nature isn’t fragile at all but strikes back with vengeance and might.  He suspects (even much to the chagrin of Elon Music and Jeff Bezos) that the earth will be around far longer than humans.  

Mother nature is pretty extraordinary.  In the Gospel for John this morning, there are storms on the Sea of Galilee.  But it is the reading in Kings that takes it to a whole new level (kind of like Alabama).   There are winds that break mountains, fires, and earthquakes. I am struck that the word of God reminds Elijah that Lord God is not in the earthquake, or fire, or wind, but the sheer silence that follows. 

 It’s a quiet morning.  I’ve just returned from taking the dog out.  I suspect some people are rising others are enjoying the extra moments of warmth on an especially cold morning.  For many, offices are closed, school has yet to resume, and people are sleeping in from vacations or travel.  The world is eerily quiet this morning.  Maybe the reading from Kings is reminder that when everything slows down, that is when maybe we can best hear the voice of God. 

In the quiet of today, as you ready for all that today, this week, and this year are calling you to, how do you hear the voice of God in the silence?   If you have some down time today, maybe it is an invitation to listen.  Where do you hear the voice of God?

John+
Questions for Self-Reflection:  What are moments of silence that have shaped you?  How can make time for silence or quiet if that is missing from your life?  

Daily Challenge:  Take a picture with your phone of the silence of today.  Once you have found the perfect picture, sit for a while and enjoy the quiet.