Finding Rest, Silence, and Stillness by Alan Anderson

 

In reading the InScribe blog posts for this month, we are aware of the importance of rest in our lives. A key Bible passage for the theme of rest is Matthew 11:28 which states,

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28)

 

 

A 21^st Century Rendition of Matthew 11: 28.

“Come to me, if you have time to hang out for a second or so, all you who are looking for something else to do, and I will give you a list of errands to keep you busy.”

 

As I contemplated Matthew’s words, I had to step back and ask myself if I believed this statement. There is a time in my life when I wonder if I did. The rendition I wrote of Matt. 11:28 reflects how I used to live. How about you? Can you relate?

 

Around October 1997, I experienced a period of burnout. This was like spending life in a dark tunnel groping about as a blind man in unfamiliar territory. As a bi-vocational pastor, I worked full time as a school custodian to support my family. I devoted several hours per day to my church ministry. In addition, I studied for a Master’s degree to develop my ministry skills. After a few years of this pressure, I crashed and burned.

 

Experience with burnout resulted in my decision to change where I wanted my energy to focus. I realized in this time I lost a balance between labour, rest, and God. This period of burnout provided an opportunity to continue to serve, but in another context of ministry. First, I had to rest.

 

My period of rest included separation from pastoral ministry. I carried on with my studies and my full-time employment. Through a more contemplative approach to ministry, I looked to God for direction. Here is some of what I learned at this time in my life.

 

Rest, Silence, and Stillness

If I did not come to this place of burnout, I would have missed the blessing of rest, silence, and stillness. Rest helps our bodies to slow down and relax. This physical rest helps our mind, heart, and spirit. Through rest, we can discover the gift of silence. Silence calms us from listening to the all-consuming voices of the world. Silence leads the way to an inner ability to be still. In stillness, we can listen to God. As you may already know, this is not a simple process to follow.

 

Over the years of interacting with people, I encountered many Christians who were just plain tired. Even pastor burnout is not uncommon. We can speak of rest, yet not practice it. We may use triumphant language, yet neglect to listen to God. This is a recipe for busyness without blessing.

 

Please allow yourself to at least consider these final thoughts:

• ·       Make room for rest without allowing excuses to dictate.
• ·       When others lose their peace and turn to fear, we can rest and be calm.
• ·       Embrace silence and allow this gift to hold you as well.
• ·       In stillness, we can listen to God with assurance He listens to us.

 

 

 

 

Alan lives in Deroche, B.C. with his wife, Terry. He contributed stories to Good Grief People by Angel Hope Publishing, 2017 ; Story by Story: The Power of a Writer, Unstoppable Writers Publishing, 2018, and . Alan has also written articles for FellowScript Magazine. Blog: https://scarredjoy.ca. Alan is the Provincial Rep. Liaison and BC Rep for InScribe.

 

Silence... by Sheila Webster

 Sometimes it is not the words that mean the most but silence in all the ups and downs of life.

For some time I have had a friend who thought I was helping them.  Turns out perhaps they have helped me more. When I talk they do not edit me or argue. Often their silence is pure affirmation of me as a person.  It has not happened before in this way. 

They may not believe the argument but they always believe me - life changing for me. 

Every evangelical needs an agnostic as a friend to sharpen and hone their beliefs and to help discard absolutely false ones of themselves and the Creator.

I thank God everyday they arrived during this last turbulent season to remind me of who God made me to be and that I may be a dishevelled mess one day but it isn’t a permanent state. The next day without explanation I will be amazing. It doesn’t matter i can be like Saskatchewan weather 32 degrees one day and snow on the horizon that evening. It doesn’t mean anything is deeply flawed in me. 

Their silent encouragement and occasional words have brought out a stable acceptance that I am not just ok...I have moments of amazing and it’s all good.

In turn I have been able to edit the things in my life that hindered me from being my best. (Throwing off all that encumbers echoes loudly here)

We never know what slaves we have been to our stuff, loyalties, false notions of low self worth (no matter how deeply those lies have been branded on our fragile hearts) until we are set free from them by the truth.  It doesn’t matter who speaks that truth, God uses whatever or whomever we will listen to.

I will miss them when they go as our friendship is not a permanent fixture. The impact of their silence, their few words, their looks and the mutual enjoyment of creation how ever is empowering and endearing. Loads of laughter, challenging circumstances, crazy adventures and heap loads of room and forgiveness have created an internal cohesive space I no longer want to leave.

Thank God for friends of all faith and walks of life. 

--

Sheila Webster

Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence by Joylene M. Bailey

Image by janeb13 from Pixabay 

There is no way I could possibly come up with a favourite Christmas carol. I love most of them, as I mentioned here, in a former Christmas post.

But there is one carol that has been echoing through my mind for weeks now, especially the first line:

Let all mortal flesh keep silence.

The haunting, chant-like tune wafts ethereally through my thoughts at least once a day, and I ask my Father, what are You trying to tell me? Help me to grasp it.

It's in keeping with a theme that has been predominant in my life for several months now; a singular ribbon woven in and out of my daily-ness: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. 

To make a long story short: two sermon series on the Lord's prayer, and two books (I highly recommend them) have focused me in one direction: God's holiness. Yahweh. I Am.

                 

Interestingly, the lyrics of the hymn are based on a part of the Liturgy of St. James, an ancient liturgy believed to have roots in the ministry of the Apostle James in Jerusalem.

~~~~~

"The Liturgy of St. James includes a Communion rite with a vivid and memorable text, chanted by the priest before the bread and wine are presented ... The text draws in part from Habakkuk 2:20: “The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him.”   Find the link here.

~~~~~

They were translated into English from the original Greek by Gerard Moultrie, first published in 1864 in England, and entitled "Prayer of the Cherubic Hymn."

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The text expresses awe at Christ's coming (st. 1) and the mystery of our perception of Christ in the body and blood (st. 2). With images from Isaiah 6 and Revelation 5, it portrays the glory of Christ (sung to by angels) and his victory over sin (st. 3-4). Although it has eucharistic emphasis, the text pictures the nativity of Christ in a majestic manner and in a much larger context than just his birth in Bethlehem. We are drawn into the awe and mystery with our own alleluias." Find the link here.

~~~~~

"We are drawn into the awe and mystery ..."

We are also drawn into the awe and mystery by the tune, which was not paired with the lyrics until 1906 by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The melody was originally a French Traditional Carol and some scholars believe it dates back as far as the seventeenth century.

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Dr. Ralph Vaughan Williams, with his usual genius for finding a suitable tune to accompany a text, set Moultrie’s hymn to the tune PICARDY, a tune which greatly helps to enhance the hymn’s expression of the sense of awe and mystery we experience in the Eucharist where, in ways beyond our comprehension, our Lord comes “from the realms of endless day” to be present with us “with blessing in his hand.” Text and music together provide a memorable description of the Eucharist as a “window” through which, for a brief moment, we may glimpse the eternal praise and worship offered by “the host of heaven” Find the link here.

~~~~~

Awe, mystery. That's often what prompts silence, isn't it? Put that together with a newborn ... 

Think about it, when have you ever witnessed someone walking into a new baby's nursery with loud voices and clamouring noises? We don't. We enter the room hushed and on tiptoe. There is wonder as we look down on tiny clenched fists and soundly sleeping face. We watch the little chest rise and fall.

I think of the rough, unpolished shepherds coming into the stable. Hushed, in awe. Because they knew this wasn't any baby. This was THE baby. What a holy moment that must have been. Could they take it all in? Can I?

For many of us, this Christmas will already be quieter. Perhaps not of our own choice. But maybe this is an opportunity to gaze with awe on a Holy God in the form of a human infant. God With Us. Emmanuel.

God. With us. 

Keep silence. Take it in. 

~~~~~

Below is a version of the song on YouTube. If you can't view/hear it from here, please take the time to find it online somewhere. 

Let all mortal flesh keep silence,

and with fear and trembling stand;

ponder nothing earthly-minded,

for with blessing in his hand,

Christ our God to earth descendeth,

our full homage to demand. 

    

    King of kings, yet born of Mary,

as of old on earth he stood,

Lord of lords, in human vesture,

in the body and the blood,

he will give to all the faithful

his own self for heav'nly food.

    Rank on rank the host of heaven

spreads its vanguard on the way,

as the Light of light descendeth

from the realms of endless day,

that the pow'rs of hell may vanish

as the darkness clears away. 

    At his feet the six-winged seraph,

cherubim, with sleepless eye,

veil their faces to the presence,

as with ceaseless voice they cry,

"Alleluia, alleluia,

alleluia, Lord Most High!"

************ 

 

Joy will be spending Christmas at home in Edmonton with The Cowboy, Babe, and a snowman named Jubal, instead of the usual crowd of kids and grandkids. It will be a quieter Christmas, but she's looking forward to it. Find more of her joy-infused take on the world at Scraps of Joy.

 

Beauty by Alan Anderson

In preparation for this month’s post I concentrated on one theme. As a creative person I try to capture beauty through my writing and my attempts at photography. I love and need beauty.


See Beauty
Almost every day hummingbirds eat from the feeder by our living room window. Their feathers refract light and produce the vibrant colours hummers are famous for. They are a beauty and pleasing to the eyes.


Feel Beauty
I am a hugger. One of the tough experiences during these pandemic times is an absence of those I hug. For the most part my hugger partner is my wife. We enjoy our hugs even after forty-two years of marriage.


To hug is to feel the beauty of another person on an emotional level. To hug helps lower our stress from the cares of life. Hugs give us a sense of belonging, empathy, and love. Hugs remind us we are not alone.


Hear Beauty
There are times where music seems the only medium to calm souls and help drown out the noise of life. I enjoy music in the background when I write. There are three pieces of classical music I never become tired of hearing.

1. Agnus Dei, by Samuel Barber, is from John 1:29, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” A sense of calmness permeates my soul and the words to write come flow on to the page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiuC_CaObbI

2. Miserere mei Deus, by Gregorio Allegri. The inspiration for this piece is taken from Psalm 51, where the psalmist pleads,

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin!”

What makes, Miserere mei Deus, beautiful is there are no musical instruments throughout the song other than voices. Readers if you listen to Miserere mei Deus, allow yourself the gift of non-activity. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s45XOnYOIw


3. The musical masterpiece, “Hymn of the Cherubim,” by, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, is another magnificent way to calm one’s spirit as work progresses on a writing project. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPlK5HwFxcw

Beauty in silence. 
The silence mentioned here is what we may term good silence. Good silence allows us to be still to enjoy or reap benefits from a moment. Like anything else worthwhile silence takes time and energy. The result can be memorable for a lifetime.


In my last year as a chaplain I had a memorable time with a particular patient. She suffered a stroke and could no longer speak. I sat by her bed and smiled at her. She smiled back and reached out her hand. I held her hand, and she squeezed mine. She squeezed my hand again and tears dropped from her eyes. This visit together did not need words. I will never forget this moment of silence with this lady as she nurtured my soul.


Words of Beauty
I pray my words will strive for beauty whether spoken or written. I pray my words will be truthful and edify those who read them.


My beloved InScribe family, considering the sorrow of our world today let us continue to write words of faith and life. Whatsoever is lovely can be our message and beauty will find its way into troubled hearts.

https://scarredjoy.ca/

Silence and Sunshine - Marnie Pohlmann

Whoo. Whoo.

My eyes open.

Whoo. Whoooo.

I look toward the window, knowing all I would see is the deep darkness of night still covering the view.

Whoo. Whoooo.

Yes, it was definitely there tonight. Again. I sigh. No sense trying to sleep until it silenced or flew away. The night owl of inspiration is echoing in my mind, so I slide out from the covers, grab pen and paper, and go to my comfy recliner to doodle some words while I wait for sleep or morning to come, whichever returns first.

Demons of the past also wander in the night, crossing the paths of storylines as I write. I actively battle them through the words I write, which often reveal how I have faith in the One who wins at the end of our Great Story. They are not to be feared. I am safe, cuddled in the shadow of my Lord’s wing.

I find the silent stillness of night to be a refreshing time for me. Lately, I still spend moments or hours awake, yet have not sought out my writing tools like I used to. In the last few years, my night owl time has focused less on my muse and more on God - and perhaps still worrying about the ‘morrow.

Ah, silence.

Many writers share how music wells their emotions, spilling sentence after sentence onto paper. I don’t mind music, especially instrumental music, playing in the background while I write, but I am just as content surrounded by silence as I give voice to the characters in my mind. For me, In the blackness of night or in bright daylight the silence, that is never truly silent as I listen to the normal sounds that fill my home, provides a calmness conducive to creativity.

Silent sunshine.

When we lived in Big River, Saskatchewan, after Wally was off to work and I sent the kids to school, and before I busied my day with cleaning or contract work, I would sit at the dining room table to read Scripture. The consistent Saskatchewan sun joined me, warming my study until it boiled over with a need to write prayers, ideas, and stories. I was unrushed, usually, and treasured that time of inspiration from within the resting.

The sun doesn’t sit with me much anymore, even though we live in another very sunny location, in northern British Columbia. I have neither the sun nor the unhurried morning time to write as I work years of hours in a basement office. So I occasionally steal quiet moments between projects, daily demands, and workmates, to type some words.

And in the summer, after work and on weekends when daylight refuses to share time with night, I can sit on the porch to tap out words. The music of the outdoors plays in the background. Neighbours mowing lawns or gardening and children running and screaming in play. Even in those times the daytime demons, mosquitos, try to interrupt my writing process so my battle continues.

Yet the writing itself is how God provides refreshment to my soul and my creativity. So I cherish the silence and the sunshine.

The days are beginning to stretch as the winter season yawns and readies for a nap. The sun once again seeks to peek over this writer’s shoulder. And perhaps it is time to once again calm the night owl voices by writing within the silence.

Photos courtesy of Pixabay.com CCO license

Marnie is a night owl shivering in today's winter, watching for tomorrow's sunshine, and writing to experience refreshment in God.

Writing In Stillness by Alan Anderson

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks 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 still small voice.

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?”—1 Kings 19: 11 – 13 King James Version

Elijah had a rough time and was despairing and somewhat depressed with what had been going on around him. There had been a great wind strong enough to upset mountains. If that wasn’t bad enough an earthquake juggled things up pretty good. On top of these calamities came a fire. How terrifying this must have been to behold. God wasn’t in any of these phenomena. Where was He?

“and after the fire a still small voice.”

God was indeed present to Elijah. God’s presence here is like the calm after the storm. The “still small voice” draws our attention to an intimate communion with God.  For this to happen there is to be stillness. Stillness is not the same as silence. “Silence is the prerequisite for inner stillness, and only inner stillness enables us truly to listen to God, to hear His voice, and to commune with Him in the depths of our being...” (https://oca.org/reflections/fr.-john-breck/on-silence-and-stillness).

You see, God is not confined to drawing attention to Himself or His works in a booming manner. He does not have to be loud or overbearing. He doesn’t have to scream at us. He is gentle and His voice is “small”, a gentle whisper.

How does this “still small voice” apply to my writing? From my point of view, God’s still small voice is what I need in my writing. It is a stillness that calms my fears and builds my confidence. It is this stillness that allows me to speak healing words into the world through what I write. It is more than sitting quietly and thinking. Stillness is about truly listening for God’s voice deep within.

When I was a chaplain in healthcare I knew that if a person was in pain it was difficult to offer spiritual care to her or him. The pain had to be managed first. Once the person’s pain subsided I could now come alongside the person and listen to their story. My role was to be a healing presence so calmness and stillness were imperative.

I am aware that I am prone to earthquakes or strong winds and even fire that will disrupt my creativity. One of the storms to assail me has been spending more time learning about writing than writing itself. It is, however, the “fire” of my writing that is more disrupting. This fire is the fear in my writing life.

I am aware that the fire of fear burns up precious energy rather than using it for writing. It sears through my mind and heart leaving me at times in ashes. Perhaps I show a lack of faith when I ask myself questions. Who will read my writing? What if I have nothing worth saying or writing about? Such flames of fire must be stopped.

I have to go beyond the fears etc. and calm down, listen and hear that “still small voice.” He has not left me. I can write! Oh, that still small voice is gentle, as He keeps me from straying from the writing path set out before me.

My dear readers and writer friends can you think of anyone who needs stillness? Is there anyone in your life bombarded by the calamities of our culture? There is in my life. We speak for that still small voice, the One who speaks through our writing. How may our writing be a healing presence for our readers? How will you bring that stillness, that healing into someone’s life?

Scarredjoy.wordpress.com

Seeking Silence by Ruth L. Snyder

We live in a hectic, sometimes frenetic, and usually noisy, world. I don't know about you, but I find it a challenge to slice out quiet, thoughtful times in my day. It's easy to allow phone calls, e-mail, Facebook, and other people to drive our agenda. None of these things are wrong. In fact, most of them are necessary. The problem comes when we go rushing through life so fast that we don't even have time to think about what's truly important to us. The urgent claims our attention and priorities fall by the wayside.

"These things will destroy the human race: politics without principle, progress without compassion, wealth without work, learning without silence, religion without fearlessness and worship without awareness." - Anthony de Mello

As a Christian, I find it necessary to guard my silent or quiet times. I'm a morning person, so getting up at 5:30 works best for me. In those quiet, pre-dawn hours I have the opportunity to sit in silence. Notice I said "opportunity." Even then, I have to consciously choose silence. It's very easy to start answering e-mails or reading updates on Facebook and get distracted from spending quiet time with my Creator and Saviour. I have to commit to reading Scripture, to presenting myself and my day to Jesus and asking for His guidance, strength, and wisdom. I have to force myself to be quiet, to be still, to listen. I've found it helps to have my planner and a notebook beside me. Often thoughts flit from one thing to another - I need to phone this person, I have to buy some yogurt for lunches, etc. If I write those thoughts down, it clears my mind and allows me to focus.

"Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together." -Thomas Carlyle

As a writer, I also need to cultivate silence. I have five young children and a husband and the responsibilities they bring. My writing time used to be late at night when everyone was in bed. Now it is early in the morning or when my husband's at work and my children are at school. Writing is work that is best done in solitude and silence. Writers need time to think, time to organize their thoughts, time to consider whether something is best said or left unsaid.

"And they write innumerable books; being too vain and distracted for silence: seeking everyone after his own elevation, and dodging his emptiness" - T.S. Elliot

What about you? How do you seek silence and maintain godly priorities in your life?

Ruth L. Snyder lives in northeastern Alberta with her husband and five young children. She enjoys writing about her walk with God, adoption, and special needs. Her novella, Cecile's Christmas Miracle, is available from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

www.ruthlsnyder.com