Sermon by Reverend Dr. John W. Mann | April 28, 2024

Psalm 46

On a trip to Washington DC we visited the different memorials on the mall. Around some memorials the people are lively. Like the Lincoln Memorial or the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. People taking pictures, school field trips, folks sitting on the steps eating lunch. Other memorials are more reflective and seem to instill a sense of quiet. At the Vietnam War Memorial, there are people looking at the names on wall, looking for particular names, taking pictures of a name on the wall. We found the name of a young man whose funeral was conducted by Lindsay’s dad. 

There are times and places where silence says more than words. Silence because there are no words to adequately address the meaning of their death. Silence because in that time no one tells us what to think or how to feel. It is our own silence and though we are together, it is our silence alone. Alone with our thoughts. Dying in battle is a noisy affair. Death is silent. Death is the final and utter silence.

The world is a noisy place and silence does not come naturally. We went to North Carolina once and we stayed for a few days in the village of Montreat. Montreat is next to a town called Black Mountain. It’s in a part of the Appalachian Mountains.  Lindsay spent a lot of time in Montreat when she was growing up. Her parents would rent a house there for a month in the summer.  We thought it would be nice to spend a few days of serenity surrounded by the great outdoors.

We rented a rustic cabin on a hillside. One afternoon we set a couple of chairs outside in front of the cabin under a great a canopy of trees. There was a gentle rain but because of the foliage we were dry. We sat there with a couple of cold brews looking  out over the scenery.

Listening to…not so much the gentle breeze, the birds, or the soft rain…but the drone of an industrial sized air conditioner atop the roof of a retreat center down the hill. It would start up early in the morning and run until late at night. Every day we were there. Heaven forbid that somebody should get a little bit warm up in the mountains.

I wonder if the prevalence of people listening to music through their own personal systems has not so much to do with people’s great love of music, but as a way of shutting out the increasing noise of the world around us. Simply replacing one soundtrack with another, but at least one of our own choosing. Silence is a rare commodity in our world.

It seems as if it is not good enough to as Paul McCartney sang, “speaking words of wisdom, let it be.” There must be interpretation of the moment and the mood must be orchestrated. Listen to what’s around you the next time you go shopping. Is that music being played? It’s not there for your listening pleasure; it’s there to motivate you spend more money.

The next time you watch or listen to the news – listen to the stories that are being told. Listen to how it is not just “This is what happened today,” but also, “This is what it means.” This is what it “means for you,” but also according to ‘who.’ Who is it that interprets the news and thus influences the creation of our own world view?

The ancient poet wrote, “Be still and know that I am God!” If I had to be on the desert island and could have only one verse from the bible to sustain my spirit, I think that one might be it.

Silence, from the book Day by Day –

When the world tells us – we are what we do with our activity, acumen or achievement

let us learn – we are what we do with our silence.

When the world tells us – we are what we do with our spending power,

selling power, or our power of speech – let us learn – we are what we do with our silence

When the world tells us – to rush in where angels fear to tread, let us learn that angels listen first – before they take a step – for the voice of God in the silence …

Silence, true silence is a rare event. Even in nature there are few places where humans could experience total silence in a natural environment without artificial life support – such as in outer space or deep under water. For those who are not hearing impaired the experience of true silence is unusual.

I remember once when I stepped into silence.

It was in Northern Minnesota during January. The coldest time of year. One afternoon I went for a walk in the woods. There was fresh snow on the ground. There was no breeze. I came to a spot and sat on a fallen tree and noticed once the sound of my steps had ceased that there was no other sound to be heard. No wind, no human traffic, no animals or birds. Just stillness. I slowed my breathing. And listened.

I remember thinking, “What’s out there God? Where am I going?”

The only answer was the stillness. Be still and know that I am God…

Is that enough? It has to be enough because that’s all there is – be still and know that I am God. When the Psalm writer spoke for God saying, “Be still, and know that I am God,” I wonder what kind of noise he could have been referring to. “Tell those goats not to bleat so loudly… tell those cows not to chew their cud with such vigor.”

It probably relates to the reality that wherever you have people, no matter if they’re in a quiet pasture or a noisy city, listening is hard work. It’s easier to fill the void than to listen to what the silence might offer. His comments were directed to me during a session meeting. After some thought I finally said, “Sometimes it’s a good thing for children to be bored. That’s how they engage their own imagination and creativity. If we try to fill their every moment with amusement and entertainment, then we will raise up very boring adults. Let them be bored.”

There are at least a quarter of a million words in the English language. No matter how many ways we combine them together they are not able to contain the meaning of God. Words may touch upon God, such as to say, “God is love,” but language does not encircle God. Silence is also a means of knowing.

Words come so easy. If you long to know God and ask people of any religion, many will give you the formulas, dogmas and prayers that define their pathway. Many will recommend the classes, activities and training courses that will direct your quest.

Few will say, “Think on it. But first clear your mind of words. Let God find you in the stillness.”

One day I was in a doctor’s waiting room. There was a father with a young child, maybe four years old. The room was crowded but the two of them were taking up three seats. The dad was reading a magazine and the child was amusing herself with a book. The mother came out and immediately started barking little instructions to the pair. Everyone in that little family unit was ignoring each other. The child simply ignored the mother. The father had to be told what to do, “pick up her shoes, put on her coat, they’re right there under your foot, your left foot.” They left the waiting room in a cloud of tension and anger.

It seemed to be an example of what happens when people are not listening; people were putting a lot of effort into not paying attention. There was a kind of hearing going on; the kind that says, “Yeah, yeah I heard you already. Quit nagging.”

In order to listen to others, or to God, is to just pay attention. In doing so we discover God is paying attention. Wanting the attention of others is a primal human need. There’s a reason why little kids tell their parents “watch me” or “look at me.” Watch me go down the slide. Look at me ride my bike. They are saying, “Your attention validates me. It makes me feel loved. It reminds me that you care.”

The ancient Proverbs of the bible say: One who spares words is knowledgeable; one who is cool in spirit has understanding. Even fools who keep silent are considered wise; when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.  (17:27-28)

The ancient Chinese Philosopher Chaung Tzu wrote, “The purpose of a fish trap is to catch fish and when the fish are caught the trap is forgotten. The purpose of a rabbit snare is to catch rabbits. When the rabbits are caught, the snare is forgotten. The purpose of words is to convey ideas. When the ideas are grasped, the words are forgotten. Where can I find the one who has forgotten words? That is the one I would like to talk to.”

When we seek awareness, the silence will appear. It is when we reach the limits of our ability to explain, understand or even capture meaning that we reach the stillness that is more eloquent than words; the stillness in which we might know that God is God, and God is Love.  Amen.