Into the Silence - and Out of It into Testimony
No one grows by listening to the latest news about Charlie Sheen. Constant stimulation through every available media form keeps us dizzy and numb, incapable of deeper awareness of self, let alone of God. Just as land restores through fallow periods, we need rest and quiet to reconnect with a life-giving God. We need contemplation, the subject of Chapter 8 in "Christianity for the Rest of Us."
We wondered together during Sunday's meeting what might fit for us here in Norfolk regarding times of silence with God. We began exploring this last night with a new weekly Tuesday "Time for Quiet Prayer" at 7 PM.
Once we have had a chance to rest quietly in a manner that allows us to rediscover God's presence with us, to sense anew Christ's abiding with-ness, perhaps then we will have the strength and courage to talk about what we've found. Chapter 9, "Testimony," deals with sharing our faith stories, spreading the word and the Word.
We were struck to recognize that our Lenten worship has featured the testimony of members in a way that many have found to be moving, affirming, insightful and holy. These conversations have given all of us room to be our true, varied selves. As we listen and learn, we rejoice that speakers and hearers are honored and affirmed and brought together in the Spirit.
Butler-Bass writes on Page 138 that our stories "no longer tell tales of spiritual acquiesence and conformity. Rather, they tell of finding meaning, finding unique selves, and finding God in a confusing and chaotic world."
Diversity (Chapter 10) was our final topic for this session. Do we here in Norfolk embody what Butler-Bass calls a "polyculture of Spirit"? Is there a diversity of views and beliefs that come together as strength in variety? We agreed that, while we seek to welcome all with extravagance, we have room to grow in ensuring that everyone here is affirmed always in a way that demonstrates God's love. She notes that we are "called to construct communities that intentionally include multiplicity and heterogeneity toward the goal of embodying harmony and living love."
We ended with talk of Desmond Tutu's sharing of "ubuntu" (I cannot be without you) as an echo of Martin Buber's philosophy of "I and Thou," where the existence and affirmation of one only may be realized through the same as extended to others. If I am less liberal than you, and you have higher regard for liturgy than me, doesn't it seem most faithful and godly for us to rise above the potential for discord and seek to learn from each other? For Christ's sake?
We wondered together during Sunday's meeting what might fit for us here in Norfolk regarding times of silence with God. We began exploring this last night with a new weekly Tuesday "Time for Quiet Prayer" at 7 PM.
Once we have had a chance to rest quietly in a manner that allows us to rediscover God's presence with us, to sense anew Christ's abiding with-ness, perhaps then we will have the strength and courage to talk about what we've found. Chapter 9, "Testimony," deals with sharing our faith stories, spreading the word and the Word.
We were struck to recognize that our Lenten worship has featured the testimony of members in a way that many have found to be moving, affirming, insightful and holy. These conversations have given all of us room to be our true, varied selves. As we listen and learn, we rejoice that speakers and hearers are honored and affirmed and brought together in the Spirit.
Butler-Bass writes on Page 138 that our stories "no longer tell tales of spiritual acquiesence and conformity. Rather, they tell of finding meaning, finding unique selves, and finding God in a confusing and chaotic world."
Diversity (Chapter 10) was our final topic for this session. Do we here in Norfolk embody what Butler-Bass calls a "polyculture of Spirit"? Is there a diversity of views and beliefs that come together as strength in variety? We agreed that, while we seek to welcome all with extravagance, we have room to grow in ensuring that everyone here is affirmed always in a way that demonstrates God's love. She notes that we are "called to construct communities that intentionally include multiplicity and heterogeneity toward the goal of embodying harmony and living love."
We ended with talk of Desmond Tutu's sharing of "ubuntu" (I cannot be without you) as an echo of Martin Buber's philosophy of "I and Thou," where the existence and affirmation of one only may be realized through the same as extended to others. If I am less liberal than you, and you have higher regard for liturgy than me, doesn't it seem most faithful and godly for us to rise above the potential for discord and seek to learn from each other? For Christ's sake?
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