My minister said something quite profound today. He was preaching on the transfiguration and he was talking about the bit where Peter offers to put up tents for Jesus, Moses and Elijah. Peter was talking because he was frightened and didn’t know what to say – he was ‘blethering’ as John put it. Anyway John’s point was that we should find the time just to listen, and stop talking to God. This had real resonance with me. I’ve been finding it so hard to pray in words recently. I seem to get as far as ‘God’ and then don’t know where to go on to. Sometimes I say ‘thanks’ in breathless praise, like when a beautiful grey heron flew over my head in Mugdock Park; other times I say ‘help’ when I have no other way of asking for i t. Other times I merely sit in silence. Liturgy has been a real support. But so has the silence. Sometimes it is not wrong to listen. Those are the most peaceful times, when I truly know that God is God.
On a lighter note, everyone else’s bibles in church this morning said that Elijah was wearing a hairy shirt – but mine says that he was a hairy man! (2 Kings 1v7) What does yours say?
1 Comment
April 15, 2009 at 3:47 pm
mine says that he was a hairy man!
x
glad you’re enjoying the silences.. lets have coffee soon?!