politics

I have always found it difficult to vote for a political party. I actually find it hard to even think that about how they are ruling and governing our country and lives. I prefur to hope, hope they are doing a good job! I am sure there are others who also live in hope, actually putting more trust in hope than politicians!

I have the usual thoughts 'Why bother when they often fail to follow through on political promises and change what they say' We even had a party to ended up ruling in a very different way to the Said way they would lead - in effect they swapped sides! I cannot even be bothered to ask 'Who is really saying what and why are they saying it'. But once past all the blurrrrrb and distructive banter what lies behind these men and women who want to rule? Do I care?? actually no I have lost incentive!

In the books of Samuel we read of the forming of Israel, from a tribe to an powerful people. We read of their rulers, kings and prophets, armies and families and about their dealings with others.

I am not sure that if we look back through our modern history we will find that God is a continual thread that runs through our political system but from within the stories of the Bible the common thread is that God is placed at the centre of both the lives and the hopes those involved.

The Significance of Silence

Last sunday John T gave a sermon from when Jesus stood on trial and was silent.  There is a power in silence.  Jesus had shared his power, his love, his ministry, his teaching - now he stood silent before his accusers.  If he had spoken he would not have been  believed.

On Tuesday Val P gave a meditation which focused also on silence.  She read from a quote from Geronimo.

'We had no churches, no religious organizations, no sabbath day, no holidays, and yet we worshiped.  Sometimes the whole tribe would assemble and sing and pray; sometimes a smaller number; perhaps only two or three.  The songs had a few words, but were not fromal.  the singer would occasionally put in such words as he wished instead of the usual tone sound.  Sometimes we prayed in silence; sometimes each prayed aloud;  sometimes an aged person prayed for all of us.  As other times one would rise and speak to us of our duties to each other and to Usen.  Our services were short.  Geronimo (Apache Cheif 1829-1909)

Another quote is from Luther Standing Bear (1868?-1939)

'Conversation was never begun at one, nor in a hurried manner.  No one was quick with a question, no matter how important, and no one was pressed for an answer.  A pause giving time for thought was the truly courteous way of beginning and conducting a conversation.  Silence was meaningful with the Lakota, and his granting a space of silence to the speech-maker and his own moment of silence before talking was done in the practice of true politeness and regard for the rule that, 'thought comes before speech'.

and the last meditation was by a man named Leslie D. Weatherhead from his book 'A Private House of Prayer' 1958.    It was an extended reading so i am not going to write it all out but it was really sharing an experience of silence which impacted his life.  Sometimes a sound interprets the silence. The sound emphasise's the silence which made him feels so wrapped up in the presence of God and he did not want to loose it.  He then writes 'I felt that I understood a little better that strange experience of Elijah.  After the wind and the earthquake and fire, he heard  'a still small voice,' or if we interpret more literally,  'a sound of gentle stillness.'  The sound interpreted the silence. [...] Some words of Pascal come to the mind in this regard.  'All the evils of life,' he said, 'have fallen upon us because men will not sit alone quietly in a room.'  

wonder and awe

communion today was about 'alleluia'. The awe and the baited breath.

This service really spoke to me. Throughout easter we consider the majesty and the mystery of the act of Jesus but we hardly consider the 'angel song' alleluia.

From the sermon my mind began to think of the itmes that people have tried to challenge the traditional church by saying in effect 'you dont even know why you do this'.... Well todays sermon spoke far more as it came from an attitude of saying 'look what you have, be amazed and dare to gaze upon your God and consider his mighty works'.

To compare the two types of sermons on its own does not I suppose relate but for the idea that to speak to people and bring them to a point of desiring to know more and desiring to meet God comes from the speaker knowing to whom and about what they are speaking.

I have been encouraged by my spiritual director and my DDO to read books from outside my comfort zone. I am a well rounded reader anyway, but I dont get to read much so I hope that I will be able to read books that will educate me on traditions in their variety so that I may enrich others.

One of the wonderful things about todays communion was the sense of closeness one experienced though the theme was wonder and awe of an amazing God.