Reflections in Silence and Revolution: Part 1

Lebh Shomea means “Listening Heart” and the experience was wonderful this past weekend. If you want to see pictures check out my Facebook page. It would take a series of Blogs about the details of what God seemed to say while in silence. But I will share some reflections from my silence.

First, the awkward stage is still boggling me. I expected much less ease about it all. My wife and I are both in ministry and in many ways speak for a living. We hold full time jobs that are in retail also, which means appealing to customers and service. Knowing we were going to a place that the only speaking would be in smiles and hand-holding, with the exception of time in our dwelling, we moved into the space well.

Throughout the trip, I spent time with Amanda in many of the prayer chapels and rooms in the Library. One was titles “St. John Prayer Chapel” and it was very simple with icons and a table for The Eucharist. Here I took off my shoes and just sat in silence contemplating cleanliness and how we so often talk of 'dirty sin' and such things in today's church. This idea of vulnerability came over me there, no shoes. I started to wonder if sin is not the issue, but that our natural vulnerability is a key part of relationship with God, and it has more purpose than we expect...

A rule of the house is to check your feet before you go into your dwelling to make sure you aren't carrying anything inside with us. Is this not what we search for with Confession? And community? And self-discipline?

As we walk this earth,

before we go to speak to one another,

or seek God. Or sleep. Or rest. Or pray.

Do we check our feet (Romans 10:15)

and make sure that news is not tainted by

thorn bushes, or by fear of loss, or by dirt

that has been heaped upon us by plastic brothers and sisters!

Moses came to Yahweh barefoot,

A position most vulnerable for ancient men!

We are born with no shoes, no protection of our “patas”

from the elements and outside world.

Protection we say is the job of our parents, and God when we

are children, but I wonder...

What of the bad gods and parents who leave their children bleeding?

These are our communities, of broken people,

When these children go to read. To pray. To seek. To sleep.

They go humble and hungry and hopeful that WE,

the hands and FEET of Jesus, though Pierced deeply, and also bleeding,

would not TURN AWAY their brokenness, but be there with them.

Speaking. Healing. Feeding. And fitting them for better shoes for this world we walk in.