In preparing for today’s sermon, I actually was thinking about using this sermon time to just sit in silence. But then I thought that some of you might compliment me at the end of the service by saying, “Pastor Robert, that was one of your best sermons!”
So, I knew better!
Actually, the Quakers are really good at sitting in silence every time they meet for worship. Silence just isn’t something we are particularly good at in our Methodist way of living out our faith.
A small group of pastor friends and I decided to go on a 3 day spiritual retreat together. We decided to have it at a Catholic retreat center located in northwest, Ohio. We car pooled to the retreat since at the time, we all lived approximately two hours away. During the car trip, we were laughing and telling stories. We were having a great time.
When we arrived at the retreat center that afternoon, the retreat center director met us to go over housekeeping items that we needed to know during our stay there. And after she was done, the last thing she said to us was, “Since you’re Methodist preachers and not Catholic, I just want to remind you that we encourage the people who stay here to refrain from a lot of talking and especially to not have loud conversations.”
We looked at each other and laughed because she already knew that we were going to probably find it difficult to move from a lot of talking, to more of a quiet and reflective mode during our stay there. And she was right! Throughout those three days, we had to keep reminding ourselves to cut the chatter.
We protestants are known for our love to talk. Protestant preachers are known for how much we enjoy preaching. We love to talk about our faith, but we’re not as good at listening. Which makes me think that the disciple, Peter would have been a good Methodist based on our Gospel reading this morning.
On this Transfiguration Sunday, our Gospel reading is where Jesus invites three of his disciples to follow him up a mountain. While high on that mountain, Jesus was transfigured before them.
All of the sudden, everything got really bright around Jesus and even Jesus’ clothes became dazzling white. And if that wasn’t enough, just then, two heroes of faith from the Old Testament miraculously appeared next to Jesus. There they were. Jesus, Moses, and Elijah with God’s glory shining brightly upon them.
When I think of this scene on the mountain, the only thing that kind of compares to it for me is during our Christmas Eve candlelight service when we are quietly singing, “Silent Night” in the darkened sanctuary. And after that carol, we then blow out our candles, and that’s when in a matter of just a second or two, all the lights come back lighting up the entire sanctuary and we sing together, “Joy to the World.”
That’s such a powerful moment for me when we make that transition but it only works when we spend that time softly singing, “Silent Night.”
I’ve never really taken notice of this one little part of this transfiguration reading and I’ve read it and preached on it a number of times. It’s where Peter starts talking like a good Protestant does in moments like these. And we’re told that while Peter was still speaking, (who knows how long he was speaking), suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from that cloud a voice said,
“This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!”
I love how God just drowns Peter out to make that statement that Jesus is his beloved and with him he is well pleased. Peter just didn’t understand that silence was the order of the day, especially in that holy moment.
And not only did Peter talk through that holy moment, he was also mansplaining to the others what was happening as if they couldn’t see for themselves. Peter feels the need to tell everyone that three dwellings are needed for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah as a way to commemorate that moment.
I wonder if that voice from heaven was tempted to say, “Just chill, Peter. Just chill.” No words or booths are needed in this moment because everything you’re seeing right now is the whole point of when we encounter the sacred in our everyday lives.
“Be still and know that I am God,” the psalmist reminds us.
Yes, there will be times for words, lot of words, but not now, not in this once in a lifetime moment.
After the voice speaks from heaven, that’s when even Peter gets it and all the disciples including Peter fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. By fear, this isn’t a scary kind of fear. It’s a reverent and holy kind of fear where you are in awe and wonder at the presence of God in that moment.
Even after this powerful transfiguration moment ends, Jesus tells the disciples to not tell anyone about what they have seen until a later time when Jesus would be raised from the dead. Knowing when to use words and when not to use words is an art. It’s being aware of what is needed in that sacred moment, not what we think is needed to be said or done.
Robin Wilson, a United Methodist pastor in Alabama shares a significant event in her life where she forgot that all was needed was to be present in that moment. It was at the end of her wedding ceremony as she and her now husband were recessing down the aisle.
Robin said that she immediately went into task mode when they got to the back of the church. Her only thought in that moment was to start getting people in the wedding party together for pictures. And as she was frantically trying to get the wedding party to go to where they would be taking pictures, she glanced at her now new husband and could tell that she was missing out on such a holy moment.
Just minutes ago, they had shared vows to each other, knelt down in prayer in which the pastor had offered a blessing upon their marriage, and now here she was only focused on making sure that they would have nice end of the ceremony photo shoot for their wedding album. But at least she caught herself when she glanced at her husband, and realized that she was missing out on the joy and the beauty of that holy moment.
In reflection of that almost missed opportunity, Robin says that “even when we are busy and over-functioning, without the wisdom to listen and be still, God acts for our good anyway.”
I appreciate this pastor’s honesty in sharing her own struggles in allowing for these moments of holy silence in her life. It is a struggle for many of us!
So this leads us to think about how we can become more aware of listening to God’s voice and what God wants to say to us. I don’t think there’s just one way. But here are some thoughts for us as we prepare to come down from this holy mountain and begin a new week.
Maybe, the best thing we can do is to practice silence and listening more in our everyday lives. Recently, somebody was telling me that they have started power-walking everyday. And I asked if they were doing this for health reasons, and he said that was part of it but the main reason they enjoy this new routine is because it helps to quiet their soul and enjoy living in the present moment.
So let’s all start power-walking!
For others, it might simply be spending some time in quiet before we begin our day or before we call it a night. Maybe that’s why we sometimes have restless nights because we don’t give our minds and souls enough time to decompress before going to bed.
In preparing for this sermon, I was thinking about Queen Elizabeth’s funeral back in September. I watched different parts of that funeral and at one point in the service, the Anglican Priest called upon everyone to observe two minutes of silence.
It was such a powerful moment even with me watching all of this on TV. When is the world ever silent for two minutes? During the two minutes of silence in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the video camera included the large crowd of people outside of Westminster Abbey and it was such a powerful moment to see all of these people observing that moment at the same time.
That historical moment made me realize that it is possible for us to be silent. We just need to include it more into our lives.
And then, maybe this thought about observing holy silence in our lives. Be prepared to encounter God’s presence in your everyday life. Be prepared to encounter God’s presence in your everyday life.
If we already know that God likes to show up in unexpected times, in unexpected ways, and in unexpected places, that just might help us to be ready to take in those holy moments. Fortunately, we have examples of people who show us how to do this.
I think of Mary the mother of Jesus in particular who when she had her baby at the most unexpected time and in the most unexpected setting, was still able to take a moment to treasure all those words and ponder them in her heart. Mary knew that when Jesus was born, it was a time for holy silence. I also think of another Mary during Jesus’ ministry who sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to his teachings.
These are just a couple of examples of people who knew to stop, listen, and respond humbly to God’s presence in their lives.
So, I’m just going to stop right here, because I’ve been talking way too much.
Holy Silence
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