The sounds of silence

The sounds of silence

The phrase “sounds of silence”, first popularised in the 1960s by Simon and Garfunkel’s song with that title, contains the challenging promise that silence is pregnant with meaning and good news. If a person can be still and enter into their own consciousness they will experience life in a new way. There are two passages from the scriptures that can help us in this.

The first is when Abraham is “sitting by his tent at the hottest part of the day.” It is too hot to work so he just rests for a while. As he does so he becomes aware that there are three men standing close by. They say nothing but their presence prompts Abraham to a sudden response. He begs them to stay and rushes to prepare refreshment for them. While they are eating he stands quietly waiting nearby and they address him, “I shall visit you again next year and your wife will then have a son.”  

The pronouns keep changing between the plural and the singular leading some commentators to see this incident as a hint of the revelation of the Trinity. But whatever one reads into it Abraham clearly saw it as a revelation of the divine and the fulfilment of his longing to have a son. He was attuned to the message behind the events. He was sharply aware of the “sounds” behind the silent presence of his guests.

The second incident about stillness comes from Luke where Jesus comes to the home of Mary and Martha. This time it is Martha who does the bustling in the kitchen preparing the food. And Mary, like Abraham, just waits silently while Jesus speaks. We are not told what he says to her. The point of the story is simply that she listens. She listens to his words and she listens to the One behind the words.

In Japanese art there are many blank spaces. The artist does not fill the whole canvass with what he/she wants to paint. There are spaces and we are invited to be aware of them too. Perhaps we can fill the spaces with our own images. Perhaps we can find in silence our own words and messages.

Sunday 16 C               21 July 2013

Gen18:1-10                 Col !:24-28                  Luke 10:38-42