Silence

Have you even been in a big house late in the evening, just as the sun was going down, and it was quiet and peaceful? You were not afraid because it was not dark and frightening, but you seem to find a wonderful sense of peace.
One of the great gifts from God is silence. And the longer I live I am beginning to find that silence reveals itself in a thousand expressible forms. In the Holy Land it comes in the quiet of dawn at the Sea of Galilee, in the noiseless aspiration of the olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane as they point toward the sky; in the stealthy descent of night on the shepherd plains of Bethlehem, in the silent changing of the season; and in the falling moonlight trickling down into the night like the rain of silence.
Even with all these wonderful moments, they cannot touch the greatest silence of all. This is the silence of the inner soul.
It is here that God comes to us and offers us His loving company. He laughs with us as we tell Him of the comical events of our lives and when we begin to open ourselves to the pain and struggles we live with on a daily basis, He listens quietly and encourages us with a love so deep and abiding that somehow we know everything will be alright because we do have the depth of His love surrounding us daily.
Listen, do you hear the silence? God is there waiting for you to come and share life with Him. Even the Scripture affirms that as it tells us to “be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10)

Mid-week Prayer

Loving Father, we are the type of people that have lived at such a fast pace that we do not take the time to listen to the silence of our souls. Perhaps we fear we might find that you are truly calling us to come into Your grace and be filled with a new life. Or maybe we might find You truly do love us so much that this tiny child in a manger will come to remind us of a love that forgives our deepest sins and offers us new hope. Come to us in the silence as we wait with all our hearts. In the blessed name of the Christ Child we pray. Amen.

This has been Rev. Jim Massey. Christmas is just around the corner. The birth of Christ will be heralded throughout the world. Songs will be sung, packages opened, families gathered, and we will all suddenly be filled with a new spirit. Let it be one that will not only carry your through the holidays, but it will be a blessing for the remainder of your lifetime. See you next week on the Mid-week Epistle