Sometimes we use words without realizing their power.
Sometimes we doubt the power of the words in our prayers.
Sometimes we minimize the power of the words others use,
only to writhe under their influence all day long.
Yet nothing that we humans say is unnoticed by God -
no word falls into a complete vacuum.
It is especially important to remember:
none of God’s words fall to the ground fruitless.
Hear the word of the Lord:
Psalm 29
Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;
worship the LORD in holy splendor.
The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders, the LORD,
over mighty waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, "Glory!"
The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD sits enthroned as king forever.
May the LORD give strength to his people!
May the LORD bless his people with peace!
May God help us to be aware of his power today.
May God help us to be aware of the power
of our words today.
Blessings,
Ron
Showing posts with label voice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label voice. Show all posts
Monday, January 11, 2010
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Why so silent, Night?
Not everyone can sing, yet this song is so lovely that almost anyone can sing it. Hear the music as you read the words:
Silent Night
Joseph Mohr
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.
Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!
Praise God for the silence, and the angels, and the Christ child. I am thankful for this song, and the contemplative mood to which it leads me whenever I hear it. Silent night. Holy night.
Meditation on these words leads me to a question: Have you ever wondered why the night was silent?
There are all sorts of possibilities, but I have an explanation. I believe that this is the pause before the message. Watch a good speaker. There is an introduction, a description of this person and their personal attributes, education, and experience which make what the speaker might say relevant. There is the celebration of applause as the one making the introduction vacates the podium and the speaker arrives. Then there is the quiet moment where the speaker looks out, knowing what must be said, and waits for the audience to be ready to hear it.
For centuries, God's messengers have been preparing the people for this moment. They have described this person, this person's attributes, and this person's life. The introductions cease, and then the angels celebrate, praising the name of God in heaven and on earth. Now, just before the voice of the speaker is heard, there is silence. Deep, abiding quiet.
Under the light of a still star, the people of God hear the voice of God for the first time since Sinai. Not the deep, richly timbered voice that we might expect. It is, rather, the voice of a newborn clearing his throat for the first time. Is there anything more joyous than to hear the first, strong cries of a newborn baby? Perhaps not, but this is not exactly the voice we might have expected, is it?
What kind of message is this supposed to be? That will become clearer later in the story, but for the moment, this is the message: God is with us. Immanuel.
The word of God is profitable for much, but this child, the living Word of God, will eventually make clear what words fail to describe adequately. Jesus will fully show us who God really is, and at the same time, he will fully submit to the process of being human. Experiencing birth. Discovering food and drink. Learning to walk and talk. Going through growth spurts and life's hurts. Following his calling. Crying out at the feelings of abandonment and pain. Experiencing death.
But for the moment the message is: "I am with you. Being human is so important that I am not going to miss a single part of it, first breath to the last. I am with you, just as I always have been, but now you know just exactly what I'm willing to go through in order to have a relationship with you. I, the Creator who spoke the universe into existence, do not have words tonight. I, the possessor of the mighty arm that so long protected David, cannot control either my arms and legs tonight. Instead, I am wrapped tight in a blanket, cuddled in the arms of a mother still in her teens, experiencing for the first time the responsibility of being a parent. I have emptied myself of my power and made myself helpless, dependent upon humanity for nurture and nourishment. For you, to be with you, to understand you fully, I have stripped myself of titles and power and things that you cannot even begin to understand."
Sometime in your night tonight, find a moment of silence and hear the message once again: "I love you and I am with you forever."
Grace and peace through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ron
Silent Night
Joseph Mohr
Silent night, holy night,
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin mother and Child.
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
Silent night, holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight;
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!
Silent night, holy night,
Son of God, love’s pure light;
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth,
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth.
Silent night, holy night
Wondrous star, lend thy light;
With the angels let us sing,
Alleluia to our King;
Christ the Savior is born,
Christ the Savior is born!
Praise God for the silence, and the angels, and the Christ child. I am thankful for this song, and the contemplative mood to which it leads me whenever I hear it. Silent night. Holy night.
Meditation on these words leads me to a question: Have you ever wondered why the night was silent?
There are all sorts of possibilities, but I have an explanation. I believe that this is the pause before the message. Watch a good speaker. There is an introduction, a description of this person and their personal attributes, education, and experience which make what the speaker might say relevant. There is the celebration of applause as the one making the introduction vacates the podium and the speaker arrives. Then there is the quiet moment where the speaker looks out, knowing what must be said, and waits for the audience to be ready to hear it.
For centuries, God's messengers have been preparing the people for this moment. They have described this person, this person's attributes, and this person's life. The introductions cease, and then the angels celebrate, praising the name of God in heaven and on earth. Now, just before the voice of the speaker is heard, there is silence. Deep, abiding quiet.
Under the light of a still star, the people of God hear the voice of God for the first time since Sinai. Not the deep, richly timbered voice that we might expect. It is, rather, the voice of a newborn clearing his throat for the first time. Is there anything more joyous than to hear the first, strong cries of a newborn baby? Perhaps not, but this is not exactly the voice we might have expected, is it?
What kind of message is this supposed to be? That will become clearer later in the story, but for the moment, this is the message: God is with us. Immanuel.
The word of God is profitable for much, but this child, the living Word of God, will eventually make clear what words fail to describe adequately. Jesus will fully show us who God really is, and at the same time, he will fully submit to the process of being human. Experiencing birth. Discovering food and drink. Learning to walk and talk. Going through growth spurts and life's hurts. Following his calling. Crying out at the feelings of abandonment and pain. Experiencing death.
But for the moment the message is: "I am with you. Being human is so important that I am not going to miss a single part of it, first breath to the last. I am with you, just as I always have been, but now you know just exactly what I'm willing to go through in order to have a relationship with you. I, the Creator who spoke the universe into existence, do not have words tonight. I, the possessor of the mighty arm that so long protected David, cannot control either my arms and legs tonight. Instead, I am wrapped tight in a blanket, cuddled in the arms of a mother still in her teens, experiencing for the first time the responsibility of being a parent. I have emptied myself of my power and made myself helpless, dependent upon humanity for nurture and nourishment. For you, to be with you, to understand you fully, I have stripped myself of titles and power and things that you cannot even begin to understand."
Sometime in your night tonight, find a moment of silence and hear the message once again: "I love you and I am with you forever."
Grace and peace through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Ron
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Voice: the word spoken and recognizable
Voice is the word that scripture and prayer illuminate for us today:
Hear the voice of Jesus:
Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers . . . .
Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away —
and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.
So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.
I have received this command from my Father.
John 10:1-18 NRSV
The voice we can scarcely hear
Walter Brueggemann
You are the voice we can scarcely hear
because you speak about dying and suffering,
and we are impacted by so many voices
that have to do with power
and competence
and success.
We do know that you are the voice that give life,
that you are the voice that opens futures to people who are hopeless.
We are part of a hopeless people,
because the other voices eat at our hearts
and we are immobilized
and we become deaf.
So we pray for new ears.
We pray that your voice may be more audible to us,
that we may be able to sort out the death-giving
from the life-giving voices among us.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
through whom you have spoken
in such inscrutable ways.
Amen
Blessings,
Ron
Hear the voice of Jesus:
Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit.
The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.
They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers . . . .
Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away —
and the wolf snatches them and scatters them.
The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice.
So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.
I have received this command from my Father.
John 10:1-18 NRSV
The voice we can scarcely hear
Walter Brueggemann
You are the voice we can scarcely hear
because you speak about dying and suffering,
and we are impacted by so many voices
that have to do with power
and competence
and success.
We do know that you are the voice that give life,
that you are the voice that opens futures to people who are hopeless.
We are part of a hopeless people,
because the other voices eat at our hearts
and we are immobilized
and we become deaf.
So we pray for new ears.
We pray that your voice may be more audible to us,
that we may be able to sort out the death-giving
from the life-giving voices among us.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
through whom you have spoken
in such inscrutable ways.
Amen
Blessings,
Ron
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