Comments on: Listening As Exchange: The Trouble with God Discerning Our Will

By: Paul Ricketts

Paul Ricketts — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:39:55 +0000

wess,
Just few more thoughts on silence.
Being a Christian a.k.a. Quaker for me is all about following
the example of Jesus love and service to others.
God’s Word through the holy silence empower me to live out
these precepts.
Paul
Silence gives us a new outlook on everything.
We need silence to be able to touch souls. The essential thing is not what we say but what God says to us and through us.
Jesus is always waiting for us in silence. In that silence,
He will listen to us; there He will speak to our soul, and there we
will hear His voice.
Mother Teresa

By: Quäker-Silence « Auf Schleichwegen zum Christentum

Quäker-Silence « Auf Schleichwegen zum Christentum — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 21:24:28 +0000

[...] “While at first glance this idea of a silent worship service may seem a bit overly simplistic, or even worse “boring,�? but I challenge you to suggest to your church service planner to have 10 minutes of silence this week and see how it goes. And by silence, I mean absolute and complete silence, no soft piano playing in the background or guitar lazily strumming its strings, no worship leader talking about how we’re currently being silent before the Lord; no, I mean pure unadulterated quiet. Now I think this is still radical. It was radical 400 years ago, and it may be, in world where distraction is a necessary drug, even more radical today. Doesn’t just the idea of being quiet for so long kind of freak us out?!” fromvia [...]

By: Quaker Silence | Think Christian

Quaker Silence | Think Christian — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:36:07 +0000

[...] is a lot to be said for silence. Read part of this post from gathering in light: If you ever get the chance to sit in on a silent Quaker meeting, take the opportunity. It’s not [...]

By: C. Wess Daniels

C. Wess Daniels — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 03:09:08 +0000

@Paul – Hi, thanks for your wonderful comment! I love your prayer at the end (and will be using it!) and the tie in with Catholicism. There has been a number of people, along with Bill, who have made these connections and I think they are very helpful!

By: Paul Ricketts

Paul Ricketts — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 01:26:13 +0000

My Meeting second hour group (Adult RE)
is reading the book Holy Silence by J Brent Bill.
His thesis is, communion with the Spirit
in silent worship it the core of the Quaker experience.
He says about Quaker Worship and Holy Silence, “.
The only thing I can compare it to is the Catholic belief that in the “celebration of Mass. . .Christ is really pres- ent through Holy Communion to the assembly gathered in his name.�? It is the same way with silence for Quakers. Friends believe that Christ is actually present — except we Friends have no host to elevate or priest to preside. Rather, we believe that when our hearts, minds, and souls are still, and we wait expectantly in holy silence, that the presence of Christ comes among us.‘’
Friend Bill speaks my mind!
I also love this because it puts Quakers in relationship
with other sacramental Christians.
The Mass and Quaker Meeting for Worship are very passive. Something is done to or for us, by God’s grace, through the Holy Spirt There is something marvelous about this passibity,
for we can do nothing to earn God’s grace.
It comes to us whether we even ask for it or not.
Christ says to us, “You have not chosen me, I have chosen you.”
I have revised this prayer from the Catholic liturgy
In the silence you feed your people and strengthen them in holiness, so that the family of humankind may come to walk in the light of one faith, in one communion of love.
We come then to the silence to be fed at your table and
grow into the likeness of your Spirit.
Amen