The Gift of Silence

Why are we afraid of silence? I can hear the answer already: “I’m not afraid of silence, I can be quiet if I wish to!” It’s a bit like the person who suggests they smoke because they wish to; they can give it up at any time.

Silence is like darkness. Few city dwellers know real blackness, there are always lights somewhere; streetlights blast the darkness all night, even in our bedrooms. The total absence of light is frightening and we tend to avoid it.

Yet if darkness is to be feared, why do people shy away from the light? Is it simply because our deeds are evil as Jesus stated? If we’re honest, it’s embarrassing to have the light shine too deep into our lives, revealing what we hide from the world. However inconvenient and distressing darkness may be, it is still a useful hiding place.

But darkness is compared to ignorance, misunderstanding, or loss; an inability to find our way in the dim times of life. Light brings clarity, revealing a way out of the difficulty. That’s why Jesus claimed to be the Light of the World: He proclaimed the way from fear of death to meaning and purpose for life, beyond the murky rote of simply producing replacement generations.

Similarly, how often are people actually quiet, and experience silence? We can plug siren sounds into our ears to block out discomforting thoughts. Perhaps a confusing cacophony of sound is a consoling distraction from having to think about our accountability to God and His world.

As the holiday season begins, it’s a chance to “get away from it all.” Maybe a chance to get away from the sounds that surround us and find some “peace and quiet”? It’s in the quiet times the light can penetrate our lives to bring clarity, not fear; honesty, not subterfuge; and peace in place of ignorance and confusion.

Here we have a chance to listen to God’s still, small voice, usually drowned in the din of life, and check our alignment with His truth and values, His answers to our deepest fears. Here we can find our ultimate need fulfilled: peace with God, the grace of forgiveness through the death of Jesus Christ.

Listen in the silence; it’s not to be feared, and the light that can penetrate our souls is the greatest gift this world and heaven can ever provide. 

Canada Day

When I was a child, a popular hymn in Church of England circles was William Blake’s poem:

    And did those feet in ancient time.

    Walk upon England’s mountains green:

    And was the holy Lamb of God,

    On England’s pleasant pastures seen!

    And did the Countenance Divine,

    Shine forth upon our clouded hills?

    And was Jerusalem builded here,

    Among these dark Satanic Mills?

    (Satanic mills, a reference to the industrial revolution)

Of course, the answer was: “No, He didn’t.” But the majestic music that accompanied it, composed by Hubert Parry in 1916, was soul-stirring, making you believe England was specially blessed by God and consequently, no other country could ever match Great Britain.

To further deepen the patriotic spirit, the Promenade Concerts of classical music, held at the Royal Albert Hall every year, would end with this song set to Edward Elgar’s soaring music, everyone in attendance singing it with gusto.

    When Britain fi-i-irst, at heaven's command,

    Aro-o-o-o-ose from out the a-a-a-zure main,

    Arose, arose from out the azure main,

    This was the charter, the charter of the land,

    And guardian a-a-angels sang this strain:

    Rule Britannia!

    Britannia rule the waves

    Britons never, never, never shall be slaves.

Of course, England, being an island, is usually green, blessed by frequent rain from the surrounding oceans, but its ability to rule the waves, and the prominence it assumed for itself, has been severely dashed by history.

Last night saw another heavy rain, much of the wet stuff lathering Lethbridge during June. As I look out of my study window, this small Canadian city is certainly a green and pleasant land; which reminds me that God’s grace is not confined to the British Isles, or even Canada.

This Canada Day weekend, is a time to celebrate with gratitude God’s goodness to this country of ours. Even if few acknowledge Him or His handiwork evident around us:

We will praise the Lord.

Sanctity or Quality of Life?

The first half of my life I lived in a predominantly Christian culture. Of course, not everyone was Christian by belief, but most people agreed with Christian values. As a result, the foremost value that pervaded society was the sanctity of life: preserve all human life.

We now live in a predominantly pagan society. Again, not everyone would call themselves pagans; it smacks too much of primitive religion, but who never-the-less subscribe to pagan values. These values are arrived at by social consensus based on current and convenient opinion, not on any fixed religious moral code.

This has given rise to a change over the last half century from the Christian sanctity of life, to a quality of life ethic. A little thought should reveal the dangers lurking in this idea. A person who has, or is unlikely to have a suitable quality of life doesn’t have a life worth living.

But who is to judge whether a quality of life is worth living? You and I provide the last word in a democracy which lives by social consensus. For instance, a fetus obviously has no quality of life, so can be discarded at will. In fact, the quality of unborn life is practically nil, so a living human in the womb has no right to be called a person.

Abortion on demand is the first step down this road. A BC court’s recent rejection of the law against assisted suicide has opened up the next two: assisted suicide and euthanasia. The distance between them is very short. Ideally, you would try to hold out a helping hand to someone ready to jump off a bridge, by persuading him his life is worth living.

But are you prepared to assist his suicide by a helping push because he considers his life not worth living? That is distasteful enough. If you are, it may not be long before you give him a push because you consider his life not worth living. The appearance is the same, but there is vast difference.

The first push may questionably be called suicide, assisted by you, the second push is murder; considered and acted upon. But in each case, you become the final judge of his quality of life and act upon it, believing your personal judgment gives you the right to help or cause another person’s death.

Even if you don’t participate, your opinion with others of like mind is what shapes your society. Is this what you want? If so, perhaps one day another person will consider your life not worth living. You will have little say in the outcome, because you have bought in to a nebulous quality of life basis of judgment.

Wouldn’t you and others you love rather feel protected by a sanctity of life based culture, where every human life is considered inviolable?

Smaller is Sometimes Better

It’s time to downsize. If they’re designing 400 square feet apartments in Toronto—the size of a double garage—and if Ikea can build a home in 382 square feet, why do we need 1,500 or 3,000 to live in, particularly for empty nesters like ourselves?

I can understand space for a growing family, a place for kids to play, do homework, hang out with friends or surf the web, as well as private space for mom and dad—happy father’s day, all you duds dads—to retreat to, and a small bus to fit all those kiddie seats in, and a smaller economic conveyance for shopping, and . . .

I’ve always told Ann that if she flies away first, I’ll buy a double garage and fit it up from Ikea—it’s all I’d need to live in. But I couldn’t inflict that on her; she deserves better. However, she called me to account—stop talking and act on it now!

Age is also catching up. Too many old people remain in accommodation they can’t cope with due to failing bodies. Then it becomes an emergency. We decided—together!—to make the switch while we can, not when we have to.

So now we are refitting a 550 square feet lower level for less space to live, no stairs to climb, and level access off the street. Less cleaning, less “stuff,” and we’ll practise a closer, much closer relationship. We’ve had long enough for needed practice at that.

We are blessed that our original design, when built eight years ago, lends itself to this transformation. We could, of course, claim prophetic vision: it wasn’t. We could claim our downsizing is an environmental pursuit, or a pious release of at least some of this world’s goods. It isn’t either.

It just seems the right thing to do. We have seen too many older folk, not only living in large abodes they can’t handle, but also becoming a burden on their children, who, in many cases, have become their exhausted parents.

Aging parents could become concern enough. We want to mitigate that for our kids, their kids and their kids, while we still have time to plan any declining future we may face.

It just seems the right thing to do.

Self-Service: A Basic Human Failing

 

We moved to Vancouver in 1979 as I registered in Regent College for the MDiv program. We found a low rental apartment in False Creek, a beautifully designed waterfront development along the shoreline. Alex was five years old and started school while we lived there, starting in the False Creek Elementary School.

As elementary schools go, it was charmingly designed in the local waterfront style, but otherwise was as little known as are thousands of other elementary schools in Canada. That is, until Luka Magnotta made it a target of his horrific cannibalism.

As outrageous as his actions are, they are perhaps less loathsome when set against the defiant rage of dictators determined to hang on to power. Modern examples like Libya’s Ghadafi, Egypt’s Mubarak, and currently, Syria’s Bashar Assad come to mind.

But in each of these dictator’s reign, there were, and still are, surprisingly many that support each of these dictators. The violence and slaughter they cause is less of a concern to their adherents than their personal interests—often better preserved by the dictator. 

Which makes me wonder if our own attitude to life is much different. Certainly better than the extremes Magnotta and cruel dictators go to; but the difference is in the extent, not in the nature of the offence. How far are our selections of politicians or associations, or our daily routine dictated by our desired interests, with little or no regard for those less fortunate?

The Christian virtue of preferring others above ourselves may need examination. Where does our journey for personal comfort blind us to others’ basic human needs? But Jesus’ affirmation that “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many," is our watchword, (Matthew 20:28).

If we cross the line to serving ourselves, we may be keeping company with those we detest the most!