Was it Really a Silent Night?

 

Silent Night

“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”

This is one of the most beautiful Christmas carols. I love to listen to it, sing it, play it, but I got to thinking, was this such a silent night? So much was going on in Bethlehem, so many people, could there have been any real silence and calm?

…Chaos with the many people arriving for the census

Noise from the animals in the barn, in the street, in the fields

The pain of childbirth

The cries of mother, the cries of baby

The concern of a father

The heavenly host rejoicing

Shepherds arriving from the surrounding countryside

The hustle and bustle of the approaching morning.

Finding food for the family in the busy markets…

This list is likely a condensed one. Life was happening at its usual busy pace. Much like today people were scurrying around with little time for one another, caught up in where they had to be, what they had to do. Was there really a moment for silence or calm? For worshipping the new born king?

As much as I love the song, I wonder if it really was a silent night where all was calm. Perhaps there was a brief moment before life took off again where mother, father and child shared in the wonder of this birth and the shepherds that had gathered stood in awe. I think we see it in the moment that Mary treasured what had happened in her heart.

Life today will continue to assault us and keep us occupied, especially at Christmas, but we must take the time to quiet our hearts and wonder in awe at God’s miraculous rescue that began in that stable in Bethlehem.

This Christmas Eve, step away from the chaos around you for a moment and be still, be silent and worship. Treasure in your heart God’s nearness to you.

Luke 2:1-19
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.
2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)
3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.
5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,
7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.
12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,
18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

Scott for Wellspring copyright 2007

What are Your Egypts?

 

Isaiah 31:1

Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.

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The great and wise among Judah sought an alliance with Egypt against the Assyrians.  The people believed the Lord was not strong enough to take care of them and save them.  They seemed to have learned to trust in other people, horses, chariots and in the strength of the horsemen.

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It all seems like an astounding and amazing loss of trust in the One who had brought them out of Egypt into a wonderful land of promise.  Certainly this is something that could only happen to someone else, and not us.

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But we are not so unlike these Israelites.  The Lord said in Is. 30:15 “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength”.  The Israelites were not close to being able to rest and wait upon God for as the Lord said in Is. 29:13 …these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote…”

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Today, what are our Egypts, what are the distractions that keep us from quietness and trust in God only, and what are the things that we do by rote without heart?

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Are our Egypts and distractions and routines found in fascination with TV, media, books? are they doing good works, are they even in attending church regularly as a duty, are they friends and many counsels, are they our talents, skills, appearance, charisma or other?  Is the body of Christ (the Church) not leading us to look at those idols and things we trust?  Is the church becoming a place where we practice religion by rote never really coming to a place of quiet expectation for hearing (and then doing) the Word of God? 

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I don’t want to be too critical of the church today because I myself am a human fraught with failure, but are we living a body life at it was meant to be by God?  Are we so far off from the same problems that Jesus spoke of in Revelation.  “I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead.  Wake up and strengthen what remains….I know your works; you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish that you were either cold or hot.  So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth…”

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This is my personal prayer for myself and for what I would bring to a fellowship of believers…that I would not trust in any Egypt or false savior or idol, that I would wait upon God in quietness and earnestness and trust, and that I would do nothing by rote in a meaningless and powerless way.

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As it says in Isaiah 31:3 “But the Egyptians are men and not God; their horses are flesh and not spirit.” Lets not put our hope in flesh but in the Spirit.  I have had a long list of Egypts over my life as a Christian, but no longer.  In brokenness I found my true Hope.

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Blessings as you lay down those things you trust more than God.

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Scott for Wellspring Copyright 2007

Praying in the middle voice

I recently read about the concept of praying in the Middle voice.  In his book “Prayer” Richard Foster quotes this term from the writings of Eugene Peterson who says “Prayer takes place in the middle voice”.  He goes on to say:

In grammar the active voice is when we take action, and the passive voice is when we receive the action of another, but in the middle voice we both act and are acted upon.  We neither manipulate God (active voice) or are manipulated by God (passive voice)  We are involved in the action and participate in its results but do not control or define it (middle voice)

What a great way of thinking about prayer!  I love this!  God invites me to “join” him in what he us up to.  This concept of the “middle voice” rings familiar with Jesus’ invitation to all of us to come and be yoked to him.  In this amazing picture found in Matthew 11:28-30 we are yoked to Jesus as we go about the work of living our lives with him.  As crazy as it sounds, this is a joint effort between us and Jesus! 

The active part for us is to “enter in” and ”respond”. 

“Enter in”  

God doesn’t force any of us to pray.  He has given us the freedom to walk through life without giving any notice at all to him, so the first step in praying in the middle voice is to pursue him.  We must make time.  We must give attention to God.  This involves quieting our hearts and minds to hear from Him.   This activity is up to us.  We must ”Enter in”. 

Once we have entered in we are available to hear God’s voice.  God has stuff he wants to tell us.  He wants to speak  directly into our hearts.  He wants to know what is on our mind and he wants to offer us rest from the turmoils of our day.  This is that sweet time of communion with God that he longs for us to make a way of life.

“Respond” 

God also wants to change us.  Jesus came that we all might have what He called the “abundant life”.  God wants to change us through prayer.  He wants to transform our character and make it obvious to the world that we are different.  When others are around us, is it obvious that we have been spending time with Jesus?  As amazing as it sounds God wants to change the world through those of us who know him and are followers of him.  If we don’t respond to God in prayer his work is halted.  God wants me to “respond”  in faith, to the things he reveals to me in prayer. 

Wow!  Who wouldn’t want to be part of a great adventure like that?  Jesus and me, doing life together.  This offer is available to anyone who wants it.  The key is to “Enter in” and to “Respond”.  We must begin “Praying in the middle voice”.

 Dave for Wellspring C 2007