Quietness is not Peace
Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, physicist, and religious philosopher in the 1600’s wrote, “Humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Well, I do believe people are having more time to think and reflect in these days. It certainly is true for myself (between Zoom meetings, I would add) and I am grateful for this.
I was reading this past weekend of the research of Danish Economics Professor, Jeanet Sinding Bentzen. She used Google data from around the world to show that the searches for the word “prayer” have sharply increased as the Covid-19 crisis unfolds. The search actually intensifies for this word, and it doubles, for every 80000 new registered Covid-19 cases.
As young churches were growing, Paul, clearly understood the challenges they faced. Yet, from his prison cell in Rome, he writes these words to Timothy in Ephesus. "I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." 1 Timothy 2:1,2
The church was to be empowered to respond to oppressive circumstances in a powerful way, with a lifestyle that exemplified quietness, peace, and godly attitudes and lives filled with hope and love.
Pascal has a point, that we have lost the ability to lead peaceful and quiet lives with schedules controlling us 24/7 perhaps until now, with the regulations required in Covid-19. However, the quietness does not have peace and that is why people are Googling the word 'prayer', as Bentzen observes.
This really spoke to me and I want to give you a few observations which I am processing.
The more secure and safe a society is, the less religious it tends to be; people are desperately looking for a new source of hope and security, and Bentzen’s research may be showing a move to seek spiritual meaning in these days. Historically the Church has been a leader in adopting technology to spread the word of God; two examples would be the radio ministries, and the televising of the Billy Graham Crusades; go and make disciples has been the mission. Online ministry is growing and I pray that God will use His Church again to reap fields that are ripe for harvest, as people seek peace and quietness for their souls.
The household and the family has a long history, back to Old Testament times, to be the critical means to transfer religious and spiritual values from one generation to another. I sense we have lost some of this. One Dad shared with me that this is the first time he and his family are experiencing church as a family unit together.
At our small country church, Mom and Dad brought us three boys (and it was not up for discussion), to Sunday School, where we were in different classes, and then we sat together in the main service which followed; this occurred every week. Then over lunch, we talked about what we had learned. Only after this, could I go outside and play. One family said it this way, "Isolation has interfered with our family schedules, which to be honest, were out of control. This is a good thing for us as a family."
Live streaming a service at home is not the same as being there in person. I don’t know about you however, Zoom is getting old. Yet, in the new normal, we need to be thinking of a hybrid approach of online and in person community. The house church model is worth exploring. It certainly is not new; actually, it is thousands of years old. Parents cannot outsource their children’s spiritual lives to another. Yet, they need help and what a tremendous opportunity the local church has to come alongside and resource families. At every baby dedication, we ask the church to publicly make a commitment to help parents raise this new life. I have often stated the words “I do” as the question is called and then wondered, what did I just agree to? What would a hybrid model look like where there is a synergy between online and intimate community? We need to tackle this and what should this fall look like, for I suspect, we will not be meeting like we were prior to Covid. Us in the 55+ has a key role to come alongside those who are younger to invest in them; we so need each other.
God is at work. I sense it and actually feel it. It is like being on the farm in Northern Ontario and listening to the wind in the trees and Dad saying to me, "There is a thunderstorm coming." I would look up at blue skies and respond, "Really?" He was never wrong.
I hear the spiritual wind in the trees and God is at work building His Kingdom here on earth and the battle is intensifying. Yet, I am excited to be living at this moment in time and am thinking and reflecting on what and how do I need to change to be ready for what God wants to do.
As I walk into this new destiny, I have written down three prayers which I have taken from John Baillie’s book, “A Diary of Private Prayer”.
Do not let any corner of my being be left in darkness; I do not want to get in the way of what you are doing, Lord.
Do not leave anything in my life which could darken the brightness of this day.
May Your Light rule within my heart all through this day.
Listen for the wind in the trees. Because of who God is, I am expecting Him to do greater things than He has done before.
Bruce
