04 Jun SUNDAY, JUNE 4, 2023

I’ve just returned from a conference that mandated hours of silence and listening for what God might say. Maintaining silence while practicing holy listening is known as spiritual contemplation. Like other disciplines, spiritual contemplation requires intentionality and regular exercise. That’s why I have participated in Group Spiritual Direction for years and keep up with the ongoing practice each and every month.

The spiritual practice of contemplation doesn’t come naturally, which means it doesn’t come easily. For someone like me who always has thoughts or a running dialogue going, it’s difficult to empty my head or heart of content. Being distracted by inner focus, or what’s happening inside ourselves often hinders our ability to hear what God might say.

For example, in today’s gospel reading, eleven disciples go as directed to Galilee where they will meet the resurrected Jesus there at the mountain. They all made the journey; they all arrived at the destination, but not all of them were able to do what would have been the most natural response on earth given their present situation: to worship Jesus outright upon sight. They’d all seen him die. They all knew he’d been buried. Collectively, they’d heard he had risen and now here they were all again, united in his presence.

I hope you recognize this description as common to all believers in Christ.

So what is it that gets in the way of Jesus’ disciples, and therefore every believer in Christ doing the most natural thing on earth: a spiritual practice encouraged by God’s own invitation to come and see for ourselves and listen with our own ears? Doubt. Doubt is exactly what causes many self-admitted Christians to fear listening for God to speak directly to or through them.

We think only fundamentalists or pentecostals do such things. We shy away from encountering God directly, from listening to what God might say to us, from being intercessors on behalf of others through prayer. Like the eleven disciples, or at least those who did not worship Christ immediately, we doubt whether we can trust our senses. We doubt whether we should follow the example of other people’s behavior. We are cautious about doing what doesn’t come naturally, even though God extends the invitation and makes the encounter possible.

We are cautious about doing what doesn’t come naturally, even though God extends the invitation and makes the encounter possible.

Prior to an extended time of mandated silence, we shared hopes, aspirations and concerns with a prayer partner. My partner expressed that she felt responsible for previously blocking direct communication with God.Though she wasn’t sure how, she requested that I pray she wouldn’t hinder the process. 

I didn’t think that I, too, fell into this way of thinking. Yet, while walking the labyrinth during the time of silence, I wondered if I was actually on the right path leading to the center. Figuratively, speaking, I doubted whether what I was doing would take me where I sought to arrive. 

Although the design of the labyrinth was clear and well laid out, I wasn’t sure whether I was supposed to be walking on the green grass path or the more narrow gravel swirl patterns? When I approached the center rather quickly in a time that felt too soon, I wondered how I messed up, whether I should start over, retrace my steps, or what. Like some disciples, and many believers, I found doubt interfering with my ability to listen for what God might say. 

A similar thing happened to the guards sitting near the tombstone of Jesus Christ. When an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, came, rolled back the tombstone and sat on it, the guards who were there witnessed the event. In response, they trembled and became like dead men. 

An opportunity to be in awe was wasted. Fear displaced wonder and curiosity. Because they were afraid, they froze in silence, shut down and became still. Quite the opposite of remaining silent with anticipation and open to hearing what God might say.

Because this was their response, the angel that was clearly present didn’t even try speaking with them. Instead, the angel waited for others to arrive who were more receptive, who were open and seeking a direct encounter with the LORD. Therefore, when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary arrived, the angel said, “Do not be afraid, for I have something you’ll be interested in hearing. I know whom you seek and have news to share about the LORD.” 

The angel knew better than to speak with people who are not only unreceptive, but unresponsive. The angel knew that there are many human beings who are uninterested because they’re afraid, and because they are afraid, they are unable to hear. The timing’s just not right for those individuals. But hear this: the women heard even though they were afraid. Being afraid isn’t the problem. The angel told the women not to be afraid because encountering God or God’s agents directly is a big deal. Being cautious, wary or afraid is natural and expected. But hear this, too. The first words Jesus himself spoke to the women upon sight, after they took hold of his feet and worshiped him were these, “Do not be afraid.” 

“Do not be afraid.” 

Fear alone isn’t the problem. It’s a natural human response, especially when we don’t understand what’s happened or currently happening. Closing off, shutting down and not listening are the real problems. Failure to engage or disengaging entirely is what prevents communication, thwarts exchange of ideas and diminishes all hope of enlightenment. 

If we are to accept the Great Commission given by Christ to his disciples or encounter God directly, first of all, we must be brave. We must decide to act in spite of fear and hesitation. Second, we must discern whether people have the capacity to hear what will be said. Third, Jesus didn’t say it was up to us. 

He said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him.” The next two words are very important. “Go therefore,” go and do precisely because all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him who invites us to go and make disciples of all nations, to baptize in the name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, to teach others to obey all that Christ has commanded.” That’s one reason why sending children to VBS at Messiah or anyplace else is better than letting children stay home and do every other thing summertime has to offer.

Legend has it that the guards who were in their dead man stupor, actually heard and saw everything that took place. In fact, legend has it that they went into the city and told the chief priests everything. Then the chief priests and elders counseled each other. Then they decided to bribe the guards into secrecy. They even supplied a misleading falsehood saying, “Tell people that Jesus’ disciples came by night and stole him away while you slept. If the governor hears of it, we’ll keep you out of trouble.”

In spite of being “out of it” they had heard and seen. You see, we can’t stand in the way of God communicating. The guards, like those we love who don’t come to church, still witness the resurrection of Jesus even though they are reluctant and seemingly incapable of comprehension. We need not worry whether people receive the message simultaneously to us or later down the road. God will see that everyone eventually gets the point.

Remember these things: It’s okay to be silent and listen for God to speak directly to you. We are asked to act and pray on behalf of others. We are invited to join with others to share what we’ve seen and heard, to speak of what God has taught us about life, the value of what was accomplished by Jesus’ death and resurrection and our belief in it. We, like the disciples, have been invited to meet Jesus in Galilee at the mountain by coming here today.

By conquering sin and death Jesus’ confirmed his deity. But just to counter the doubt of whether it was okay to worship him, he told disciples that “All authority in heaven and on earth had been given him. Finally he said, “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  

Jesus is with us from time immemorial, forevermore, in the present and including time without end, throughout all of eternity, whenever we are in doubt or disbelief, when we hesitate to listen or act, when we fear what is seen or heard, when we can’t make ourselves willing participants in the activity or conversation of God. Jesus is present, encouraging us to trust his invitation, enter into worship and an ongoing dialogue between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Let us pray. 

Dear Lord, sometimes feelings, thoughts and words occupy head space or worry our hearts. Help us listen to your written and spoken word with open confidence, in anticipation of learning so that we, too, may be faithful witnesses to your resurrection and to your desire to make disciples of all nations. We cannot teach others to obey your commandments unless you transform us to be spiritually connected with you in thought, word and deed. 

Make us brave and bold by trusting in your love. Make us better able to be in your presence and available for conversation, more able to meet and see you as present in other persons, more willing to pray on their behalf according to your intentions for them. Dear Father, Son and Holy Spirit, how majestic you are, how perfect is your authority among the heavens and throughout all the earth. In Your holy name we pray, Amen.