Clergy Notes for The Holy Family — Sunday, December 27, 2020

Rest.

Depending on your personality, it may be something you welcome with open arms, or a mildly offensive four-letter word. I won’t tell you which one it is for me but some of you could probably guess.

Over time, (though I have to be reminded occasionally!) I have come to realize how important this little word is. RestLESS is how some of us might feel when we finally stop for a moment, and it can be tempting to become distracted once again with all the things we “should” be doing, but if God can take a day off, certainly we can too!

And in the spirit of that train of thought, I wonder, how much of our lives do we consciously invite God to be part of? Have we chronically busy people come to imagine that God is only interested in the “productive” or active parts of our life? What about when we are doing mundane things, or even nothing at all? Is God interested in us when we are wasting time?

I wonder if that’s precisely when God is MOST interested in us… when everything is finally quiet, and we can allow ourselves to just listen to what God is saying. Have you ever had a friend or loved one with whom you can just be together in comfortable silence? I think relationship with God can be like that. It’s possible it might not be noticeable right away, but in the holiness of intentional silence, God is present in a very profound way. Sometimes God speaks in the inner depths of our hearts. Other times there is seemingly nothing at all; just a quiet strengthening of relationship that carries into the rest of our lives, deepening the meaning of everything else we do.

We are so good at keeping busy. Noise and sound are abundant commodities in our modern technology-laden lives. True rest and silence may initially feel profoundly uncomfortable as a result. However, when we allow ourselves to stop, and to simply BE, in silence with God, we may just find there is no such thing as “wasted time” after all.

Download the booklet for 10:30 am on Sunday, December 27, 2020 here: Liturgy at Home The Holy Family Dec 27 2020