This morning, our summer staff are doing a silent retreat morning. They will spend the morning in silence, mentally preparing, physically resting, and planning in their minds for the summer ahead. They will also reflect on this devotional. We hope you will join us today.
Prayer: God of silence, we give thanks for those places that call us to be quiet and listen for you. Thank you for worshiping communities that come together to praise your name, uplift each other and empower us to go out with good courage. Help me to slow down, breathe and know that you are God. Amen Reading: Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. " --Psalm 46:10 Stop and GROW: After reading the text, discuss/ponder the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's Book of Faith questions, which are part of Camp Mount Luther's GROW Time with campers. QUESTION 1: What scares, confuses, challenges, or doesn’t make sense to me in this text? QUESTION 2: What delights me in this text or is my favorite part of the story? QUESTION 3: What stories or memories does this text stir in me? QUESTION 4: What is God up to in this text? Reflection: Jesus meets people in the oddest places--sometimes in a person, in the beauty of the mountains or in the loud singing of campers. It should not seem odd that Jesus meets me in worship, but in a way, it is. In a small, diverse, urban church in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago, Jesus meets me in the silence. Week after week, the chimes of the prayer bowl call me to stop and listen. As I prepare my heart for worship and prayer, the bowl continues to ring deeply in my soul. The silence calms my mind, opens my heart and tunes my ears to hear. The silence stirs deep within me. And even with the whir and honk and zoom of the city, I can hear the still small voice that reminds me that I am a child of God. As I glance around the congregation, I can see faithful members who have been the foundation of our congregation for years. I see the young couples who are searching, wondering and wandering. And I watch and listen to the little ones as they fidget with books and papers as their parents struggle to keep the silence. And I'm reminded that Jesus is here, meeting each of us, wherever we are on our faith journey. He meets me in the bread and wine, the word spoken and sung, the waters I dip my hand into as I enter the sanctuary and in this community that I love and am so grateful for. But he also meets me in the silence. Jesus' commandment to love another, to care for those who cannot care for themselves and to share the myriad blessings I have, are all deafening in the silence. And I am transformed once again. --Jon Skogen
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