Mark's Notebook

Listening for God in the silence

Cincinnati Post

by Kevin Eigelbach

When Quakers get together for worship, you hear something you don't hear in most contemporary worship services.

Silence.

Members of the Society of Friends, the formal name for the Quakers, spend at least some worship time just listening for "the inward light" of God.

Imagine between 20 and 30 people in a sanctuary, all of them silent. Once in a while, you might hear someone say a few words or request a hymn.

Initially, it's an odd feeling, but it quickly becomes very comforting, said Jeff Mays, a White Oak resident who's attended the congregation's weekly services for about a year.

Perhaps it's a sign of our entertainment-oriented times, but I rarely hear extended periods of silence in worship services. In the Presbyterian Church I grew up in, the minister sometimes gave us a few moments to reflect on our sins, but not for long.

No one wants to spend too much time reflecting on his sins. If you think about that sort of thing too long, you might feel the need to do something about it.

I like silence, but I think it terrifies many of us. Perhaps it's the thought that we might actually hear God speaking, or have to confront issues within ourselves that we'd rather not face.

"The teachings of Jesus are not difficult to understand," Mays said. "Too many people are spending so much energy trying to avoid what those teachings say.

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060706/LIFE/607060356/100
5

Mark says: We visited a Quaker church in Philadelphia, the Arch Street House. The attendant was a member of another Quaker church in another city. He told us how things function in a Quaker church. It was fascinating talking to him.

Articles

Last updated Tuesday 13 May 2008