Rev. Neal MacPherson
The Gift of Silence
At certain times in my life, when all that was taking place in the world or within myself became unsettled and chaotic, I have turned to the story cycle surrounding the life of Elijah the prophet. You can read these stories in the 1st Book of Kings, Chapters 17–21. Elijah, in his confrontation with the political powers of his day, finds himself running away from all the chaos, fearful for his life. His inner life mirrors the turmoil that has resulted in his effort to do what is right and just. His flight leads him to a cave on Horeb the mount of God. There he pours out his frustration and anguish to God, who then orders him to leave the cave and stand on the mountain. God is about to pass by. We read:
“Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”
1 Kings 19:11b–12, NRSV
God was to be found in that silence, and finally Elijah found himself at peace.
After the turmoil of the presidential election that has caused so many of us to become anxious and afraid for ourselves, our families and friends, and the future of our democracy, we yearn for that sound of sheer silence in which we can release our inner turmoil and fear, and experience the presence of God. I trust that we will be led to that silence.
Yet, we cannot remain there, no matter who has won the election. No sooner than Elijah experiences God’s presence in the silence, God addresses him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God then commands him to go back to his involvement in the political life his day and gives him specific tasks to do.
That is what we must do, also. Resting in the silence and presence of God is necessary, but we must then find the strength and courage to carry on the mission of peace and justice in our world. May God grant us the grace so to do. Amen.
*New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Rev. Neal MacPherson is a retired minister with the United Church of Christ. He was educated at Acadia University (Nova Scotia), the Pacific School of Religion, and the University of Chicago Divinity School. In his ministry, he has served as the Coordinator for Farmworker Ministries in the greater Chicago area, as an Associate Minister for Stewardship, Peace, and Justice with the Hawai‘i Conference of the United Church of Christ, and as the pastor of churches in Chicago and Hawai‘i. In his retirement, he has been the interim minister of a number of congregations both in Hawai‘i and Vancouver, British Columbia. For a time, he also serviced as an Ecumenical Associate with St. Andrews Cathedral (Episcopal) in Honolulu. Neal is the author of a book, Church at a Crossroads: Being Church after Christendom, published in 2008 by WIPF & Stock.
