Climb the tree

Good morning.

I sometimes slip into feeling a bit jealous that Jesus got to retreat to quiet places. With three small kids and a busy job, the idea of popping up a mountain, to just be in the presence of nature and of God, sounds impossibly luxurious. But perhaps it wasn’t any easier for Jesus. How many people were tugging on his elbow with their “can you just…” requests as he turned away from the crowds? What did he have to say no to, in order to prepare himself for what was coming next? An early Quaker William Penn said that “true silence... is to the spirit what sleep is to the body: nourishment and refreshment”. Not a luxury, but a necessity.

Usually, my only oasis of quiet in the week is my Quaker meeting for worship. But finding “true silence” within the quiet presents its own set of challenges.

I sometimes imagine myself climbing a tree. Each branch reflects something on my to-do list – an issue that needs thinking through, a worry, a situation I need to reflect on, a decision to be made. The temptation is strong to stop and sit on any one of those branches – I can do useful thinking, in my hour’s silence, and probably make some progress towards understanding, or a decision. But that is not why I come to meeting. I come to worship, to sit in the light, to give myself time beyond words, to precipitate complexity. May I find the courage to keep climbing to the top of the tree, to sit in the sun, to listen rather than talk, and to let the light touch my face.

Thank you, friends.