Our Old Testament lesson today is a continuation of the story where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal, and killed them all. The problem is that those were the prophets favored by Queen Jezebel and she took exception to their deaths. So she sent the army after Elijah and that's where our lesson picks up today.
Word gets back to Elijah that Jezebel wants him dead and he takes off – he runs away – and he’s so distraught that he asks God to take his life – not to let him suffer at the hand of Jezebel’s followers. Elijah lays down under the tree and goes to sleep. An angel of the Lord comes to him and wakes him up and makes him eat – food and water have miraculously appeared. He eats and goes back to sleep. The angel comes a second time and Elijah wakes up and eats again and then he gets up and travels 40 days and nights without food (does this sound familiar?) until he comes to Mount Horeb. There he finds a cave and spends the night.
When he wakes up, the Lord asks him what he is doing there. Elijah complains that he is the only one of the prophets of God left in the land and now Jezebel want to take his life. The Lord tells him to go stand on the mountain and wait for God to pass by – and we know this part of the story.
A great wind comes – stronger than any other – but God is not in the wind. Next there is an earthquake, but God is not in the earthquake. Then there is a fire, but God is not in the fire. And at last, there is the sound, it says, of sheer silence – and Elijah knew that God was in the silence and he stepped out on the mountain to meet God.
I think this says something to us. Our world today is so full of noise – natural and artificial – that it’s hard to find that place of silence. People seem to think that if there isn’t some kind of noise going on that there’s something wrong. A few people will drive to work in the mornings using this silence as a time to pray or plan their day – but most people have the radio going – listening to music or to a talk show - or these days maybe talking on the phone. Radio stations learn to keep that sound going at all times – if a disk jockey or radio commentator allows what is called “dead air” they are most likely fired, because people will change stations.
I walk in the mornings, everyday except Sunday - I’m a little busy on Sunday. I started out walking in silence, then I remembered that I had some nice earphones for my cell phone so I started listening to music as I walked - always classical - I can think with a classical music backdrop. And then it was a great boon to discover that our local library had an app that allows you to download free books to read - or listen to. So I started listening to books, mystery books mostly. Then I got tired of the mystery books and wanted something with a little more meat in it - so I started looking at what else they had.
I found, not a book but a recorded presentation by Brené Brown called “Rising Strong as a Spiritual Practice.” Brene is the chair of the the graduate school of Social Work at the University of Houston. She has been described as a Researcer-Story teller. Rising Strong is Brené’s lastest book. This was excellent, so I listened to it twice - and plan to listen to it a third time because although she is not a religious leader, God speaks very strongly through her. She is an Episcopalian and has even preached at the Washington National Cathedral. But in this talk, she recommended “The Book of Forgiving” by Desmond Tutu. So I downloaded and am listening to it. I should finish it on my walk tomorrow.” So while I’m no longer walking in silence, the things I am listening to speak of God, and God’s desire for us. I have laughed, and cried and pondered so much as I have walked these past couple of months. I feel like God has been speaking to me in a powerful way through Brené and through Bishop Tutu. I can’t wait to see what He has to teach me next. So what I am saying is that silence is sometimes most helpful when it extends out of conversation - as with Elijah, conversation with God.
I think this lesson also says something else to us. When we have so called “natural disasters” strike and some city or area is devastated – some media, religious, or political personalities immediately start finding all the reasons why God destroyed that sinful place. But this scripture says very plainly, God is not in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire. Listen for him in the silence – not the cacophony. God is there, but you will not find him in the noise. You will find him in that quiet place that can surround you and cushion you and help protect you – even in the midst of turmoil.
Look at our gospel lesson – this man in the tombs – he sees Jesus and he comes out yelling – it says that he “shouted at the top of his voice.” Noise – noise can overpower the silence – can drive away the sound of God. Jesus spoke softly, but with authority – “What is your name?” “Legion - my name is Legion – for we are many.” This name brought up the image of the Roman Legions that had over run the land – it reminded the people of the destruction that followed in their wake. It brought fear to the hearers.
Legion begged to not be sent back to the abyss, but to be allowed to go and Jesus said, “Go.” This legion had driven the man mad – the many voices telling him to do different things – fighting and arguing in his head. And once the noise was gone – in the silence that followed – the man was healed of all that troubled him and he became a normal person once again.
When we allow those voices to take over our lives – allow the demons of addiction or self-gratification or self-pity or self-glorification to become the rulers of our life – then we no longer have control, or silence, or any place where God can come in and abide in us.
But when we allow the silence to overcome those voices – to silence them, then God is there and he can be heard and our lives can be made whole. Open up your heart and mind to the silence and hear the voice of God for your own self. I’m going to ask you to sit in silence for a time – and listen – and abide – be still and know that God is here and that he can be found in those quiet moments that occasionally steal into our lives.
