Practicing Silence

By Rev. Caitlin Childers Brown
Pastor and Minister of Service & Community

Artwork from Desert Wisdom: Sayings from the Desert Fathers by Yushi Nomura

 
If you haven't caught on by now, I like to talk. I find people fascinating and want to learn about people’s lives. When I worked at Disney one semester, where I worked the ride Spaceship Earth, I would regularly frustrate my supervisors. The line would get backed up because I was chatting with guests. 
 
So when in seminary we were told to attend a silent retreat, I wasn't sure that I could do it and I definitely didn’t think I would like it. Much to my surprise, a half-day of silence wasn’t a burden and what was even more surprising was that I enjoyed it. It felt like I gift I experienced to be able to carve out three hours on my schedule to get to sit, to pray, to journal, and to reflect on God’s presence in my life. There is something communal and holy when silence is practiced as a community. I came away from my first silent retreat craving more opportunities for this kind of deep prayerful rest. 
 
In that same spirit of a gift, we have a Lenten Silent Retreat this Saturday. If I could give the people of the church anything, it would be this—a few hours to be in prayer. For our silent retreat, we will have light programming. Starting in the chapel at 9:00 a.m. with a short Lectio Divina and prayer send-off, you will then have about two hours of light programming. We will have a few different rooms with prayer prompts to guide your prayers but the two hours of prayer are for you to do with as you would like. We will have some art supplies if creativity promotes your prayer life. I plan to come in comfy clothes and tennis shoes, so that during the retreat I can walk our trail and pray there, too. If you journal, it would be a great morning to bring your Bible and your journal. The gift of these silent retreats is to be able to listen to what our souls need in order to find God and to rest in that for a few hours. 
 
Even if you can’t make it this Saturday, I hope you find a few moments of silence with God, for it is a gift!