YOU MUST GIVE IN to the seduction of silence. Listen for things central: the sound of air moving in and out of your being, the soft bump of blood drumming at your core, the small noises deep in the ears when different parts of your body call attention to themselves. Then listen past them. .
Let what you are speak to what always is. Let yourself be like a leaf sailing on the river God, a bit of matter and light being swept out to the enormous sacredness of the sea.
– Fredrick Zydek
“Praying through the Thick of It”
Alive Now
Rev. Augustin Muthusami from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church was my senior in seminary, Pastor Robert Selvakumar from Holy Light Lutheran Church was my final year room mate, it’s rare to have the three of us in one worship service. 🙂 Tonight sparks fond memories from the past.
I commented to both of them, the last time we were serving together was likely in the youth camp organized by Augustin more than 15 years ago. I will never forget that camp. Because I was the only Chinese amongst mostly Tamil and English speaking youth. It was a good cross-cultural experience for me in which I remember fondly.
All of us have been swept out to the enormous sacredness of the sea beyond our imagination. Somehow, we’ve managed to stay in touch more compared to other fellow graduates. And it’s a little surprising that now we’re actually serving in the same denomination.
Who we are has gone through multiple storms both personally and professionally. What we have to to say have been shaped very much by those experiences. It was interesting for me tonight at different segments of the service, I felt the call for me once again to give in to the seduction of silence. Strange for an extrovert you may say, and I agree. But then, it’s no longer about luxury, it’s about survival. It’s about learning to live more than just existing.
Through the years, God has been gracious to bring different people along my path, And amongst many of them, I’m thankful tonight to stand with my two brothers singing Christmas carols, giggling at different points of the service, and then working out last minute changes as we saw how best to keep the flow of the service going. It was fun. A little like old times. This is a precious gift this Advent.
The presents are coming earlier this year. In the form of presence. It was wonderful to be present with two lifelong friends from seminary days worshipping with God’s people before the presence of the God who has never ceased to surprise us.
