Missioning Presence 102...

I am interested in exploring the shape of missional spirituality, what it means to be a disciple out on the edges…

Recently I have been thinking about some verses in 1 Kings 19. The prophet Elijah is standing at the entrance of a cave on a lonely mountain, about to witness God’s passing by. It says, ‘there was a great wind… but the Lord was not in the wind’. After the wind there was a rumbling earthquake but God ‘was not in the earthquake’. After the earthquake came a blazing fire, ‘but the Lord was not in the fire’. After the fire there came, ‘a sound of sheer silence.’ In that moment Elijah covers his face with his mantle because God’s presence is in the silence.

Why the silence ? The sound of sheer silence ! It is such a contrast ! Why is God in the silence ? Because silence not only speaks of absence, it can also speak of a special quality of presence.

Silence can be that special gift we give to another when we give of ourselves totally, undistractedly & openly at that moment. Silence can indicate concentration, a straining to hear, an openness to receive from & to understand the other. Silent presence is a bounded space that can say to another person, “you are safe right here in this moment with me”. When silent presence is given, peoples’ stories can deepen and transparency is released.

Holy silence speaks about the shape of a disciple’s presence in the world.

I am wondering about calling this quality of attentiveness & openness to the present moment... the prayer of presence. Such prayer regularly attempts to capture something of the profound & sacred gift of life. It participates in the unique celebration of diversity we have before us in another person - all in the midst of an often dull, repetitious and unfriendly world - a world of unspeakable pain, yet equally aching beauty.

We are attentive and open to the present because Abraham Heschel* says time is the very presence of God in the world. Every moment of every hour, day after day is God’s subtle arrival! That is why the disciple’s task is to be genuinely present to the reality of this moment because when we inhabit that space, we capture glimpses of God’s glory. The prayer of presence is a redemptive action that dares conceive of the possibility of releasing the holy sparks of God’s glory that are pushed down & concealed by the brokenness of our world. Every disciple is called to be like Jesus - to be a redeemer who claims back God’s glory through their holy action in the world.

Attentive & expectant presence is about being, concretely expressed in the places we chose to be in. It becomes prayer when everything we do is directed towards the glorious light of that awareness. Holy silence speaks about the shape of a disciple’s presence in the world... moment by moment. In God’s holy presence Elijah becomes aware of a question, “What are you doing here, Elijah ?” God is saying to Elijah, ‘I am also silent because I don’t dwell on this mountain. Instead, I choose to make my dwelling among ordinary people’. The prayer of presence !

Outwards & downwards !

* Quote from ‘God In Search of Man’ by Abraham Heschel (1955). [Available from amazon.com]