Life Selah (Part 3)
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
November 17, 2019
Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
This has been a long week for many of us at First Friends. I know I have found myself on several occasions this week in this very Meeting Room sitting in silence, holding a variety people in the Light, crying out to God for healing, safety, and hope. I sought solace and peace while sitting in these pews. On occasion I would take time to gaze out our Quaker stained-glass windows at the beauty of nature, the dusting of snow, the falling leaves, all while the wintry winds blew outside the Meetinghouse. Their sound almost lulling me into a sense of quiet peace and pause amidst the difficulties that this week brought.
I have been trying hard to process and articulate all that I have been experiencing this week within our faith community. I finally decided that the best way of describing it is by calling it a Life Selah - an interruption to all that is normal which necessitates or demands a pause, that forces us to listen and look carefully at life, and reflect on our priorities and that which is truly important.
I am sure most of us have experienced at least one Life Selah at some point in our lives. It could have been losing a job, getting a divorce, receiving a difficult diagnosis, experiencing the death of a loved one. Whatever the event, it causes us to stop in our tracks, to realize the fragility of life, and center us again on what is important. I have been with several of you as you have gone through these experiences, and when my parents had their car accident a few years ago, many came along side of my family and me, because even though Life Selahs are very personal, often they become a communal experience.
Last Monday started out very normal, getting my wife and boys off to work and school, looking over my rather light schedule and being excited about getting
caught up as the craziness of the Christmas season is beginning to loom in the near distance. Yet upon arriving at the office, Monday, I received a couple of rather alarming texts from friends within the meeting. It wouldn’t be long before I would be jumping back in my car and heading to Riley Children’s Hospital where Naomi Wheeler’s 15-year-old son, Kian, was taken after being struck by a truck as he was biking to school that morning. In a matter of moments, I found myself and a variety of people in our community having a Life Selah.
I wish all my training, education, and pastoral experience could prepare me for these moments, but as I have learned on many occasions, it’s just not possible. No one is prepared for these moments. They grab our fast-paced busy lives and present us with a new reality on the spot – and often with little or no warning.
Quaker Thomas Kelly said it well when he said we live so much of our lives in “an intolerable scramble of panting feverishness.” That is, until we are thrown a Life Selah and it quickly all comes to a screeching halt.
Often in these difficult times, we need guidance and wisdom from others who have already traveled these difficult roads and have something to share. I know many people who have shared their experiences with Naomi because, I believe, we are connected by our experiences and stories.
As well, many of us turn to the scriptures in these times for the same reasons. We hope we can connect to the characters of scripture and learn from their experiences and stories as well. This is one of the reasons in difficult times, I turn to the book of Psalms. I relate to the Psalm writer, David who often cried out in frustration, in confusion, in seeking to understand life and what all God was up to. David (as is the case with many characters in Scripture) encountered Life Selahs – some unexpected and some of his own doing.
As I sat in the pews this week crying out, returning to David’s Psalms, pondering just what and how I was to pray. I again heard that still small voice. And much like the morning walk where I heard the world “Selah,” this time the word was simply “rest.” Ironically, it is a common theme in David’s psalms, here are just a couple of examples:
• My soul finds rest in God alone.
• Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the Lord has been good to me.
Also, there are what are considered resting psalms such as Psalm 131 which one verse reads, “But I have calmed and quieted my soul.” And there are many Psalms which speak of restoring – which that word itself implies that to rest-ore something one will need first to include rest.
And then I was reminded of Jesus’ invitation to us all, which was the scripture Erin read,
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Much like Selah a couple weeks ago, rest I sensed was one of the best answers to these interruptions of life. Even though in the midst of chaos, disruption, or unexpected change, we, too often, turn to worry or want to quickly find a way to take control or fix the situation. Sadly, Life Selahs don’t always afford quick solutions or take overs. They are complicated, they need time, and they often require clear thinking.
When we take a Selah and stop and allow ourselves to rest from the chaos and confusion swirling around us, we often are more able to find a sense of stability or even serenity. The rest clears our minds and helps us find focus and attentiveness to what God is doing in our midst. We may even see new possibilities, new opportunities which did not seem available in the moment, or renewed hope.
Madame Guyon said that in the midst of these interruptions we should,
“Rest. Rest. Rest in God’s love. The only work you are required now to do is
to give your most intense attention to His still, small voice within.”
It was interesting how often this week I heard the word rest in the midst of all that was going on. Whether it was the doctors saying they were going to sedate Kian so he could rest and allow his brain to heal and come back to center, or the family members being encouraged to rest, so the shock of the accident could wear off and they could be clear and attentive to Kian’s needs. Even taking time to rest in the presence of friends and loved ones – because sometimes presence is more important than words in these moments.
Folks, it is clear that we all have limits and that there is a finiteness to our time and energy – especially in the midst of difficult situations or Life Selahs. I believe, we were created this way. And I believe needing to rest is a God-like quality. If we acknowledge that of God within us, then we must also acknowledge the God who has taught us both to work and rest. It was God who instilled the need for Sabbath rest in the hearts of the Hebrew people and led by example by taking a rest at the end of creation. Jesus continued this practice, often in the midst of some rather difficult times, by going off and resting and allowing him to center and reconnect to God’s will. What I have learned in my studies is that rest is both a physical need and spiritual act. Similar to what I said last week, rest is another act of surrender to the dependence on God. And as Quakers it is also a centering-quality. That when we willingly take time to rest – we connect more fully with our inner light or the God or Christ within us and then also with the God or Christ within our neighbor. Rest is restorative to our own soul and the soul of our community.
Just maybe the best thing we could do, that may change our world for the better is find more time for rest.
It is something an old friend of Sue and mine, Brenda Jank, has dedicated her life to and is very passionate about. Brenda founded an organization called, “Run Hard. Rest Well.” which is completely dedicated to advocating for the vital importance of rest. Their mission is to champion rest because they believe it has the ability to change culture and counteract the destructive nature of overload. I love that. It makes me wonder, how we can “champion rest” at First Friends? It seems to me to be a radical counter-cultural idea for Quakers like us.
And one last thing I want to emphasize, I don’t want someone to walk away from this morning thinking, Pastor Bob thinks we all need to take a nap or get more sleep (that may be a priority and needed for many of us), but for some people taking time to read a book, listen to music, do some type of craft or art, yoga, spend time watching a movie, laughing with a friend, experiencing nature or a sunset, even taking a drive, riding a bike, or for some (not me), running, and the list goes on…all are ways we can rest our souls and re-center ourselves during Life Selahs.
Let’s now take a rest this morning as we enter waiting worship. Allow yourself to rest this morning, feel the presence of this place and the people within, and take time to center in on the connection with your Inner Light or the Christ or God within you and your neighbor. Let us take this time.
• When have I experienced a Life Selah? How did I respond?
• How might I develop a better discipline of rest in my life?
• How might we encourage opportunities for rest at First Friends?