Pause

Rebecca Sheridan
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
Psalm 46

    “Be still and know that I am God.”  Pause.  You may be aware that Martin Luther wrote what we endearingly call the Lutheran National Anthem, “A Mighty Fortress,” based on this psalm we just heard.  When we think of getting ready for Christmas, we admittedly don’t start humming “A Mighty Fortress,” but this psalm seems to me exactly what many of us need to hear in the hustle and bustle of this month:  “Be still, and know that I am God.”  Wait. Watch.  Pause. Ponder.  In all of your lists of to-dos to get ready for Christmas, do you have these on the list?  Martin Luther was famous for saying, “I have so much to do today that I shall have to spend not two but three hours in prayer!”  What is all the hubbub about after all but to prepare to celebrate Christmas, the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the healing of our relationships with others and with God, the restoration of all creation, the very salvation of the whole world – and we’re worried about what to wear to that holiday party and if we forgot to send a card to so and so?!  Be still. Pause.
    As a confessed workaholic and proud multitasking mom-wife-pastor I admit that it is sure difficult for me, as for most of us, to be still and pause especially this time of year.  Almost exactly to this date last year, a good friend recommended that I attend a three-day Advent retreat at the Holy Cross Episcopalian monastery in upstate New York.  When I showed up, greeting the receptionist warmly and somewhat gregariously, she looked at me funny and then spoke very quietly that this was a silent retreat.  “What did I sign up for?!” I thought, somewhat panicking.  I thought it was a prayer retreat, not a silent retreat.  Turns out it was both!  As it was, I was wondering why I decided to take three days off on retreat during one of the busiest seasons for pastors.  Now I found out I would have to not talk for three days, except during our group lecture sessions.  And we found out, we would take a cell phone fast and a vehicle fast as well, breaking our fast with a celebratory lunch where we could talk with the other participants on the third day.  Well, as you may notice, I am not at that retreat this year.  I don’t know if I’d ever do it again.  Some people run marathons; I spent three days in silence.  It was enough.  But a positive of that experience was really taking a break from everything to listen to God instead of myself or the needs and wants of others.  Guess what?  The world did not fall apart in my absence.  This retreat was an opportunity for me to seek God as my refuge and strength, rather than trying to do it all on my own and carry the world’s troubles on my shoulders alone.  Taking the pause to spiritually prepare for Christmas was definitely worth it – for myself, for my family, for my congregation and service as a pastor!
    Why do we resist so much to taking a pause?  Why do we consistently break the third commandment to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, and think that we need to work harder than God, who rested on the seventh day?  In our Christmas preparations this Advent, in wanting to be helpful, we ask “what can I do?”  We do not want the answer to be, “nothing.  Be still, and know that I am God.”  So tonight is a rare opportunity for us to do just that, even if we are kicking and screaming on the inside.  Understandably, most of us can’t take a three day silent retreat or pray for 3 hours a day, but can we create some space, like worship tonight, to truly pause and reflect on what this season is actually all about?  Thanks be to God, God is with us right there in the hustle and bustle of the busy-ness of the season, and God comes to us in the small bits of silence we are able to carve out of our day.  May we listen and pay attention, seeking God as our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.  Amen.