Context
- There are some fascinating ‘TED Talks’ on listening and hearing.
- In a time of people talking at one another, what is it like to hear for the first time? And might this boy’s experience be like hearing God’s voice for the first time?
- From where I sit in the US, people are still trying to come to terms with yet another inexplicable mass shooting. Read the stories of the people behind the headlines. Had any of these victims been Robert Bowers’ dentist, doctor or teacher, would he still have wanted to kill them?
Reflection
In the verses referenced above, God addresses the Israelites in the second person singular – ’you’ in particular; not ‘all you lot out there’, but ‘you Janet’, ‘you Paul’, ‘you Sarah’. We are not just one of many or lost in a crowd where God can’t see us. From start to finish, the great commandment addresses us in the singular; it is aimed at each of us. It is also the case that the Hebrew (‘Shema!’ = ‘Hear!’) begins in the imperative – meaning ‘Do this!’ It is not optional if one wishes to live a faithful life. The Hebrew can also mean ‘Listen!’ In essence, the Israelites – and ourselves – are being told to listen or hear before we speak, talk, tell, command or act. We are being told that there really is no other God than the Lord, and that our response to being God’s creatures is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. We are not to love God as an afterthought, or only when we are in a difficult situation; rather, we are to love God as fully as possible.
This is no small task. And if that wasn’t difficult enough, Jesus adds a commandment from Leviticus 19: ‘You must love your neighbour as yourself’. But first, we must listen and hear God’s voice. As with the Psalmist (Psalm 46.10), we are to ‘drop (everything)’, ‘relax’, ‘let go’ and know that God is God. This takes practice. Once we come to understand that the world revolves around the creator and not ourselves, then we can see why and how God is deserving of our love; and from God we can receive the power to love our neighbours. It all starts with listening.
Prayer
Lord God, as your children we acknowledge that we are a noisy lot. We seem to be scared of silence – both in our personal lives and in the world. Stereos and televisions blare away in our homes. When we walk, take the bus or train, we fill our ears with what we choose to hear, as opposed to the sound of the wind, the voice of a stranger, the splash of rain, a child’s laughter, a cry for help or a friendly greeting – all of which remain unheard.
How often have we missed your still, small voice, because of our need for distraction? Too much of the time our need for entertainment takes us out of and away from ourselves. Yet we are your creatures. You gave us life; so, in escaping ourselves, our inner thoughts and feelings, we are, at the same time, escaping you, our creator. What good are our prayers when we refuse to listen to your reply?
And so now, in company with one another, we take a two-minute (or however long you wish) time of silence – not of silent ‘spoken’ prayer – but of attentive silence, a silence that waits upon you. Should that short time make us uncomfortable, then what might you be telling us about our reluctance to listen? If the silence seems too short, then encourage us to spend more time in your loving presence.
Let us come before God in silence…
Gracious God, we thank you for creating us and accompanying us on life’s journey. Help us to understand that you approach us more often in subtle, quiet ways, than with earthquake and storm. Help to set aside some time every day to come into your loving presence, that we may learn the sound of your voice. Speak, Lord, for your servants listen.
Amen.
Questions
- How might you respond if someone asked you what is the greatest commandment in the Bible? Why?
- What do you think it means for us to love God with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind and all of our strength? Is this merely overstatement?
All-age activity
Arrange people into pairs, sitting opposite one another. Invite one of each pair to talk about a specific place he/she would like to visit, giving only subtle hints as to the specific place. The listener has to pick up on these clues and at the end, recommend somewhere suitable for the speaker based on the description. The original speaker confirms, or denies, each proposed location suggested by the listener. Then invite the pairs to discuss ways that people can stay alert as a listener and hear words or cues to help them play a more active and vital role in conversations – whether at work, home or school.
Young people
Listen to the TED Talk by Julian Treasure ‘5 ways to listen better’. What aspects of his talk ‘hit home’ for you? What aspects of his talk caught your attention or surprised you? How might you change your listening habits?
The Revd Dr Jack Lawson is the Mission Implementation Coordinator for the United Methodist Church in central North Carolina. He also lectures in Hebrew Bible and is a free-lance author. He is the author of the novel Doing Time which is based on his years as a chaplain in a Southern US women’s prison.
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