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Ritual
Sermons from Commons Church. Intellectually honest. Spiritually passionate. Jesus at the centre. Since 2014.
So on Sunday, we were talking about rest. And I wanted to talk about rest not as this idea of an absence from work, which is a lot of the time the way we think about rest or Sabbath, but rest as an actual way of knowing ourselves in a complementary or an alternative imagination. This idea that we can be loved, we can be valued, we can be appreciated for our contribution, our work in the world around us. Rest is not just what prepares us to go back and do more work, but rest is what helps us to know that we are loved and valued even apart from our moments of contributing. Now one of the questions that came forward from a couple people after the sermon was this, what if I'm not good at resting?
Speaker 1:Because I'm not suggesting that you need to take one full day every week and just do nothing. That's not what Sabbath is about. Sabbath is about enjoying yourself. It's about play. It's about all the things that we're gonna talk about next week as well.
Speaker 1:But there is this need somewhere in our week, somewhere in our calendar that we actually slow down in stillness and silence and rest, even if that's only for a couple minutes. And so what I want to do is give you a couple quick ideas that you can work on as you begin to develop this idea, not just of not working, but of actually resting. Here's the first one. When you begin to sit down to rest, and maybe you're going to pray, meditate, maybe you're just going to sit in silence and stillness for a moment, that might be awkward, especially if you're not used to this yet. And so one of the things that I have found really helpful as I try to meditate and I try to pray in silence is simply this, to acknowledge the thoughts that come into my mind.
Speaker 1:I used to find that when I tried to be still or tried to be silent, my mind would wander all over the place and my first thought was to say, Stop doing that Jeremy. Don't be ridiculous. Don't be stupid. Get back. Focus.
Speaker 1:Be still. Be silent. And that never works because it actually just puts more pressure and more shame on you. And the more you do that, the more your mind wants to wander. And so the most helpful thing you can do is acknowledge, oh, there's a thought that's come into my mind.
Speaker 1:I see it. I notice it. I'm gonna set it aside for a moment and go back to being still. And sometimes I have to do this over and over and over again with all these thoughts that keep popping into my mind. But the less I punish myself or get down on myself for having those thoughts and the more I simply say, Oh, there it is.
Speaker 1:I acknowledge it. I notice it and I set it aside. Then slowly what happens is I'm able to sink into this moment of stillness and rest. So that's the first thing I would suggest. The second is this.
Speaker 1:Don't try to be still and silent in solitude alone for an hour at a time if you're just starting out with this. Start for a minute. Start for five minutes and build from there. And maybe for you, you're like me. You're an active person and the most you're gonna build to is maybe twenty, twenty five minutes at a time.
Speaker 1:That's okay. You don't need to be that monk who enjoys sitting alone in silence for five, six hours at a time. You do still need those moments though. So maybe it's this. Start with a timer on your watch or on your phone that's one minute.
Speaker 1:And in that moment you are going to sit, you're going to be silent, and you're going to think about your breathing. And you're just going to be still before the presence of God. And then maybe you do that, and maybe that becomes comfortable, and then you do two, and then you do five. Last thing I want to say is this, Someone approached me and they said, Well, what if I'm really anxious about being alone? I have some anxiety around that.
Speaker 1:I'm uncomfortable with that. Where do I begin? And here's what I would suggest. Then do your alone moment together with someone. And I know that sounds strange but hear me out.
Speaker 1:Find someone that you trust. Find someone that you're comfortable with and let them know that you are trying to practice stillness and silence and eventually solitude. That you'd like to be able to do that in their presence. Maybe this is a spouse, a loved one, a friend and they're going to go and they're going to work on something but you're just going to be in the room in a space where you feel comfortable to be quiet by yourself and begin there. And you may find that this is awkward at first but if you find someone you trust and someone who's willing to go on that journey with you you may come to realize that you are comfortable with yourself.
Speaker 1:Now again, that doesn't mean that you're going to become the person who wants to spend a seven day silent retreat on your own for all of that time. Maybe that's just not you. That's okay. We're not trying to all become synonymous and look the same. We're trying to find moments in our rhythms where we can institute these rituals of work that feels holy, rest that is peaceful and silent, and then eventually play that is boisterous and energetic and life giving to us.
Speaker 1:Because all of those things together are gonna help us become more fully human. So here's the challenge. Rest well this week. Even if that is only two minutes where you sit, you acknowledge your thoughts and you set them aside, you focus on your breathing, your alone moment with God, and you do that in some type of solitude, even if that's with somebody else in the room. Try it out.
Speaker 1:Let me know how it goes. Thanks everyone.