Clay in the Hands

Yesterday, I read a very interesting article.  It wasn’t really an article, more like a news spot.  The subject was a CD that has been recorded by a church in England.  St. Peter’s Church in Sussex, England has put together a CD to sell and it has created quite a stir.

Why the stir?  Because the CD contains silence.  Yes, you read that right.  The sound technician set a microphone in the sanctuary and turned on a recorder to capture the sounds of an empty room.

The article said there is a recorded introduction at the beginning and some closing remarks.  But in between, there are 28 minutes of nothing – just ambient noise from the church – foot steps, traffic noise from outside the building and voices on occasion.

While this endeavor is enough to get my attention, what fascinates me most about this report is that the church stated that people from all over the world are buying the CD.

As I have pondered this article, one thing keeps surfacing in my thoughts.  The reason people are buying this CD is because they long for silence – for stillness.  Our world is full of noise and distraction and we all need to have time in our lives regularly in which we disconnect and just sit and reflect.

Isn’t it interesting that the fourth commandment is the longest commandment in the list of ten.   (You can read it here). There are more words of instruction associated with this one commandment than any of the others.  Why, you may ask?

Because God created us to need rest.  We are wired to need to take time away from our regular activity, slow down and delight in the wonder that is God.

Sabbath was created for us and not us for the Sabbath.  We need to take time to disconnect from our regular grind and fully reconnect with God.  And we need to do it regularly.  In fact, according to the commandment, it should happen once per week.

I don’t know if you need to buy a CD of nothing in order to experience God, but if that is what it takes maybe we need to start there.

Be blessed today.