August 17, 2009
Posted by mike
Making Silence Together // Article by Mark Dever
Excerpts from Making Silence Together, by Mark Dever:
Why has the church forgotten this? Our culture knows it. At the most solemn moments, we have a minute of silence. And everyone listens to the silence. And thinks about why we’re being silent. Why don’t we do this in the church? [think September 11, or when a famous person dies]
Where is the dignity and majesty that is so often indicated in the Bible by a stupified silence, soaked in awe and covered with wonder?
Certainly, as Christians, we have much to rejoice over – loudly and joyfully and expectantly! But is no part of our regular assemblies to reflect the weightiness of our sinful selves before a holy God, the silence of conviction, even of sorrow? Furthermore, is no part of our regular assemblies to reflect the stunning weightiness of our forgiveness in Christ, the silence of marvel, and even the humility of some incomprehension?
Making silence together builds and unifies the church, witnesses to the majesty of god and tacitly proclaims His greatness to all who hear.
(italics mine)
I wonder if in our desire (as church leaders) to give people the most “bang for their dollar” we have lost a key element of worship? In our attempts to eliminate all of the “distracting” elements of the service, do we only create the opposite form of distraction? Do we eliminate the silence and replace it with noise?
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