In the name of God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Silence.
Our world is so full of stimuli that we are often uncomfortable with silence.
There are a lot of reasons why we are silent. Sometimes we are speechless and
there just aren’t words that fit the situation. Sometimes we are silent because
we are hoping to hear the still small voice of God in prayer. Other times we
are silent because we’re afraid of saying the wrong thing. Those of you who
are teachers, or students, know that silence in class often means that someone
didn’t do the assigned reading. Sometimes silence is a form of protest or
anger, as in giving someone the “silent treatment.” Sometimes we are silent
when we are guilty and have chosen to “plead the Fifth.” Sometimes we are silent
because we just don’t know what to say. Sometime we are silent when we have a
question, but are afraid of what the answer might be. Silence comes up twice in
the gospel text from Mark this morning, and looking into the meaning behind
these silences shows us something about what it is like to follow Jesus.
