Elements City Church
Unhurried ... Week 3: practice of solitude & silence
Following Jesus as an act of resistance to our cultural push toward hurry, hustle, distraction and shallowness. Most of our greatest mistakes tend to come when we’re in a hurry. Maybe the life Jesus invites us to is to move more at the pace of grace. We are not anti-work, we are anti-hurry. As followers of Jesus, we're called to walk in the way of love and one simply can not love in a hurry. Join us as we seek to slow down. We’ll lean into some practices and rhythms that help us live unhurried, so we can actually build up our life with God and others.
Locations & Times
Elements City Church
1825 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ 85712, USA
Sunday 5:00 PM
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Whether you're on-site or online, we are praying that tonight will be an encouragement to your soul. May God whisper to you and help you in taking your next steps in a journey with Him. If you're new, we'd love to have you fill out our connection card.
https://connect-card.com/yr4Y0g8VLBSqzKXeubjbQuote:
"As followers of Christ, we must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives." –Dallas Willard
"As followers of Christ, we must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives." –Dallas Willard
often when we discuss spiritual disciplines or spiritual practices - scholars may have them fall into one of two categories…
Practices of abstinence
Practices of engagement
Practices of abstinence
Practices of engagement
Jesus and the 'quiet place' (eremos)
...all throughout the gospel accounts of Jesus life and ministry, you see this pattern of withdrawal to the eremos (wilderness, quiet places).
You'll also notice: Jesus came out of the wilderness with all sorts of clarity about his identity and calling. He was grounded. Centered. In touch with God and himself. You quickly realize the quiet place was top priority for Jesus.
...all throughout the gospel accounts of Jesus life and ministry, you see this pattern of withdrawal to the eremos (wilderness, quiet places).
You'll also notice: Jesus came out of the wilderness with all sorts of clarity about his identity and calling. He was grounded. Centered. In touch with God and himself. You quickly realize the quiet place was top priority for Jesus.
This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” This is more than an emotional high. Or even a spiritual high. This is the launch-pad from which Jesus is sent out into the world. But in the very next line, we read this: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him. (read Matthew 3:13-4:2)
Notice, the first thing Jesus did after his baptism was head straight into the desert. Desert here doesn’t necessarily mean sand and heat. The Greek word is eremos, and it has a wide array of meanings. It can be translated desert, deserted place, desolate place, solitary place, lonely place, quiet place (my favorite), wilderness.
The wilderness isn’t the place of weakness; it’s the place of strength.
also see Luke 5:15-16 -- The news about [Jesus] spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses...
Crowds banging down Jesus’ front door was a regular thing.
But look at the next line: Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Notice, the first thing Jesus did after his baptism was head straight into the desert. Desert here doesn’t necessarily mean sand and heat. The Greek word is eremos, and it has a wide array of meanings. It can be translated desert, deserted place, desolate place, solitary place, lonely place, quiet place (my favorite), wilderness.
The wilderness isn’t the place of weakness; it’s the place of strength.
also see Luke 5:15-16 -- The news about [Jesus] spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses...
Crowds banging down Jesus’ front door was a regular thing.
But look at the next line: Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
In seasons of busyness we need more time in the quiet place, not less. If Jesus needed it - we certainly do also.
Quote:
Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. ... We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.
-HENRI NOUWEN
—Notice Nouwen's lack of nuance...
No exceptions to the rule.
No self-deprecating story to soften the blow.
He’s just honest: if you don’t set aside time to be alone with God, your relationship will wither on the vine.
Maybe this is why Jesus said what he said in John 15:1-5
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
Quote:
Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. ... We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.
-HENRI NOUWEN
—Notice Nouwen's lack of nuance...
No exceptions to the rule.
No self-deprecating story to soften the blow.
He’s just honest: if you don’t set aside time to be alone with God, your relationship will wither on the vine.
Maybe this is why Jesus said what he said in John 15:1-5
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.
SOLITUDE:
... is the practice of being alone.
Dallas Willard says, “Of all the disciplines of abstinence, solitude is generally the most fundamental in the beginning of the spiritual life, and it must be returned to again and again as that life develops.”
What makes solitude so important?
Quote:
“Solitude is the one place where we can gain freedom from the forces of society that will otherwise relentlessly mold us.” — John Ortberg
Richard Foster says: “What we must clearly understand and underscore is that our real task [in solitude] is to create a space in our lives where God can reach us. Once that space has been created we wait quietly, expectantly. From this point on, the work belongs to God.”
In solitude, it is important to listen . . . to pay attention to what comes to you. Our desire is to hear Jesus, but there will be many voices.
One of the greatest challenges of solitude is to sort through these “voices” and learn to put them aside so that we can hear Jesus.
SILENCE:
Silence deepens the experience of solitude. In silence we not only
withdraw from the demands of life in the company of others but also allow the noise of our own thoughts, strivings and compulsions to settle down so we can hear a truer and more reliable Voice.
Silence helps us to cut through the voices and distractions of our noisy world and listen for God’s “still small voice.” It becomes rather obvious that if God’s voice is “still” and “small” that we need to be both still and small in order to hear it.
READ James 1:26 & 3:5-6 -- a reminder about taming our tongue
It is important to persist with this discipline of practicing silence, especially if your mind is racing. It often takes awhile for our minds to quiet down.
There are 2 dimensions of silence—external and internal.
External silence is pretty self-explanatory: no noise. No music in your headphones. No TV, even in the background. No roommate playing Fortnite down the hall. No toddler screaming. No chatting to your mom over the phone while emptying the dishwasher. It’s when you’re up early or out in nature or in your room, and it’s quiet.
C. S. Lewis, in his masterwork of satire, The Screwtape Letters, has the demons railing against silence as a danger to their cause (the ruin of a Christian’s soul). Senior demon Screwtape calls the devil’s realm a “Kingdom of Noise” and claims, “We will make the whole universe a noise in the end.”
But internal noise? That’s a whole other animal. A wild beast in desperate need of taming. There’s no off switch and thus we must lean in to learn to quiet the internal noises of life and our own mind with the love and truth of Christ and our identity in Him.
... is the practice of being alone.
Dallas Willard says, “Of all the disciplines of abstinence, solitude is generally the most fundamental in the beginning of the spiritual life, and it must be returned to again and again as that life develops.”
What makes solitude so important?
Quote:
“Solitude is the one place where we can gain freedom from the forces of society that will otherwise relentlessly mold us.” — John Ortberg
Richard Foster says: “What we must clearly understand and underscore is that our real task [in solitude] is to create a space in our lives where God can reach us. Once that space has been created we wait quietly, expectantly. From this point on, the work belongs to God.”
In solitude, it is important to listen . . . to pay attention to what comes to you. Our desire is to hear Jesus, but there will be many voices.
One of the greatest challenges of solitude is to sort through these “voices” and learn to put them aside so that we can hear Jesus.
SILENCE:
Silence deepens the experience of solitude. In silence we not only
withdraw from the demands of life in the company of others but also allow the noise of our own thoughts, strivings and compulsions to settle down so we can hear a truer and more reliable Voice.
Silence helps us to cut through the voices and distractions of our noisy world and listen for God’s “still small voice.” It becomes rather obvious that if God’s voice is “still” and “small” that we need to be both still and small in order to hear it.
READ James 1:26 & 3:5-6 -- a reminder about taming our tongue
It is important to persist with this discipline of practicing silence, especially if your mind is racing. It often takes awhile for our minds to quiet down.
There are 2 dimensions of silence—external and internal.
External silence is pretty self-explanatory: no noise. No music in your headphones. No TV, even in the background. No roommate playing Fortnite down the hall. No toddler screaming. No chatting to your mom over the phone while emptying the dishwasher. It’s when you’re up early or out in nature or in your room, and it’s quiet.
C. S. Lewis, in his masterwork of satire, The Screwtape Letters, has the demons railing against silence as a danger to their cause (the ruin of a Christian’s soul). Senior demon Screwtape calls the devil’s realm a “Kingdom of Noise” and claims, “We will make the whole universe a noise in the end.”
But internal noise? That’s a whole other animal. A wild beast in desperate need of taming. There’s no off switch and thus we must lean in to learn to quiet the internal noises of life and our own mind with the love and truth of Christ and our identity in Him.
Practices like silence and solitude help us grow as disciples of Jesus!
Disciples that have his heart and mind formed within us, amidst all the voices & noises that surround us and all the commotion and clutter of our culture. It's where we train and learn to commune with God.
"The deepest level of communication is not communication but communion. It is wordless. It is beyond words, and beyond speech, and it is beyond concept."
—THOMAS MERTON
Disciples that have his heart and mind formed within us, amidst all the voices & noises that surround us and all the commotion and clutter of our culture. It's where we train and learn to commune with God.
"The deepest level of communication is not communication but communion. It is wordless. It is beyond words, and beyond speech, and it is beyond concept."
—THOMAS MERTON
Quotes:
“It’s because it kills love that hurry is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life. Hurry lies behind much of the anger and frustration of modern life. Hurry prevents us from receiving love from the Father or giving it to His children. That’s why Jesus never hurried."
–John Ortberg
“It’s because it kills love that hurry is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life. Hurry lies behind much of the anger and frustration of modern life. Hurry prevents us from receiving love from the Father or giving it to His children. That’s why Jesus never hurried."
–John Ortberg
We must relearn the power of pause
The practices of slowing, of simplicity, of solitude and silence fight against the “hurry sickness” current flowing within our culture...
Quote:
"As followers of Christ, we must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives." –Dallas Willard
The practices of slowing, of simplicity, of solitude and silence fight against the “hurry sickness” current flowing within our culture...
Quote:
"As followers of Christ, we must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives." –Dallas Willard
Thank you for partnering with our mission...
Thank you for enabling us to be the Church in our city! Your gifts help fuel the mission of Elements City Church, as well as our capacity to share His love with as many as we can. You help us bring the HOPE and LIGHT of Jesus to our city! You can give online at the link below or through the Elements app.
http://elementscitychurch.org/giveWhether you joined us on-site or online, thanks for being with us tonight!
Let's make plans to get together again NEXT SUNDAY as we continue our series: UNHURRIED...living more at the pace of grace.
Let's make plans to get together again NEXT SUNDAY as we continue our series: UNHURRIED...living more at the pace of grace.