Friday, June 12, 2015

The Whisper of God: A Brief Homily

(Delivered by Matt Rhodes during the MedSTAR Washington Hospital Center Community Centering Moment on Friday, June 12, 2015.)

With the dawning of each day, we are presented with new opportunities to see God at work – in our lives and the lives of those around us. We see God reflected in the faces of patients and their families, in the doctors and nurses and support staff. We see God in every man, woman, and child. We see God in each magnificent part of nature.

On the metro, on the Beltway, in the crowded lanes of traffic and long lines at the supermarket – everywhere we look, we see God.

But how often, in the midst of our busy and rushed lives, do we stop looking for God and start listening for him?

Often, the perception we have of God’s voice has a very epic Hollywood feel to it. God announcing his presence from a pillar of fire. God speaking from a burning bush. God making a dramatic appearance in a dream.

How often have we dreamed of having our own dramatic encounter with God? Perhaps you or someone you know has. But others may have missed their moment because the chaos and noise within their lives has drowned out God’s voice. Car horns and telephones, arguments, screaming children, doorbells, news broadcasts, television announcers. The chaotic situations that bring people to this very building. There are many distractions that make hearing what is truly important a great challenge.

But in straining to listen for God’s voice over the noises of our hectic, over-scheduled lives, we miss those moments where God can truly speak to us.

We miss those moments where God whispers to us.

Think of a conversation you may have had where there is suddenly a gap when no words are spoken.

Sing your favorite song, and pay attention to that brief moment between verses.

When your eyes open in the morning, ponder that sliver of time before the first thought of the day enters your mind.

Even in something as automatic as breathing, notice the moment between one breath and the next.

It is in these sacred seconds, these moments of quiet, where you will hear that wonderfully blessed whisper – a whisper reminding you that you are loved, you are valued. A voice that says, “You are my beloved child.”

As you depart this morning and go about the business of your day, listen for the voice of God. Listen with your heart, and take notice of those instances of silence and be amazed when you discover it is not silence you are hearing after all.

It is God, whispering in your ear.

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