Being Found: A Sermon for the Fourth Week of Lent

Picture by Robert Hodgell

Jesus and his disciples are walking in Jerusalem and a man blind from birth is seen. We are not told how Jesus knew he was blind from birth. The disciples raise the question whether the sin of the man or his parents was the cause of his blindness. He explained that sin had nothing to do with it, but it was an opportunity to manifest the power and glory of God.

 

Then Jesus used his saliva to make mud which he smeared on the man's eyes. He told him to wash off the mud in the Siloam pool. The man obeyed and returned with vision. Here ends the first miracle, but the man's neighbors could not believe he was the same man. Some said he was and others said he only looked like the blind one who used to beg. He assured them he was the one-time blind man. They asked him how he happened to get his sight. He explained what Jesus did to him and how he washed in the pool.

 

Why his neighbors took him to the Pharisees is not explained. They asked also how he was healed. Again he explained. This divided the Pharisees. Some said that whoever did the miracle could not be from God because he broke the sabbath law by doing so. Others contended that a sinner could not perform such a miracle. So, to solve the issue, they asked the man about his cure and what he thought of Jesus. The religious leaders doubted whether the man was born blind. They went to his parents for the answer. The parents admitted he was their son and was blind at birth. However, they would say no more because they did not want to get involved. They were afraid they would be excommunicated.

 

Now the Pharisees are back where they started. They go again to the healed man for further information. They demand that he take an oath to tell the truth. They claim that Jesus is a sinner. The healed man responds by saying that he does not know whether Jesus is a sinner or not, but he does know that he was blind and now sees. They ask him again to tell them how he was cured. The man refuses and asks if they want this information that they could become Jesus' disciples. The Pharisees claim to be disciples of Moses but doubt Jesus' origin. The man comes to Jesus' defense by saying that God does not hear a sinner and if Jesus were not from God, he could do nothing. They could not answer his logic, and decided to throw him out of the synagogue.

 

When Jesus heard that the man was excommunicated, he came to him and asked if he believed in the Son of man. The man said if he knew who the Son of man was, he would believe. Jesus told him that he was looking at the Son of man. The man responded, "I believe, Lord" and knelt in worship of Jesus.

 

Onlookers arguing about the cause of one man’s blindness, and when Jesus clears the man’s sight, they argue about the source of the miracle. Since the healing took place on the sabbath, surely Jesus’ power could not have come from God. He wasn’t following their rules!

 

But the man’s testimony is clear: “Once I was blind, but now I see.” Results are his proof of compassion. And as always, Jesus himself points to actions as evidence of God’s love for this world. Hungry people are fed, blind people see, prisoners are released, and outcasts are welcomed. That, he is saying without argument, is the realm of God, here and now.

 

This story is an example among many of the meaning of sin throughout the gospel of John. For John, sin is not a moral category, but is the state of being separate from God, of not being in relationship with God, or choosing to not be in a relationship with God. The formerly blind man, after experiencing the healing power of God, now belongs to God and has openly declared his relationship to God by worshipping Jesus.

 

Like with the woman at the well, the blind man recognizes Jesus gradually. He goes from seeing Jesus the man, to Jesus the prophet, to Jesus who must be from God. Ultimately, Jesus reveals his true self to the formerly blind man, as he did to the woman at the well.

 

Once again, the recognition of who Jesus is, that Jesus is God, leads to a sense of belonging. In the case of the blind man, not only is it his recognition of Jesus that leads to belonging, but also the fact that he was found. When Jesus heard the man had been excommunicated, he went and found the man. In saying the words, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” at verse 35, Jesus is echoing the call of his disciples in Chapter 1 of John. A sense of belonging can lead to discipleship, and the man in our story did indeed become a disciple, a member of Jesus’ fold.

 

And that’s where our reading stops. But it’s not where the story ends. According to Karoline Lewis, John has a recurring structural pattern in his gospel – sign, dialogue, discourse or commentary from Jesus explaining the theology behind the sign. In order to get the full meaning and impact of the blind man’s story, we need to read into Chapter 10 as well. Jesus doesn’t stop talking at 9:41, and in Jesus’ words in the first half of Chapter 10 we find the interpretation of his miracle, the meaning of the healing of the blind man. The sign points to something beyond just a healing of the eyes. It points to what an encounter with Jesus signifies.

 

According to Lewis, “When the discourse on the healing of the blind man is ignored in the interpretation of John 9, the events in chapter 9 are not allowed their full meaning and impact.” What we find as we continue on into chapter 10 is that the blind man followed the words of Jesus and became a sheep of Jesus’ fold, with access to God’s pasture of abundant and eternal life. The man has heard the voice of the shepherd call him by name. Jesus will call us all by name, as he did with Mary Magdalene and with Lazarus. And to hear the voice of your shepherd is to know that you belong to him, that no other voices matter.

 

Belonging means being found. To be found when you’re outside, to be found when you’ve been thrown out, to be found when you’re wondering from where you will be provided, to be found when you’re wondering where your protection is coming from.

 

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, will always find us and provide for us in every way, especially protection and abundant life. Because of that, we will always belong to him. Amen. 

Resources:

Pulpit Fiction

"Feasting on the Word" edited by David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor

"Belonging: A Preaching Workshop for Lent" hosted by Karoline Lewis

Beyond Belief: A Sermon for the Third Sunday in Lent

The reading we heard today, the story of the Woman at the Well, contains the longest conversation between Jesus and another character recorded in the Bible. It is extraordinary that this conversation occurs with a woman, a tired Samaritan woman, drawing water at the well, a well traditionally known to be Jacob’s well, in the heat of the middle of the day. And it is quite the contrast to the story of Nicodemus from last week.

 

Nicodemus is a named male religious leader who was traveling to Jerusalem during the Passover Festival. He sought Jesus out but would only meet with him at night. Nicodemus didn’t understand what Jesus was telling him, and that was where the conversation ended.

 

The woman in today’s story is an unnamed Samaritan, making her a religious outsider on two counts, whom Jesus found at the well at the brightest part of the day. While she didn’t understand at first, this woman was willing to have continued dialogue with Jesus in order to learn more about what he was saying. The ending of her story was much different than Nicodemus.

 

Before we get to much further into this story though, I want to back up the reading a bit to examine verses 3-4: “he left Judea and started back to Galilee. But he had to go through Samaria.” The interesting fact here is that while Samaria is indeed between Judea and Galilee, travelling Jews would have never gone through Samaria, despite that being the shortest route. They would have gone west to the Jordan and travelled along the river, purposefully avoiding Samaritan people.

 

Saying that “he had to go through Samaria” was not technically true, there were other, more desirable routes, but theologically Jesus needed to go through Samaria to show that God loved the whole world, a need rooted in Jesus’ words to Nicodemus in our gospel lesson last week, “for God so loved the world that he gave his only Son”. The whole world includes the Samaritans. And this was just the beginning of the radical inclusion of today’s Gospel story.

 

Going back to our woman at the well, most traditional commentary on the story of this remarkable encounter focuses on the woman’s five husbands, and the one she has now who is not her husband. Five husbands and not married to her current partner. She must be an adulterer. She is at the well alone at noon, according to this line of thinking, because she is shunned by the other women, who come together to the well in the cool of the morning. In this interpretation, Jesus exposes her lie, but he shows his compassion, saving the soul of an outsider, a marginalized woman, a sinner.

 

But there is no mention of sin or forgiveness anywhere in this text. These various marriages, and her current situation, would have been completely out of her control and of no fault of her own. These things don’t make the woman a sinner. But it may make her lonely, possibly feeling like she no longer belongs anywhere, or to any sort of community.

 

No where in their conversation does Jesus shame this woman for what’s happened in her life. Jesus does, however, listen. He provides the woman a sense of belonging by giving her a sense of being heard, listened to, and understood. By allowing her to tell her truth, Jesus is deepening his relationship with this unnamed woman.

 

Especially in comparison to Nicodemus, the woman at the well shows openness and wonder. The woman feels heard and seen, so she reveals her truth to him. And, in turn, Jesus reveals to her his true identity with the first of John’s “I am” statements. Jesus doesn’t say he is a prophet. He says that he is the Messiah but he is also more than that. Jesus is the “I AM”, he is God in our midst, the Word become flesh. The same “I AM” revealed to Moses in the burning bush is revealed to this unnamed Samaritan woman.

 

Because the woman is willing to listen to him, Jesus feels heard and seen, so he reveals his truth to her. This mutuality and reciprocity – sharing of truths, hearing each other, seeing each other – creates an invitation into believing and into relationship. In her truth-telling, there is an engagement in conversation – which I said last week was a key characteristic of belonging – which made Jesus feel comfortable to give his truth, to reveal his true identity.

 

By revealing this truth, Jesus shows an unnamed woman unconditional belonging – the kind of love that is only trustworthy when a person knows everything about you and then calls you their own.

 

And what was this woman’s response? To drop her bucket, run back to her town, and tell them to “come and see”. Her response was beyond belief, an exclamation of “wow! I belong to God, to a community of faith!” Despite not understanding at first, this woman was willing to remain in conversation with Jesus, taking her time to build her faith and then to become a disciple.

 

Ultimately, it’s not about getting the right answer. Faith isn’t about getting things right in order to belong. Faith is about “I AM” here for you. And that kind of belonging is beyond belief.

Amen.

Resources:

Pulpit Fiction

"Feasting on the Word" edited by David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor

"Belonging: A Preaching Workshop for Lent" hosted by Karoline Lewis

"The Women's Bible Commentary" edited by Carol Newsom and Sharon Ringe

Born Again, Born Anew, Born From Above: A Sermon for the Second Sunday in Lent

Ah poor Nicodemus. Skulking about in the dark, not wanting people to see him talking to Jesus. And then, after all that, not even getting the answers he wanted.

 

This conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus happens after the table turning incident in the Temple. The Jewish leaders are not happy with Jesus. At least, most of them aren’t.

 

Nicodemus is a self-confident and successful Jewish leader, a Pharisee. He is spiritually open and curious, but also rational. He is convinced by Jesus’ actions that he is “a teacher who has come from God” and implies that there are others who have this same belief.

 

He is curious to find out more about Jesus and his social networks and requests a face to face meeting with him. But Nicodemus is not ready for everyone else to see him talking with Jesus so he makes the appointment for the middle of the night where he can keep his faith a secret from his public life.

 

Nicodemus’ imagination is caught by Jesus, but he is not ready to declare his faith in the light of day. Jesus’ response to this is that just saying you believe isn’t enough. You must be “born anew” to see God’s kingdom. But Nicodemus doesn’t understand, even when Jesus tries again with “born of the spirit.”

 

There is an impatience that is read into Jesus’ words, a command that you must be born again, an urgency of people making a decision to accept Christ as their lord and Saviour to be paramount. This leads to a frustration of questioning why Nicodemus doesn’t understand, or why he continues to question, or why he just doesn’t accept Jesus’ words at face value.

 

But there is another way to interpret this interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus, and that is one of invitation, of being comfortable in misunderstanding, and accepting the invitation to go further into dialogue with one another despite the misunderstanding. Being part of respectful conversation and dialogue is part of that feeling of belonging.

 

Particularly in this dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus, Jesus is saying that a piece of belonging is being born anew. He is telling Nicodemus that he needs to be born again by water and spirit in order to re-engage his relationship with God, to let God work in his life.

 

However, Jesus doesn’t make much progress here. Nicodemus interprets Jesus’ words on a literal level, and he questions how a person is physically born again. But Jesus’ words are ambiguous. The Greek word anothen has multiple translations – anew, again, and from above. Nicodemus hears only the second one and is not able to recognize what Jesus is offering, and who Jesus is.

 

Let’s explore these three notions – born again, born anew, born from above.

 

I’m sure you have heard the phrase “born again Christian”. It is a common phrase that is often misinterpreted. We fully well know that we can’t be physically born again. Being born again means to have accepted faith in Jesus, to accept the teachings of Jesus as real, and declare a belonging to the Christian community.

 

Along those lines, to be born anew is to have a spiritual renewal. Perhaps some doubt has crept in, some uncertainty about the path that should be followed, about your relationship with God. To be born anew is to renew your relationship with God and to rediscover that sense of belonging to God.

 

One of the ways we can think of being born from above is to look at John’s pneumatology. To belong to God, to belong to Jesus’ community, is being born from above because of the very promise of the Holy Spirit, the gift from Jesus to the disciples when he reveals himself to them after the resurrection.

 

This spirit is breathed into us by God, the same breath that gave Adam life in Genesis and that brought the bones back to life in Ezekiel. God’s spirit is inside of us and with us. To be breathed on by God is to belong to God, and to belong to God is to belong to the Spirit, the advocate, the comforter, the protector. It is this promise of belonging that Jesus’ is trying to give to Nicodemus.

 

With this promise of the Spirit comes a promise of eternal life, not only in the future or after death, but here and now. Being born from above, accepting the Spirit into you is accepting the presence of God, a relationship with God, a belonging with God today and forever.

 

Part of that belonging is feel God’s companionship walking alongside you, sometimes helping, sometimes teaching, sometimes comforting, sometimes advocating. This is the belonging to which Nicodemus is invited.

 

All of these terms – to be born again, to be born anew, to be born from above – all of this is a promise to be a child of God. Belonging to God is recapturing that sense of what a child feels to belong to a parent. A parent provides food, water, and protection to their child. So does God provide food, water, and protection to us.

 

The questions that Nicodemus must consider are the same questions that we must consider:

            To whom will I belong?

            With whom will I belong?

            To what will I belong?

            With what community do I belong?

 

What does it mean for us to consider being born again, born anew, born from above? Being born again is not about a new mystical experience but it is about a way of living out the life of God in the world. When you see it like this, you see God, through Jesus, seeking to establish a relationship of love and community with us. It means we need to make some decisions about how we orient ourselves to God, how we belong to God, and how we are to live our lives in that awareness of belonging to God.

 

So, my friends, how will you be born again this week?

Amen.

Resources:

Pulpit Fiction

"Feasting on the Word" edited by David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor

"Belonging: A Preaching Workshop for Lent" hosted by Karoline Lewis

Born Identity: A Sermon for the First Sunday in Lent

Photo by R Ceesay

Lent is a season traditionally focused on sin and repentance, with sombre words and sombre music. There are heavy feelings around Lent and the journey to the events of Jesus’ final three days. When taken out of context, Lent is seen as a sad time, a time where you are told to examine all your faults, and a time where you are asked to suffer for 40 days to show your penitence to God. It is easy feel like Lent is something to be endured to placate a stern God whose suffocating nature perennially frowns on our pleasure.

 

As a resurrection people, we look for the gospel, for the hope, and Lent can indeed be that source of hope, despite its outward appearance. When looking through the scope of the entire liturgical cycle, Lent, while keeping its sombre tones, can truly be a sign of hope. During Lent, we have the opportunity to reorient our lives, to learn the truth about ourselves, and to walk with Christ through his journey to the cross. Lent gives us the chance to receive the seed of salvation that comes to us by the grace of Christ’s death and resurrection.

 

This year, especially if you’ve never done so before, I wish for you to experience Lent from a perspective of hope rather than despair. From joy rather than suffering. Not to negate the heavy and sombre feelings of the season, but to enhance some of the meaning behind those feelings. I want to remind you that you belong to a community of resurrection people who are all experiencing these same reeling emotions as we walk with our Saviour to his death.

 

What does it mean to belong? To God? To Jesus? To each other? To a community?

 

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, there are many definitions of the word belong. The one I find most important for our purposes is that to belong means to be a member or part of a club, an organization, a class, etc. To belong means to be included, and to be allied to.

 

Over the next few weeks, we are going to be hearing some very massive texts from John, and, of course, today’s temptation text from Matthew, that are saturated with themes and messages. These texts can be overwhelming, but I want to focus these enormous texts down into a moment, into key moments, that shows what it means to belong.

 

Belonging comes from being yourself and being seen. Part of feeling this sense of belonging is to make a claim on your identity.

 

In the Gospel reading today, we have the three temptations of Jesus. During the discourse between Jesus and Satan, twice there is a statement of “if you are the Son of God”. This piece of Jesus’ identity is not in question. He is the Son of God and Satan very well knows it. The question is, does Jesus really know it?

 

Yes, and no. These temptations are a real pivotal moment for Jesus. His identity is truly connected to knowing and understanding to whom does he belong and with whom does he belong. Throughout the temptations, by turning away Satan’s temptations, Jesus comes into his own, claiming his identity as the Son of God.

 

As well, with this 40-day journey falling between his baptism and the start of his ministry, Jesus is claiming his identity as fully human. Jesus is exhausted, starving, and alone as he struggles with his time of temptation and challenge. If he was only God and not human, these temptations would have been meaningless. Let’s look closer at these temptations and what it has to do with identity and belonging.

 

In the first confrontation, the tempter encourages Jesus to satisfy his physical hunger by turning stones into bread. Satan isn’t declaring doubt as to Jesus’ identity. Instead of “if”, he could have just as easily said “because you are the Son of God”. The deceiver is attempting to mislead Jesus into using his power for himself, rather than trusting in God to provide. Jesus, of course, sees through this trickery and declares “one does not live by bread alone”. Jesus knows there is more at stake than food and he will not misuse his power for personal gain.

 

The question becomes, “will God provide?” Will God provide for us? Belonging to something or someone means trusting in provision. Trusting in being fed. That’s one thing that happens with this first temptation, is that we find out that Jesus does provide bread in his ministry. The recognition of being provided for, particularly recalling God’s provision of manna in the wilderness, the knowledge of God’s provision in the direst of times, in the most unexpected and overwhelming circumstances, is what Jesus carries forward and does in his own ministry. For example, in the feeding of the 5000, Jesus knows that he belongs to God creates a moment of belonging with the people. In the sharing of the bread, there is a collective belonging to one another. Throughout this first temptation, there is a trust in God and in God’s provision, and it is this trust that is part of what it means to belong to and with God. Jesus trusts that God will care for him because he belongs to God. And so should we trust that in our belonging to God, we will be provided for.

 

The second test focuses on Jesus’ vulnerability and need for safety. Jesus is tempted to use his power to make himself secure from injury and death, but, again, Jesus refuses to misuse his power.

 

In the second temptation, the tempter is using scripture out of context to try and convince Jesus to test God’s protective grace. To belong to God means that you don’t need to throw yourself off a cliff to prove to everyone that God will protect you. Belonging to God means to have a deep trust that God will bear you up. In fact, only a few verses later, Matthew shows that this indeed happens by saying, “suddenly angels came and waited on him.” Verse 11 is an affirmation that God is present and will bear you up in times of need.

 

And finally, in the third temptation, Satan attempts to seduce Jesus with domination and prestige. The tempter offers Jesus control over all of the world’s kingdoms in exchange for his allegiance. Do you think Jesus was fooled this time? Who wouldn’t want to be ruler of all? Of course not! Instead, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13, “worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”

 

In this last interaction, Satan reveals that his reign in the world is through empires like Rome. What Jesus realizes belonging to God means is that Jesus announces and lives God’s empire. He realizes that belonging means living in God’s kingdom, living in the presence and promises of God’s kingdom. If you continue further into chapter 4 of Matthew, you will come to a verse that says, “From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’” In this case, repent means a transformation of perspective and, to an extent, that is what belonging means. It means that you have a perspective that is oriented to God, that you move about in the world in the promise that God’s kingdom has come near, just as Jesus has declared. It is a sense of belonging to something that is so much bigger, and so opposite, from the “empires” around us.

 

Part of belonging means an absolute trust in your identity of who you are. Jesus experienced these temptations as a way to affirm his humanity alongside of his divinity. In the midst of these temptations, Jesus comes into his own identity. All of these temptations, and Jesus’ ability to deny the tempter each and every time, has created a sense of belonging that is an affirmation of Jesus’ identity, of knowing who he is, and knowing to whom he belongs. Ultimately, it means that Jesus himself will be provided for and then, subsequently, he will also provide for others, for us. It means he will be born up and lifted up by God’s presence in his life. Jesus becomes an embodiment of God’s kingdom.

 

And because we too belong to God, we will also be born up and lifted up by the presence of God in our lives, no matter what our wilderness is.

 

And we will have many wildernesses throughout our lives, times where we might feel like we belong no where and to no one. But know that you will always belong to a community of resurrection people, a community of people that belong to each other, that belong to Jesus, and that belong to God. And that is good news indeed. Amen.

Resources:
"Pilgrim Year: Lent" by Steve Bell
"Feasting on the Word" edited by David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor
"Belonging: A Preaching Workshop for Lent" hosted by Karoline Lewis

A Review of the Book "Belonging" by Karoline M Lewis

Title: Belonging

Author: Karoline M Lewis

Publisher: Abingdon Press

Year: 2022

106 pages

Karoline Lewis is one of the people to whom I often lean on for modern biblical commentary. She brings a new way of thinking about old stories. Her book "Belonging" is no different as she opens our eyes to a different interpretation of the well known story of the Samaritan woman at the well.

The book breaks down John 4:1-42 into five pieces - discomfort (1-6), wonder (7-15), trust (16-25), letting go, (25-30), and witness (31-42) - with each section reflecting on how the woman at the well is a true example of discipleship. Lewis makes useful comparisons to what would be called the typical interpretations, such as the common description the Samaritan woman as "loose" as opposed to simply following the Jewish law of the day of having to be married to different men as each previous husband dies or leaves her.

From the back of the book, "Each chapter begins with scripture and includes questions for reflection, a brief prayer, and space for making notes." As well, each chapter contains Lewis' reflections on the section and encourages the reader to reflect on the story and the renew our perspective.

For sermon writers, it is an excellent tool that can be used to develop a sermon series. for Faith formation instructors, this book would be an excellent resource for a faith development program. And for everyone, reading "Belonging" can help you to gain a new understanding of Christian discipleship.

"Belonging" is a short, easy read and I highly recommend to anyone looking for new ways to read and interpret their scripture. And especially to preachers looking for a new way to talk about an old story.

Speaking Up For Silenced Voices

Photo by imustbedead on pexels.com

This month, I contributed to an article for the Rupert's Land News that "challenges readers to consider 'silent voices,' those persons whose voices are suppressed through means subtle and direct, and consider how we might speak up for all." You can find it on their website by clicking here. I’ve also included the text below:

Silence is a double-edged sword. It can be equally beautiful and comforting, and dangerous and scary.

            There are moments in life where being silent or sitting in quiet can be important. In church liturgy, there are various periods of silence strategically placed throughout a worship service so that a person has time to reflect on what has been said, to meditate and pray, and to open their heart to God.

            Sitting in a silent vigil next to a dying friend’s bed can be quite powerful, for both people. While it may take time to acclimate yourself to simply sitting in silence with another person (plenty of people find silent pauses uncomfortable), allowing for that quiet to permeate the room can bring moments of reflection, meditation, and prayer similar to those found in a worship service.

            Jonathan Bartels, a registered nurse in the US, created the Medical Pause. This event is a moment of silence taken by medical staff and friends and family of the patient immediately after death. This sacred moment of silence “allows individuals to personalize their practice while not imposing onto others and is a means of honouring a person’s last rite of passage.” (https://thepause.me/2015/10/01/about-the-medical-pause/)

            These silent moments are precious, beautiful, and comforting. They break up our busy lives, give us time to hear our own thoughts, and they can reconnect us to God. These golden moments can be tranquil and healing and are sometimes so rare that when they do happen, one needs to take hold of them and cherish them.

            However, silence has a dark side to it, as well. While there are times in our lives when silence is required, an imposed silence has a very different feeling. When a silence is imposed, it means there is a voice that has been silenced. Perhaps someone is making decisions for another person without consulting with them. Perhaps a voice is silenced by passive aggressive comments. More than likely, this imposed silence means that not all voices are being heard. Who is it that we are listening to and who is it we are silencing?

Being unable to tell your story could mean life or death. A person being abused, especially a woman being sexually abused, is often silenced by dismissing comments or outright declarations of denial by others. The abusee’s voice gets lost in the noise generated to protect the abuser.

A transgender person living stealth will be in constant fear that their secret will be discovered. It only takes one slip of the tongue or one tiny rumour to destroy a person’s life and possibly cause death, whether by their own hand or another’s.

These are only two examples of people are being silenced in one way or another. The only thing worse than voices being silenced are the bystanders who remain silent.

Desmond Tutu is attributed with the quote, “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” By silencing your own voice in situations of abuse or intolerance, you are encouraging harassment, bullying, dismissal, and humiliation. So, whose voice is being labelled as more important? And who is it that is being silenced?

We as bystanders need to break the silence and change the course of history. Breaking the silence can change laws and as a result change a person’s life. Maybe even save a life.

It brings to mind Simon and Garfunkel’s song “Sound of Silence”, particularly this verse:

            “And in the naked light, I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never shared

And no one dared

Disturb the sound of silence”

            We have become accustomed to the evil around us, desensitized to the point that we no longer raise our voices against cruelty and injustice. No longer do we dare “disturb the sound of silence.” Instead, it’s become easier to turn the other cheek and allow the voices around us to be silenced. If we ignore a problem, it will simply go away, right?

            Clinical Pastoral Care students are taught that a silent listener is important for voices to be heard. That is what we need to be today – silent listeners. Space needs to be given to all the voices who have been silenced over the years. To do this, we need to shed our indifference and stand beside those who have been silenced, historically and presently.

            We can no longer be bystanders as victims of harassment, abuse, and violence are placated with half-promises and told to keep silent about events that have unfolded. We can longer be indifferent as death tolls rise from murder and suicide. It is long past the time for silent voices to be given the space they need to speak up against cruelty and injustice. It is time for those of us who have a voice, to speak up for those who have been silenced. It could mean the different between life and death.

A Review of the Book "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson

Title: The Haunting of Hill House

Author: Shirley Jackson

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Year: 1959

182 pages

The Haunting of Hill House is a story about four people who are invited to stay at a house that has been known to be the location of psychic phenomenon. The researcher, Dr Montague, has chosen these people particularly  because he feels they have the skills to help him prove that Hill House is indeed haunted.

This book is listed as a horror novel and definitely has scenes that make your imagination run wild. The advantage of an imagination, however, is that your mind has the ability to ton down the imagery. So I would say that this book is relatively tame in its horror compared to other books. That said, I have not seen the Netflix Series so perhaps seeing the story unfold onscreen which bring much more fear that did the book.

However, that isn't to say the book wasn't enjoyable. The story moved along well and it was easy to get into the characters story-lines, wanting to keeping finding out what happens next.

If you are looking to get into the genre of scary books, this is a good one to start with.