Yesterday (September 10, 2023) was another Silent Sunday…partially. We still sang worship to God, had prayer and announcements out loud, but the sermon was silent, guided on screen.
Why do we do Silent Sunday? Over the last ten years we’ve emphasized silence almost one Sunday worship service each year. Our inspiration comes from multiple sources, first and foremost Scripture. All passages below are from the NIV, except where noted. Consider the following:
We start with the wisdom of the Teacher: “There is…a time to be silent and a time to speak.” Ecclesiastes 3:7
But is a worship service a proper time to be silent? It seems many Hebrew writers thought so. Take a look:
- “The LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” Habakkuk 2:20
- “Be silent before me, you islands!” Isaiah 41:1
- “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” Psalm 37:7
- “Be silent before the Sovereign LORD, for the day of the LORD is near.” Zephaniah 1:7
- “Be still before the LORD, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:13
- “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.” Psalm 62:1 (NRSV)
- “There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God.” Psalm 65:1 (NASB)
There’s even one passage with a caution for those who are not silent: “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.’” Isaiah 30:15
Then consider this passage that explains the incredible value of silence: “The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 That one sounds a lot like the theme of a waiting church as discussed in the book When Church Stops Working. See my Substack posts about that starting here.
But those are all Old Testament passages, so are there any New Testament passages? Certainly! Of utmost importance, we look to the example of Jesus.
- “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.” Luke 4:1-2
- “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35
- “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Luke 5:16
- “After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” Matthew 14:23
- “Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple, and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives.” Luke 21:37
Jesus also taught this kind of prayer:
- “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Matthew 6:6
- “Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” Mark 6:31
Did Jesus’ followers do what he did, and what he taught? Take a look at these passages.
- “About noon the following day…Peter went up on the roof to pray.” Acts 10:9
- “But when God…called me by his grace…my immediate response was not to consult any human being. I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went into Arabia.” Galatians 1:15-17
- “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19
I hope those passages give us solid biblical foundation for the value of the spiritual practice of silence, including silence in worship. Throughout Christian history, there are also traditions that emphasized silenced. The practice of Lectio Divina is a Bible study method emphasizing listening prayer. The Examen is an ancient practice of reflecting on the day, asking God to speak. Monasteries for centuries have included regular silence and solitude for prayer and biblical meditation. The Quakers include silence in their worship services. Taizé Prayer also features silence.
We do not enter into silence, however, for silence’s sake. We are silent so we can listen better. In the silence we listen how God might speak to us through Scripture and through his Spirit who lives in us. Especially given our noisy culture, it is rare that we invite silence into our lives. We need it.
You might ask, “Why would you have a silent sermon? Can’t I just do this at home?” Yes, and I think you should on a regular basis. But there is also the reality that you might not. So bringing yourself to worship for a silent Sunday is a way that you will be choosing to spend that time with God. Additionally, you will be silent together with the rest of the church family! That shared experience has the great possibility of amplifying its impact.
Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash
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