Month: November 2009

It’s one of those verses that if you’re reading online through some sort of “internet bible“, you desperately want to click the “read in context” link above it. Luke 14:33, “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. “

So there you have it. The word for “give” here doesn’t emphasize so much the action of giving, as it does the letting go of. The “renounce, or bid farewell to”.

What is it that you have a hard time “bidding farewell to”? The word for “possessions” here can also be translated as “substance”. What part of our identities would be the hardest for us to hold before God, palms up? What desires/motivations are we moved by in our daily lives that we would have a tough time letting go of?

I think marriage and family are great practices in this area, but also complicate the whole thing. In a marriage relationship, we (in theory, not always in practice) are giving up ourselves for the other. We desire to put the other before ourselves, and love them as Christ loved the Church. Each day offers new opportunities (whether we take them or not….I should more often I know) for us to let go of ourselves, for the sake of the other. Then come children. We parents would sacrifice anything for our children. To provide for them. To protect them as we see fit. Even as they are newborn, we begin the practice of letting go of ourselves (and our sleep) in order to give ourselves to them.

But this also complicates things. Our spouses, and our children….in Luke 14:26 Jesus speaks about these challenges to being a disciple. To make decisions towards Christ that may offend my family…my wife…my children…would be a bit harder to do than just anyone. To hold these relationships, palms up, before God on a daily basis….trusting His love for them is beyond anything I can bring to the table. Difficult…but at the same time, freeing.

I can see why monks vow to a life of celibacy. Any new familial relationship is another relationship to offer God on a daily basis…and can be very tempting to hold onto tightly as a possession.

May we practice Holy abandon of our possessions, relationships, and even our own “substance”…even as we move towards a week of Thanking God for these things…

The original cynics in the ancient Greek world were against the materialistic society. They advocated the pursuit of virtue via a simple way of living. Ironic then, that I would be cynical when approaching “Into Great Silence“. But I was.

We live in a world where we are being sold something constantly. So even when a movie experience that is advertised to transcend such aspects of culture, it can seem like another sales pitch. This movie has been recommended in several places of my life over the past year, so finally I caved and got it. Over 2.5 hours of experiencing the ancient monastic order of the Grande Chartreuse. That the film maker intended this be more than a movie about a monastery, but the film actually offers space and time of Holy silence…an experience of God.

Of course, if I’m expecting all of these things, and moving into it as if God “has” to respond…it won’t happen, right?

As the movie begins, the opening production credits are bold and noisy. The dryer in our basement is on overhaul. A train is passing by outside, and decides it’s a great time to announce its’ presence by whistling. I whisper a quick prayer, “Lord, make this more than watching a movie so I can say I finally watched it. Let me sit with you.”

The dryer stops. The whistle fades. The film illustrates 1 Kings 19:11-13. It was a goosebump moment for sure. But not in a “I’m watching a scary movie.”, or even in a “rush of a giant worship concert”. Simply, “God is here.”

Even in the midst of guiding our teens into “Downtime” lately….I may have overlooked simple silence. I enjoyed it, to say the least….

Decided something today in a conversation on fasting….I wasn’t ever going to get a chance to watch “Into Great Silence” unless I fasted sleep. I’ve owned it for a few weeks now. So far I’d only been able to watch all of the “extra features”, which included the evening services in Latin….a pretty neat thing in and of itself. But it’s not a movie I could “fit neatly” into any daytime rest period…whether at work or with the girls.

So here I am, 1am. Having spent nearly 3 hours being taken through daily routines of one of the worlds’ oldest monasteries, nearly untouched by time. I stayed awake by typing random thoughts/notes while journeying through the monastic experience. I definitely recommend it. And recommend fasting sleep in order to create time and space to take it in properly.

I have many thoughts, and some of them will probably come as I continue to process all that the film contained, and all that God spoke while watching. For now I’m simply still in awe, and grateful to have shared this experience. Those involved in creating the film really did achieve their goal “to embody a monastery, rather than simply depict one.”

To share in liturgy that has been taking place for over 1,000 years. To see the purposefully simple way of life….to be jealous of much of their simplicity. To have quiet spaces built into the film, allowing for reflection and meditation on the Word, and God’s Spirit. To be reminded of that moment in 1 Kings 19, where God passed by Elijah. It was not in the wind, earthquake, or even the fire, but in the sheer silence.