Sound and the Silence

Tonight was a good young adult ministry activity.  It drove home the idea that sometimes you need to take the simple route, in ministry and in your own faith life.  Our group wanted an Advent reflection.  I went in armed with my iPod, Bible, a sheet with reflections, and all the purple candles in the youth room.  What happened was a simple night of reflecting on two very different pieces of music, Breath of Heaven (Amy Grant) and O Come, O Come Emmanuel (Instrumental version) with the lyrics on a sheet of paper.  With some time to reflect on their own thoughts and some prompts provided a quiet discussion began.  The discussion continued into the next segment.  With passages from Matthew and Luke's infancy narratives, twenty minutes of individual reflection, and gentle music, the group again returned with wonderful thoughts.

Much is said on the importance of ensuring quiet, reflection, meditation...but I forcefully saw tonight that it is necessary to be deliberate in scheduling and formatting it.

Well, tomorrow I have a regional CYM meeting.  We're going to talk about technology and my peers asked me to do a bit of a presentation.  We are also going to talk through NCCYM.  With how busy I was today, I didn't get much of a chance to organize my thoughts or the papers I came home with.  I hope to do so by the end of the week, though I fear it will be next week when things start to slow down a bit more.