God? Is that you God?

 

1 God is our refuge and strength,
    a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
    though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea,

though its waters roar and foam,
    though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy habitation of the Most High.

God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
    God will help it when the morning dawns.

The nations are in an uproar; the kingdoms totter;
    he utters his voice; the earth melts.
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah

 Come, behold the works of the Lord;
    see what desolations he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
    he burns the shields with fire.

“Be still, and know that I am God!
    I am exalted among the nations;
    I am exalted in the earth.”
 The Lord of hosts is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our refuge.

                                                      Psalm 46 NRSVue

We've noticed that our cell phone usage is down considerably since we left for British Columbia mid-June. Part of that was greater caution about data usage away from our home wifi but it has also been the settings in which we found ourselves during these past six weeks. We spent a week on the islands called Haida Gwaii off BCs northwest coast and we were entranced by the beauty and solitude. Since our return we've enjoyed camping junkets in Silent Lake Provincial Park near Bancroft and Depot Lakes Conservation Area north of Kingston. 

he latter was this past week and we paddled to our campsite. It seemed as though we were the only people camping on the lake and other than a few passing fisherfolk we were able to soak in the quiet. I turned my phone off and only occasionally checked to see if the "real world" of chaos and mayhem still existed. It was wonderful to wake up to birdsong and the wind in the pines. 

There is a ministry called "Cathedral of the Trees" which includes the United Church summer ministry in Algonquin Park. There is an invitation to be attentive to the sights and sounds of Creation, the natural world. We were involved for several summers but we found that the campground where the ministry trailer was situated was incredibly noisy and everyone seemed to have their noses in their phones. We found ways to escape the madding crowd but it was just too much work to do so and we ended our involvement, sad to say. 

The sign above is supposedly a translation of a notice in a French church which includes a touch of humour. It's a reminder that the chatter of our lives isn't always audible. We've found it is a blessing to be less connected -- connected to what, we have to ask? -- and wonder how we address the insidious slavish addiction to our devices. We might shrug that our phones are time thieves, but aren't we the ones perpetrating the heist? 

Some of us will remember when it was the expectation that as we entered our church sanctuaries before Sunday worship that we would spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation. God help those who didn't comply, even children. This practice was deemed too unfriendly but maybe it's what we all need as a spiritual discipline.  

This is the Christian Sabbath and it may be that we all need those sabbath times, the pools of connection to the Creator that make life worth living. We don't need to escape to the edge of the world or into the woods to listen for God. If we're attentive the reception might be much better than we could imagine.