Closer and Closer, Part 4: The Air We Breathe

You and me, we belong together, just like the breath needs the air.  You+Me

John 14:15-21     

Before I came to Huber Heights I was a campus minister at a state university in Pennsylvania. One of the things I would do with college students was to visit different churches on Sunday mornings, to have different kinds of worship experiences.  We just called it church field-tripping. It was always a good experience. It always opened our eyes.

One Sunday we went to the local Quaker church. Actually, they call it a meeting house.  This one has been there a long time – since 1795.  It is a very small, simple, old building with plain wooden pews.  In the front of the room there’s no pulpit because most Quakers don’t have preachers.  They are known for worshiping in silence and waiting on the Holy Spirit to speak to them. When someone feels inspired by the Spirit to share something, he or she will simply stand up and say what is on their heart and mind.

There were a couple of long benches in the front of the room that faced the pews, sort of like a choir loft, I guess.  We were invited to sit there so that we could watch things as they unfolded, so we did. The worship hour began and there was a long period of silence.

Then, someone stood and spoke briefly. Shortly after, another person stood and said something. It was all very calm and mostly quiet. From my seat in front, I found myself most interested in a family sitting toward the back. A father and mother with three young children. The children sat, leaning against mom and dad, all quiet and serene.  And I thought it was amazing.

After the worship ended I made a remark to the mother about how impressed I was that her children were able to sit so calmly and quietly during the hour. She told me the whole family really treasured this time together – to be able to sit with one another, to hold one another. During the rest of the week, they led busy, active lives just like every other family we knew. But for this one hour of the week, they really valued the quiet.

So, I guess that’s something the Quakers have going on. They are offering us something that we need – quiet. But most of us probably don’t even realize we need it, because we are so used to its absence. It’s not easy to find quiet in our world.  Even in our homes when we are sleeping, our appliances are still humming away. Even when we are not talking to one another, our TV’s and phones, and computers are making noise, talking to us. But without the quiet we are missing something we need.

This year we started something at Faith Preschool called children’s chapel. I learned about children’s chapel from Reverend Jackie Nowak, who developed it at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Xenia, Ohio, where it is still practiced weekly. Observing their practice, I became aware of the ability of children as young as three years old to participate fully in the spiritual life of the church.

Once a month the children and the teachers walk in straight lines from their classrooms to the sanctuary. When they arrive at the door, I remind them that in this place we move more slowly and we talk more softly; that in this place we are meeting God.

We sit in a circle and the first thing we do is to quiet and center ourselves with a couple of deep breaths.

Then we greet one another with the ancient words of the church –

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

We light a candle to remind ourselves that God is here and God is the light of the world.

And then we do the most amazing thing – we share our joys and concerns. Because we all care about one another and all the good and bad things that are going on in our lives. Here is something very important for us to know: The children understand that life holds both joys and sadnesses. It is the adults who think we can, somehow, prevent any sadness from impacting their lives.

But after we have all shared our joys and concerns we know it is not enough, just to share with one another. We share all these things with God, who is with us, loves us, and cares for all the little and big things in our lives.

Finally, and I think probably the favorite part, we bless one another. We remind one another before we leave this place that God made us, God loves us, and God is always with us. We have heard from some parents that their children are taking this practice home with them.

When we come together in this place, we draw close to one another, we draw close to God.

When we come together in this place we breathe deeply, knowing that with each breath we are filled with God’s Spirit. That it is like Jesus said, “I am in the Father, and you are in me and I am in you.” That God is as near to us as our breath.