The Quiet Place
‘The Quiet Place’ though was the overall title of the exhibition. Not surprisingly through her art Leanne is perhaps wrestling to that end and provided opportunity for those who cared in passing to discover for themselves.
The past week I have had occasion to be challenged to begin thinking about a ‘quiet place’ a place to stand, so to speak, with Christ. (The Maori word is Turangawaewae)
As I walk about and discover more about where we have arrived our sense of place is getting stronger… we no longer drive past the same house having taken a round trip by mistake. More seriously though the need to find the quiet place is important and I’m getting there with that. Don’t misunderstand I don’t mean it purely in the sense that it’s that get away from it all ‘escapism’. (My friend Craig Williams has written some reflections from his Sabbatical recently that may add to this for you, if you care to - Lewis and Spiritual Awareness http://tabletalk.typepad.com)
Some people are down shifting from the ‘rat race’ to the ‘mouse race’. As Christians we need to find again, recover the quiet means God has given us in Sabbath as a means to sustain ourselves in the world and enjoy it! Furthermore, to discover in the midst the quiet place where it may mean some solitude, but also the sort of quiet place that actually drives us out into the world as witness, martyrs, missionaries who will put our life in the line as much as our words. Some of the places that strike me as ‘quiet places’ just for me to go and at times for others to share in are the beaches around here, the botanic gardens. But I also had coffee in yet another new coffee place with someone. It too a place that would allow for some conversation with others, as it’s ambience connected for me as a quiet place.
We’ve been in huge transition lately. But my life in recent years has been overhauled anyway and I’ve been discovering and trying to learn more about what it means to take seriously Matthew 10 ‘You are the equipment’ (Peterson trans.) in/for ministry. In the past few months we’ve worked really intensely on the Highgate Mission. This past week both congregations were unanimous in pursuing our mission task. So we will become one parish by the New Year and we give thanks for this mandate and vision to begin taking some risks with God.
No doubt there is expectation to perform, to act and get going. It’s a real temptation and yet as we wrestle that one, I know I struggle personally to find the quiet place that allows me (and others) to discover God’s purposes and directions and ‘stay tuned’ to the Spirit. However, this doesn’t just mean sitting back and doing nothing, I actually think that a vital part of mission is the need to BE the quiet place for people today, rather than understand mission as a frantic busy DOING/ACTING all the time. So thank you Leanne for art that help gather some reflections from the past wee while.
How can the church be the quiet place in mission?
