There is a day, created by a musician, called No Music Day. It is on 21st November, the eve of St Cecilias Day, the patron Saint of music and the idea is to, well, have a day of no music. A Guardian Columnist who observed the day this year wrote
"What is it about silence that scares us? Why do so many people only feel able to face the world clad in tinny iPod armour? Why put our feet at the mercy of others' rhythms, and pay so little heed to our own? We've been making music for millennia, but we've only been able to store it and broadcast it for a tiny fraction of that time. The excitement of attending a Haydn premiere in London in the 1790s, certain that this sound had never before entered a human ear, can now hardly be imagined. With our MP3 players and our silent discos, we are masters and mistresses of music as never before; perhaps, the inventor of No Music Day seems to be saying, we are getting a bit blasé."

In this paragraph he portrays the major themes of No Music Day and makes two beautiful points;

Silence shouldn't be scary
and
Sound should be special.

We, probably can't take a whole day, but how about taking a little time to be quiet. Plug your ears with your fingers or earplugs/ some loo roll (it works fine.) Use this silence fast to recapture the wonder of sound and to set your pace to Gods rhythm...

"How silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given!
So God imparts to human hearts
The blessings of His heaven.
No ear may hear His coming;
But in this world of sin,
Where meek souls will receive Him,still
The dear Christ enters in."

We are at a time of year when every spare second is filled with jingles, everyone, everywhere wanting our money... so much of the surrounding sound is trying to sell us something.

Hard Fi, a popular English indie band, say in their Television lyrics:

If I only had...
Television
New religion
Let everyone sing
Hallelujah
Politicians
Don't wanna listen
They only wanna make
money out of you
Hallelujah!!

Through the shop window, it's a wide screen world
But I can't afford a thing, and I never get the girl

It ain't easy

No it ain't easy...
You know we always want something
But somehow we end up with nothing
Nothing.

Thankfully they have cracked the myth (as I'm sure you have too) - this consumerist noise leaves Everyone Empty.

Hold a protest in your heart. Everytime you hear a jingle pull Hebrews 13.5 out in your mind: "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."

Give a gift of sound...

Today- speak a word of encouragement, play someone a tune from your ipod, pay a sincere compliment, read someone a poem...

At Christmas- instead of giving a yoyo, strum someone a song on your guitar, give a Small Speech of Admiration, compose a story...

For Life- God, may the tune on my lips bring your grace, may the rhythms of my actions reflect your love, let me be a sweet, sweet sound to your ears...

In this wonderful short clip of French film, Amelie, we have a perfect example of the powerful dynamics of sound.
Jesus brings sense to noise, clarity to clatter. As people welcomed to work alongside Jesus we have an amazing privilege to bring illumination and meaning to the world around us.
God -help my noises to make someones day today!

When ever I think of an angel visiting a shepherd or Mary the Hallelujah Chorus is always the sound track - accompanied by a few fireworks whizzing and popping in the background.
Messages from God must have an extravagant sound, surely?
What does God sound like to you…
A whisper...
A train...
A breeze...
A thunderstorm...
A harp...
An entire orchestra...
A bird song

. . . . . . . . . . ?

The sound of God could be anything, but this we know- the message is extravagant. It is a serenade of one word -Jesus; Emmanuel, God with us.

This Sunday we light our first symbolic sparkler and remember the meaning of Advent (the visit of Jesus).
We wait and we marinate in:
The remembrance of Israel’s yearning for the coming Messiah, to save, forgive and restore them.
Our hope for the second coming of Jesus where everything will be restored.
The realisation of our own need for Gods grace, through Jesus.

God, stir in our hearts excitement about the visit of your Son.

Give us patience to wait.

Help us to know you through all of our senses.

"Waiting patiently in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life." Simon Weil

“Whhhhy are we waaaaiting? We are suffocaaaating!” It’s a little dark, morbid even, when typed but when heard it’s a sing song chant, one I tunelessly squawked in every patience requiring moment of my childhood- do you recognise it?
I have a little ball of impatience tucked away in my tummy even now, that sometimes grows as I wait in queues, in jams, for someone, for something. I don’t yell annoying songs any more but tap my toe, bite my nails, roll my eyes- I huff and I puff.
We are all about this moment, right here, right now, instant gratification- even McDonalds the creator of fast food has an express lane now! And I am sucked in to believing that waiting is wasting.
Well this year, I’m going to choose to wait- a subversive, anarchic response to this culture that begs me to click my fingers and get my needs met.
I’m not going to wait like I wait for my computer to boot up, a passive observer of the flickering lights. I’m going to wait like a back aching pregnant mother- gently but actively getting ready for the burst of new life soon to come.

I wait to try to understand how the old-skool Israelites felt waiting for The Messiah for years. And years. And years. Donkeys years.
I wait to try and remember how I felt when I was first Captivated by Jesus- when I sensed my need for Him like I sensed hunger for food.
I wait to try and re-notice the ginormous, yawning, groaning need for Jesus on earth in the lives of people, the structures of society, the relationships…
I wait to try and re-gather the excitement of working hand in hand with the Jesus, for there is just simply no need to be slogging away on the injustice of earth without Him.

Ripen me God, like a rock hard, sour kiwi fruit sitting in a bowl.

Marinate me God, make my mind tender like a steak in a sweet concoction.