Silence, Speaking, Listening and Seeing
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent (Isaiah 62:1)
The opening words of the Old Testament lectionary reading from the prophet Isaiah include a declaration of a refusal to remain silent. Sunday, January 19, is Human Relations Day —the first of six special Sundays in the year in which an offering is received from the congregation to support the ongoing work of the denomination. Monday, January 20, is a federal holiday honoring the life of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King is remembered for his refusal to remain silent when witnessing injustice. The capacity and the courage to speak up when others are being mistreated seem to be a rare combination of characteristics. How often do we choose to remain silent when others would benefit from the words we could speak?
When I was in high school, I was increasingly influenced by three questions before I spoke: (1) so what?; (2) who cares?; and (3) now that you’ve spoken, does it make you feel any better? These questions resulted from my feeling that too many people were talking incessantly without any particular purpose. It seemed that people were talking “just to hear themselves talk” and/or they were simply saying the things other people wanted to hear. Even when expressing frustrations, the purpose of the words did not seem to be change, improvement or resolution. The words were simply vacuous—mindless chatter.
Michael Angelo Caruso, a noted communication consultant, said that his father would often say ‘I rarely learn anything when I am speaking.’ His father’s words emphasize the importance of listening. Caruso also discusses the concept of the reverse presentation in which speakers are encouraged to listen closely to the reactions and the questions of the audience to engage them effectively and to learn how well the audience has understood the presentation. In some cases, the silence of the audience indicates misunderstanding or disinterest. Most speakers hope to impact the thoughts, feelings and actions of the audience.
When have you felt compelled to speak on behalf of someone else? When have you been harmed by the silence of others; when have words of acknowledgment or affirmation meant the most to you? In his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” Dr. King said ‘In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’ We pray that during this holiday weekend, people will not engage in hours of leisurely pursuits, but will ponder instead the missed opportunities when their courage to speak and their refusal to be silent will result in the peace and justice that Jesus desires for us all.
We are looking forward to seeing you in class, in worship and at the special MLK service sponsored by the Quad Cities United Methodist Pastors Sunday, January 19, at 3:00 at Bethel-Wesley UMC.
In Christ,
Jon McCoy
