Hospitality of Silence

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.

Psalm 62: 1-2

"Distracted from distraction by distraction" wisely sums up the human desire to flee from the pain of daily life. This comes from “Burnt Norton,” a poem in T.S. Eliot's masterwork, Four Quartets. While written in 1936, his words still capture the escapism we feel as a result of mundanity. 

Today, we reach for our phones to numb from the bottomless pit called email. We think about the unfinished tasks left at work while speaking with our loved ones around the dinner table. We continue to set goals—a new house, losing five pounds, or a dream vacation—only to be left wanting more.

Eliot’s poetry accents modernity’s drum beat of production and progress. Our endless craving for dopamine hits. Yet our striving is just a hamster wheel. Moving forward, we only find ourselves falling behind.

We’ve tried to fix our attention span. From Ted Talks to New York Times articles, to books, we’re proactive, seeking guidance on how to be focused, present and fully alive in our life and work. But removing distraction and replacing it with another distraction, we have not solved the root of our problem. We long for a sense of real life, where we are fully alive and human, not just optimized for peak performance. 

As Christians, on Sundays, we break this rhythm with worship. We pause our progress, turning our attention to God. We look to Jesus, who teaches us what it means to be a real, fully alive human, with right relationships with God, neighbors, and ourselves. 

So, before we begin our Sunday gathering, Apostles takes a moment to offer the Hospitality of Silence. This is a moment of transition from the chaos of the week or morning. Also, it is also a kindness to God, acknowledging His steadfast presence in our lives. Silence is a deeply Christian way of combatting the human instinct to numb and escape the mundanity of daily life through distraction.

Becoming comfortable with silence, we can become more like the Psalmist—who knows when all else ceases, and the world goes quiet, God is present. In the silence, we find ourselves before God, present to the reality of our lives. Amidst the noise and chaos of modern distractions, silence is a tool that allows us to become rooted, anchored, and grounded in His steadfast love, care, and presence. 

So when we turn back to our daily work, we are more aware of God, who is the heartbeat of creation. We do not need to be, in Eliot’s words,  “distracted from distraction by distraction.” Rather, silence allows us to be present to the life God has gifted us to live.

Nicole Kallsen, Curate

Introduction to the Eucharist

But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. 

Romans 8:10-12 ESV

Over the past five weeks, I explored the importance of prayer in the Anglican tradition. Particularly, I looked at the Daily Office (set hour prayer) and how each hour of prayer reveals something about our life with God and neighbor. Today, the Daily Office is generally used as a personal devotional to help individuals learn to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5:17). While praying the Offices can be used by individuals, in the history of the Church, prayer has been a corporate practice. 

Corporate comes from the Latin word corpus—meaning body. Joining together in prayer and worship, individual Christians are united into Christ’s body—the Church. Today, we are reminded of our corporate existence through Sunday worship. During this weekly gathering as a church body, Apostles celebrates the Eucharist. We are not only knit back into the body of Christ through our fellowship, but we receive the real presence of Christ through the Lord’s Supper. 

Christ is alive in us—both in fellowship and in Sacrament—so we might live with hope. We celebrate the Lord’s Day with the sure hope of the Resurrection. We gather around the Lord’s Table to feast, knowing that we look forward to the hope that God’s Kingdom might reign, on earth as it is in heaven. We leave, knowing that the burdens we brought before the Lord throughout the week in prayer are met with the assurance of life. 

So, to explore the riches of Sunday worship, from now until Easter 2027, I will break down the different parts of corporate worship at Apostles. Each aspect is steeped in meaning, found in Scripture and tradition. Also, I will note the particularities that are unique to Apostles. We are both part of the Church outside of time, but also rooted in our modern culture and context. 

I pray that you can find solace that on Sundays, your prayers are gathered in Christ’s body, the communion of saints. And gathering together, we’re all brought back to the table. Centered around the table, we are brought back to the Last Supper, where Christ gave Himself for us. Receiving Christ as your life, you may go back into your vocation in the world, assured of the promise of heaven.

Nicole Kallsen, Curate