The song you just heard is one of my favorite songs right
now. Many of you will recognize that it is a cover of a
Simon and Garfunkel song, the Sounds of Silence. It is
done by a band that kind of surprised me when I first
heard it. It is a band that is best classified as heavy metal.
I do enjoy some of their music but I must admit when I
listen to it on Pandora sometimes a parental advisory
warning comes on telling me there is going to be bad
language in the song. When my son first told me about
this I was really curious to hear how this band, that is loud
and sometimes screaming remade, this quiet, peaceful
song. I think the best description I have heard came from
a friend who said that perhaps this is how the song should
have been done in the first place.
I guess when I heard this version, I really listened to it for
the first time, and really paid attention to the message the
song carries. I was struck with how it is so applicable to
the message we are charged to carry to the world today.
We are in the midst of the worst presidential race at least
in my life time. I am not going to give you my opinions on
which candidate you should vote for. I am just going to say
that you should research your candidate and vote for them
based on knowledge, not just on race, gender or party.
Then, go out and vote.
It has been really hard for me to pick a candidate that
really stands out as a good candidate for the most
powerful position in the World. It seems that rather than
actually discuss the issues we are facing today they just
want to say how bad the other person is and when they
bring up a topic it is so out of context that it doesn’t give
you any clue as to where they really stand. This being
said, lets look back at the song and see what it says.
“And the people bowed and prayed to the neon gods they
made, and the sign flashed out its warning and the words
that it was forming. And the sign said the words of the
prophets are written on the subway walls and tenement
halls. And whispered in the sounds of silence,”
When we look at the candidates running for office, I mean
are these really the best America has to offer? I doubt that.
But the supporters of each of our candidates are so in awe
of them and really and truly believe that they are going to
be the saving grace for our country. “And the people
bowed and prayed to the neon Gods they made.” Where
does that leave us as the people of God? It means that we
must not be silent. We must be the voice of reason in this
crazy world. We have not only a really bizarre race going
on but we have a serious problem with violence right now.
We need to focus on the root causes of this spate of
violence. We are ignoring the hunger and poverty and it
seems that we are seeing a whole generation of people
that are being raised with no respect for authority and that
are not willing to accept responsibility for their own
actions. Of course we have many that do and I am more in
awe of the young people that are responsible, but it may
just be the majority of what we see in the news are really
the minority, just the ones that make the most noise.
Because we are here, because we have felt the tug of
God on our lives, we are called to carry the good news of
Jesus Christ out into the world for all to hear. If we remain
silent then, Edmund Burke, or Charles Frederick Aked, Or
JFK, are credited with saying,
“For evil men to accomplish their purpose it is only
necessary that good men should do nothing.”
“Fools said I, you do not know, Silence like a cancer
grows.”
It is more necessary that we turn our attention to what is
going on outside our walls, in our community and in the
world than ever before. Jesus has called us to be his and
in doing so He is telling us that we must be heard.
Unfortunately we have others out there that have created
an atmosphere such that it makes it hard for us to speak
without being ridiculed and ignored.
Peter starts off telling us, reminding us, reinforcing the
news that God made Jesus to be both Lord and Savior.
These words struck home to those that were listening.
“And in the naked light I saw, ten thousand people maybe
more, People talking without speaking, people hearing
without listening, people writing songs that voices never
share, and no one dared, disturb the sounds of silence.”
It is time to take a stand and to make our voices heard,
heard in such a way that the people will not just hear what
we say but will listen to it as well.
I mentioned last week that our lives are the sermon we
give. Each and every one of us that is here today is here
because God first loved us, because he called out to us in
the sounds of silence and told us that we are his. He told
us that he loved us. This is not just for this church but this
message is for everyone.
The people listening to Peter asked him, what should we
do? And I am asking you the same. Ask God in prayer
what He would have you to do. Ask him how he would
have you to be his messenger. Ask him to move within
your heart that you can help to get his message out to all.
“Hear my words that I might teach you, Take my arms that
I might reach you,”
We have lots of opportunities to reach out. First I really
and truly believe we must reach with in us and decide just
where we do stand. Peter says that we should turn to God,
repent of our sins and be baptized. When we do this we
will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. How that will
manifest itself I don’t know. Perhaps it will give you the
opportunity and courage to voice your opinion at a time or
place where you might normally remain silent. Perhaps it
will give you the desire to do something at church that may
surprise you. We need some office help here. Just
someone to come in for a couple of hours a day or two a
week and answer the phone and return some calls.
What can we do to reach out to the youth in our area? I
still think an open gym time would be cool. Just need
some help in overseeing.
Would it be possible for us to host a Celebrate recovery
program? or a AA group, or ala-teen,or perhaps some way
to help out the vets in the area. Are there other support
groups we could form? Would it be cool if we could do a
Mother’s day out program once a month to give young
parents a date night? How is God speaking to you? I
guess that is the important point for us to come to grips
with today.
If we are doing nothing, then evil is going to win.
I am not going to sit idly by and do nothing. In the song
they touched, echoed, whispered, and remained, in the
sounds of silence. I think it is time that we stand and make
our voice heard. I want for us to be a voice shouting in the
sounds of silence.
I have heard people say that if we closed our doors today
would we be missed? I have served other churches that
honestly would not have been missed by anyone outside
of the regular attendees. I know that is not the case here. I
am so excited that we are a voice in our community. We
do play an important role in the lives of over 200 youth and
children each week. How cool is that! Is it enough? Should
we spend some time focusing on how we can do what we
do better? I know we need to spend some time making our
building better. Not all of those needs will involve lots of
money. We need to redo the floors in the gym. We need to
add some storage to the gym, I have some ideas about
that. We have a really good start on the grounds, but we
can do better. We need to redo the placement of the
railroad ties around the play set, and we need to put
special mulch in it, at least 4-6" deep.
We have lots to do this year. We have lot of opportunities
to have our voice heard. And this is as it should be. If our
voice remains silent how then can we complain when
people turn their backs on our Lord and Savior?
Perhaps the song needs another verse. We have heard
the sounds of silence touched, we have heard it not
disturbed. We have heard echoes and whispers and
remained within the sounds of Silence.
If in silence we remain, then there is no one else to
blame. We need to join and lift our cry, so that our
message will not die, lift your voice and let it rise on
high and split the sky, until we shatter the sounds of
silence.
Let us pray.
Loving God, you have given so much to us and you ask so
little. Help us to lift our voice and carry your message of
love to all that would hear and listen. Give us the words so
say so that we might teach and help us to extend our arms
so that we might reach all those that we can. Help us to
shatter the sounds of silence. Amen