Sharing Experiences of Silent Worship

Instructions

Instructions: 

Explain that in this activity, participants will be briefly sharing their responses to queries on a one-to-one basis. The topic is “Being led by the Spirit”: What is involved? How does this feel?

Before setting up the double circles, enter into a period of worship so all can settle and be present to each other.

Ask participants to create double circles – an inner and an outer – by counting off 1,2, 1,2. ”Ones” form the inner circle, facing out, and ”Twos” form the outer circle, facing in. (You may have another way of setting these up.) There will be two concentric circles, with each person directly in front of another person. You may want to provide inner and outer circles of chairs or to have Friends stand and face each other. Consider the abilities and ages of the group:  If your group is composed of middle-school students to young adults, standing may work well. If your group has older adults or anyone with a physical restriction, using chairs may be better. 

Explain that Group 1 members will be asked the first question, and each ”One” will respond directly to the Group 2 person directly opposite.   After this, the “Twos” will be asked a question, and each will respond directly to the Group 1 person directly opposite. Each person will have three minutes to answer. Then a bell will sound; speakers will quickly finish their thought and get ready for the next question.  (To the facilitator: Use your judgment; if people are still actively sharing after three minutes, you may change the time limit to four minutes. Tell participants if you do this.)  Each speaker will seek to share deeply from personal experience; each listener will simply listen attentively, without comment, to what is being shared. After this round, everyone in Group 1 will move clockwise one person and the process will be repeated. We will do this for several rounds, so that each person present can share with several others.

Suggested Queries:

For Group 1:

• Why do you think Meister Eckhart said that, “Nothing in all creation is so like God as silence”?  Does silence fit your image of God?

For Group 2:

• What do you normally do to prepare your soul for a spiritual experience?  Can you see silence as enhancing that?  Or hindering your preparation?

People in Group 1 move clockwise so each person faces someone new.

For Group 1:

• What comes to mind when you think of the word “friend”?  What does being a friend of Jesus mean to you?

For Group 2:

• Have you ever expected to hear God’s voice?  How would you know if you heard it?

People in Group 1 move clockwise so each person faces someone new

For Group 1:

• Which takes a bigger place in your life – silence or noise?  Which of the two do you feel more comfortable with?

For Group 2:

• Have you ever shared silence with someone in need?  What made this feel like the thing to do?

People in Group 1 move clockwise so each person faces someone new

For Group 1:

• Think of your sacred silent space.  What would it look like?  How would you furnish it?

For Group 2:

• How would you know when you were led to break the silence?

Ask that everyone settle back into worship. (You may invite people to return to sitting in a circle or to worship as they are, in the double circles.) After a period of worship, when you sense that the group is settled, offer time for people to express out of the silence, in worship sharing, their response to this activity. You may close by having all stand in a circle, joining hands.