As he struggled with his destiny, Christ went into the wilderness where he could wrestle with his demons, and his faith and obligations, in the quiet of nature. The Ecclesiastes portion we read this morning talked about the power of wisdom over strength and the need for wisdom to be understood in quiet. St. Paul also had his advice about the benefits of quietude. Study to be quiet. What good advice.
Literature is filled with praise of the power of quiet times.
Shakespeare weighed in, arguing that the vigor of argument and loudness of voice is no substitute for truth, which can be uttered in the quietest of voices. And that leads me to the literary comment that seemed most relevant as I sat in that church in the Eastern Townships, enjoying the moments of quiet between the spoken rituals. In 1841, the great American writer and romantic Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about attending a country church. That says it best. For those of us who find the world too noisy a place, that sounds like a description of a rich man.