Isaiah 35:4-7a
James 1:17-27
Mark 7:31-37
Psalm 146
I work in a foundry in St. Cloud. A foundry is a place where we take pieces of old, used scrap metal, melt it down and make something new and useful out of it. We make mostly parts for the automobile and agricultural industries. As you may well imagine, this is a very dangerous noisy place to in which to work. There are many safety rules in place to protect us from harm. One of the most important safety rules we follow is the use of hearing protection. Overexposure to the levels of noise we experience in the foundry would most definitely cause hearing loss in a very short period of time. To protect ourselves from these dangerous levels of noise, we use a number of different kinds of hearing protection. Large earmuffs and a various assortment of brightly colored foam ear plugs which you roll up in a tight little cylinder and insert into your ear. This expands to form a tight fit and block out the majority of the loud noises. Designed to block out the loud, harmful noises, they also do a pretty good job of reducing your ability to hear what people are saying to you. As a department manager, I spend a lot of time in communication with my supervisors and fellow workers on the floor where it is loud. It is really important to listen closely to hear what is being said to respond accordingly. It’s actually quite humorous to watch. I try to read lips, nodding my head in agreement and pick out a few words hear and there to try to figure out what was being said. Sometimes the expressions of confusion on their faces tells me that I’m missing the point entirely. At times, I even have to put my ear up close to their mouths to hear the words. And you talk real loud. I once gave one of the guys the following day off because I didn’t hear what was actually being said. a day off and didn’t realize it. Misunderstood what he said. What I usually end up doing is taking those darn things out of my ears so I can hear what he’s trying to say to me. There is a risk in exposing myself to the loud noise over time but sometimes it’s necessary to listen and actually hear what’s being said so I can respond in a competent manner.
I have the same problem at home sometimes. I’ll get involved in a TV show or a book and miss what my wife is saying to me. "I’m talking to you" she’ll say. or "You’re not listening to me". Yes I am. I heard every word you said. If I don’t pay attention, I could give her a day off too and not realize it. The problem is that even though I heard the words’ I really wasn’t listening to what she was saying. My mother used to say "Randy Arthur Welsand open up your ears." I’ve found that it takes a conscious effort to really listen to what’s being said to respond accordingly. I’m sure we all have those times where we’re hearing words but not listening to meanings for one reason or another. Jesus healed a deaf man. We know virtually nothing about this man except that he probably was a pagan, not a Jew. Once again Jesus freely gave of Himself to heal another. And this man heard what Jesus was saying to him. The irony, his own disciples didn’t listen. They didn’t get it . They heard but didn’t listen to the message. God speaks to each one of us all the time. He speaks to us in the words we hear in Church every Sunday. Hear the words our lord Jesus Christ said, it is more blessed to give than to receive, Love the Lord your God with all of you heart, all of your mind, all of your strength. And now Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do. He speaks to us all the time, we hear the words, do we listen? Do we really listen?. He speaks to us in the words of the Bible. He speaks to us is the words of our loved ones, our children and in the words of those we don’t really get along with or like. His voice can be heard in the soft whisperings of the wind , the deafening roar of the hurricane. He is there speaking to us in the noisy hub bub of our daily lives and in the quiet solitude of prayer. Do we really listen. We have what my mom used to call selective hearing. We hear what we want to hear. I think at times we are wearing "Spiritual ear plugs" We tend to filter out the stuff that we really didn’t want to hear. The things that we are called to do that aren’t easy to do. Sometimes our understanding of what God is actually saying to each of us is somewhat impaired by these "Spiritual Ear Plugs" we put in. Just as my wife says, I think God looks at us and says "You’re not listening to me" too. The good news is that He says it with a loving smile and says it again and again and again. We need to remove these things that impair our hearing and listen with our hearts to that strong clear voice that keeps coming through the nosiness of our lives with the words that keep coming through time and again to each one of us. I LOVE YOU MY CHILD!
Hearing finds expression in doing. So let us go out into the world listening to what GOD is saying to us and do what we are called to do.