Wednesday 20 June 2012

Dot Dot Dot

On Monday, Bob and I went to the Conference For Newly Accredited Ministers. Not that we are NAMs – but we go every year, to promote the benefits of joining the Ministers’ Fellowship and encourage the NAMs to get their spouses to join Connexion. Our friend Paul Goodliff led the worship, and used some responsive prayers, and also asked us to read the Psalm aloud.

connexion

Two things that I noticed during the worship.

First that one of the prayers included ellipses, that is

Second, the Psalm included the word Selah

Paul read the first part of the prayer beautifully, and I noticed that he was careful to pause when he came to each ellipsis [definition “a mark (as …) indicating an omission or a pause”]

scalesThe group reading the Psalm seemed less certain about Selah – I think some were unsure what it meant.[What do they teach them in theological colleges these days?] One definition I like is “pause to carefully weigh the meaning of what we have just read or heard, lifting up our hearts in praise to God for His great truths.”

As I have pondered on the service, I have thought how important it is to pause, and think about things. It is too easy to rush on sometimes, and not really absorb what is being said.

In Morse code, stands for the letter S.

S for “Selah”

S for “Slow down a minute”

S for “Stop and Think about it”

So that’s what I am trying to do…

5 comments:

  1. Thought provoking. I am at the stage at the moment where I am taking time out to just stop and think and ponder and lose some of the busyness of life. Cx

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  2. I find most of our congregation rush through the reading of the Psalm on Sundays. They cannot be taking it in...just reading it aloud.
    Jane x

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  3. Wise words . I'm a rush into things person

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  4. Much better than dash, dash, dash!
    Love from Mum
    xx

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  5. I must admit to not knowing what either of those meant. But when you read the word of the lord I find you quite naturally pause in order to take in what has just been told, or perhaps thats just me.

    I agree that life is one big rush and that people just need to to stop and assess once and a while.

    X x

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