Wild Church – July 26 – Finding God in the Quiet

There’s something special that happens when we slow down.

At our latest Wild Church gathering, we explored the theme of Silence and Solitude, inspired by the words of Mark 1:35:

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.”

Before the crowds arrived. Before the day’s demands began. Jesus made space to simply be with his Father.

That was our invitation too.

We began the morning by gathering together and thinking about our Wild Church theme for the year: Drawing Near. Using the Circle of Nearness, we reflected on how easy it is to spend our lives in the outer circle—the place of busyness, hurry, distraction and endless to-do lists.

Each of us took a few moments to think about the things that stop us drawing close to God. We wrote them down, or simply drew a picture of them on a piece of paper.

Then, one by one, we stepped into the inner circle. As we did, we screwed up our piece of paper and threw it into a basket, a simple way of saying, “Lord, I’m leaving this with you.”

Together we spoke the words:

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

It was such a simple act, but one that reminded us that God isn’t the one who has moved away. Often it’s the noise of life that keeps us from noticing that he has been near all along.

From there, Ali invited us into a time of thanksgiving. We wandered around the site, taking our time and looking carefully at creation, asking ourselves what it revealed about God.

As we came back together, our Table of Thanksgiving slowly filled with leaves, bark, flowers and seeds. Each one told a story. An oak leaf spoke of the strength of God, flowers spoke about God’s attention to detail, beauty and creativity and seeds and fruit spoke of God’s provision and abundance.

Listening to one another’s reflections was one of those moments that reminded us how God can speak through the ordinary when we take time to notice.

Lyndon then shared about the importance of silence and solitude in the life of Jesus and why these practices still matter today. His encouragement was simple: if Jesus needed to step away from the noise to spend time with his Father, perhaps we do too.

As he finished speaking, he began to play a piece on the handpan.. We simply sat together in silence, listening, praying and making room for God to speak. Afterwards, we shared the quiet ways in which God had been encouraging us.

Later in the morning, Seren led us through a thoughtful reflection using s’mores. As each part was explained, we were reminded that God often uses the simplest things to teach us about listening and being present. We shared them together before spending another few moments in silence, listening once again for God’s voice and sharing what he had been saying to us.

Looking back, it wasn’t a morning full of big events or lots of activity.

It was something much quieter.

It was a morning of slowing down.

Of noticing.

Of listening.

Of laying down burdens.

Of encouraging one another.

And of discovering again that God is often found not in the rush, but in the quiet places where we intentionally make room for him.

We finished with this blessing, which seemed to capture the heart of the whole morning:

May you leave this place knowing that the God who created the heavens and the earth is nearer than you imagine.

May you discover his presence in the quiet places, his peace in the midst of the noise, and his strength in your weakness.

As you draw near to him each day, may your heart become more aware of his love, your mind more attentive to his voice, and your life more deeply rooted in him.

May the burdens you have entrusted to him become lighter as you learn to rest in his care.

And may your hurried moments become opportunities to pause, your ordinary walks become moments of worship, and your daily rhythms become places where you meet with Christ.

Amen.