After a week of “moments of silence”, I find that I’ve tired of them.  Christians were never expected to be silent in the face of God.  Moments of silence are what the non-theists, the secular, and government and public university employees have to do in the face of momentous, often traumatizing, events as they do not pray or are not allowed to do so publicly. 

Christians pray aloud.  Like the prophets, Christians stand before God rather than lay prostrate.  Like Jacob, Christians wrestle with angels.  During a “moment of silence” I want to yell, to scream, to cry, to ask God in a voice raucous and torn with grief why these things happen.  I want to take out my oldest, loudest guitar and play chords that would violate the integrity of nearby windows.

Mainly, I don’t want to stand aimless and silent, a passive portion of creation.  That’s for the non-theists; the people without belief or faith or prayer or words.  By choice, they have nothing to say.

But God has given me voice and heart and passion.  God has given me reason and words.  God has taught me to ask, to petition, to howl for justice, if need be.  God has taught me to be an active part of creation, and it is my responsibility as a Christian to fulfill that teaching.

So, don’t ask me for a moment of silence.  Ask me, instead, for a moment of prayer.  But, as always, be mindful of that for which you ask.