The Act of Listening

Last week, I attended our diocesan clergy retreat. It was a great time of connecting with dear friends and colleagues and drawing near to God. The theme of the retreat was "refresh." We focused on refreshment through listening to God, others, and our souls. Bev Chen, one of the retreat facilitators, shared some of her culture with us, teaching us about the Chinese Tīng, a symbol for listening. We explored how listening means more than simply hearing and we looked in depth at the five parts of the character TĪng: ear, eye, heart, king, and one/singular focus. We learned that the act of Tīng is listening with our eyes, ears, and heart. We listen in this way by giving undivided attention to the person we are listening to. In doing so, we are giving the other person reverence as we would to a king. This concept can be applied to listening to others, God, and our own souls.

I've been considering the act of Tīng since learning about it last week. As I entered back into everyday life with my family, friends, and COTC, I've been noticing how it applies. I've also been wondering how it might apply to Paul's letter to the Church in Philippi? One of the themes from Philippians that Sarah and David have drawn our attention to the last couple weeks is the idea of "gospel friendship." It seems that in our friendships, the concept of listening and listening well is imperative. We've had a lot of visitors at COTC lately (thanks be to God!), which also presents us with the opportunity to practice the act of Tīng. I wonder what it would look like and how it might shape and form us as a community, if we listen with our eyes, ears, and heart, giving undivided attention to the person we are listening to? What if we also engage in listening to the scriptures in this way? Might this allow us to create a space of welcome, a place of joy and affection for others?

Philippians has so much to teach us. It requires us to listen and learn in an attentive way. Over the last couple of weeks, as a staff, we've been thinking through the themes found in Philippians. There are so many threads we can pull on in this letter, but there are a few we kept coming back to, especially as they relate to COTC and the particular time and place we find ourselves in. One theme we noticed is that Philippians is full of encouragement in its many forms. Paul encourages the Church in Philippi to be coworkers with each other and with Christ; he encourages them to have endurance; and he admonishes certain attitudes, actions, and relationships. And so, as we continue in the book of Philippians through the summer, part of our encouragement to COTC is to be a people who press into deep relationships with one another, both people that have been around for years and with newcomers. We pray that you find deep encouragement in Paul's words and that as you engage in the act of listening to Paul, yourself, God, and others, you sense of the Lord's presence with you in this journey.

With joy and affection,
Kimberly+