The Silent Measure

You and I inhabit a time in history that is defined by its context, by what has preceded and by what will follow. We live suspended, as it were, between Christ’s first and second advents. An amazing space.

This reminds me of another breathtaking space which is also defined by its context. Each time we hear the “Hallelujah Chorus” in Handel’s Messiah, we are suspended in the silent measure, filled with wonder as the tiny pause, conspicuously void of all sound, washes over us. We wait and can hardly bear the suspense until the final “Hallelujah!” breaks through the silence, leaving our hearts and eyes full.

But, what of the silence? Is the silent measure only a vacuum defined by the absence of notes? Ah, therein lies the beauty. Much more than the absence of sound, it is imbued with beauty and meaning because of its context. The space takes our breath away because of what has preceded and what will follow. Within the space itself, nothing is happening, and everything is happening.

Crooked Tree: A Memoir of Faith