Awake Community Gathers to Celebrate God in the Stillness
Last week, Awake hosted its much-loved annual Prayer in the Park service, which featured hymns, scripture, poetry, and small group conversation, all built around the theme of “Finding God in the Stillness.”
Some members of the Awake community gathered in person under the trees at Estabrook Park in Milwaukee, while others across the United States joined virtually. A short, 14-minute recording of the event is available on the Awake YouTube channel and is ideal for personal prayer.
As the service began, Awake Executive Director Sara Larson described her hope that the evening would provide a bit of a break. “We recognize that many of Awake’s offerings are, by necessity, quite solemn and heavy,” she said, “so we have designed this service to be a bit of respite from that, a peaceful and joyful time of connecting with God and one another.”
The group sang “Be Still and Know,” led on guitar by Chad Griesel, and then Deacon Larry Normann read a scripture passage from 1 Kings, which describes Elijah encountering God, not in a “strong and violent” wind, an earthquake, or fire, but in silence.
Chad Griesel (left) led the singing during the prayer service.
Mary Gentile of the Awake Leadership team also shared the poem “Primary Wonder” by Denise Levertov. It describes the relentless problems that “jostle for my attention,” but continues:
And then
once more the quiet mystery
is present to me, the throng’s clamor
recedes: the mystery
that there is anything, anything at all,
let alone cosmos, joy, memory, everything,
rather than void: and that, O Lord,
Creator, Hallowed One, You still,
hour by hour sustain it.
Both the scripture and poem were followed by short periods of silence. While the attendees in Estabrook Park sat in quiet reflection, they could also hear the sounds of a busy park on a summer evening, including the shouts of children and a musician playing saxophone a short distance away.
Attendees broke into small groups for a few minutes of sharing.
Everyone—both those attending in Milwaukee and virtually—broke into small groups to talk about aspects of the music or readings that they found meaningful. After these discussions, the group sang “Here I Am, Lord” and Laura Hancock of Awake’s prayer team concluded the gathering with a prayer that said, in part:
We thank you for the beauty of nature which comforts us,
We thank you for the beauty of each person that brings us joy,
And we thank you for the beauty of your love which gives us life.
Members of the Awake community from all over the United States attended the prayer service virtually.
Afterward, prayer team member Christine Ellerbrock explained the team took inspiration from nature while planning the outdoor event. “Nature itself serves as a reminder of God’s quiet, consistent presence: the coming and going of the seasons, the endless variety and details of nature, the peace and calm we often experience outdoors,” she said. “God is everywhere, but many of us could relate to the experience of sensing God’s closeness when we spend time outside.”
Some attendees commented about the service being a welcome reminder of the need for regular quiet time. “I came seeking a stillness, which I find sustains me,” Irene Witt of Milwaukee said later. “I find that it’s restorative to intentionally step away from daily distractions and step towards that which increases receptivity to wonder and awe and peace.”
A special thank you to photographer LaTasha Lux of LaLuxPhotography for taking photos of the prayer service and to videographer Hugh Hancock for live-streaming and recording the event.