As Way Opens
One of the hymns I grew up singing at this time of the year was The Advent of our God. One of the verses went like this:
The Advent of our God
Shall be our theme for prayer;
Come, let us meet him on the road
And place for him prepare.
I remember singing this as a child and thinking, “This is definitely speaking of a time for prayer and preparation, but why would we meet Jesus out on the road? What is he doing out there?”
You see, the church my family attended throughout my grade school years was just down a hill from the historic Lincoln Highway in New Haven, Indiana. So, whenever we sang that hymn, I imagined myself climbing that hill and meeting Jesus on the side of the road.
Maybe his car had broken down. Maybe he was hitchhiking as many people did on that highway. Or maybe he was thrown out of a passing car and left for dead by a gang of thugs.
Obviously, my imagination ran deep at the age of ten (and I REALLY liked the A-Team.)
It didn’t hit me until many years later that the metaphor in the song was about joining Jesus on his journey or what some might call his earthly pilgrimage.
Today, I think I may need to go back and embrace some of those early memories of Jesus and not just spiritualize them or create word pictures to sing. Maybe we all need to meet Jesus on the road again. Just maybe, we need to seek Jesus out on the byways, highways, side streets, and dirt roads.
Jesus is the drifter going down city alleyways in search of food. Jesus is the broken-down biker trying to figure out where life went wrong. Jesus is the bearded man in rags standing with a cardboard sign that reads “Will Work for Food.” Jesus is one of 20 individuals crammed in the back of a van trying to cross the border. Jesus is the businesswoman on her cellphone in rush hour traffic. Jesus is one of the kids playing a pick-up game of basketball on the cul-de-sac in your neighborhood.
The question is do we see him out there and are we willing to meet him out on the road?” As we take a walk or run, or as we ride our bike or drive our car out on the roads this Holiday Season, let each journey be an opportunity to meet Jesus on the road.
Grace and peace,
Bob
Joys & Concerns
We are very proud of Sam W, son of Laura and Marlin W, who is currently serving under Quaker Voluntary Service (QVS). Sam recently wrote an article for his site placement's blog earlier this month, about lead poison and education equity. If you’d like to give it a read, you can find it here: https://www.southerneducation.org/resources/blog/featured/lead-poisoning-is-an-education-equity-issue/. Great article, Sam! If you’d like to find out more about QVS and/or support their efforts, visit their website at quakervoluntaryservice.org.
Alpha and Omega in the Community Garden ~ Some gardeners just finished bedding down their plots for the season. These are the before and after photos. Great job! Now reader, you tell me, is the after photo in the Community Garden the beginning or the end??! -Nancy
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
Please note: Monday Worship Change of Time ~ Please note that Meditational Worship on Mondays is being permanently rescheduled to 12pm starting this Monday, November 29. Worship will conclude at 12:45pm.
See our old Meetinghouse on a holiday church tour! The old First Friends meetinghouse downtown will be on a self-guided walking tour sponsored by Indiana Landmarks this Saturday, December 4th. For more information and how to purchase tickets, please visit https://www.indianalandmarks.org/event/indianapolis-holiday-church-tour/
Vespers Annual Concert~ On Sunday, December 5th at 5:30pm we invite you to attend our annual Vespers concert, this year themed, “A Season to Celebrate!” The choir and a variety of our performers will be performing and it should be quite a delight. Following the concert there will be a complimentary catered dinner of Olive Garden, hosted by our Fellowship Committee. To help with planning, please RSVP here! We hope you plan to join us for the evening!
Restorative Yoga ~ Please join friend Kristyn G in a restorative yoga practice next Monday December 6th at 4:00 pm in the Parlor. It will last for an hour. This gentle practice will stretch and restore you. $10 suggested donation. Yoga will also be held on Monday Jan 3rd. Hope to see you there!
IMPORTANT NOTICE: Friends, we ask that you all help contribute to the health and safety of the meeting and review the Trustee policy on how to safely prepare the building for use. The Meetingroom and Fellowship Hall are the safest rooms to meet in, as they have the best air circulation—but only when windows are opened and fans are turned on. These procedures have been outlined in this document the Trustees recently released. Please take some time to read and understand the procedures, so we can all contribute to the health and safety of the Meeting and all the people within! Thank you.
Annual Christmas Tea ~ Please join us on December 12th immediately after worship for the annual Christmas Tea. There will be lots of cookies and punch and fellowship. (For health and safety, cookies will be served rather than grab-your-own.) If you can donate cookies, they can be dropped off on December 11th from 10am-12pm, or on the morning of Sunday, December 12th. For more information, contact the office. Happy holidays!
First Friends Financial Update: You are invited to spread holiday cheer by making a pledge to First Friends Meeting for 2022. Your pledge is extremely helpful in making a budget for the new year. Click to make a pledge online, or contact the office at office@indyfriends.org, 317-255-2485, for a pledge card to be mailed to you. Kindly submit your pledge by Dec. 19.
The Meeting also seeks support in closing out 2021, as we currently are experiencing a deficit. Donate online at indyfriends.org/support/#givenow, or text to give at 317-768-0303. Other means of support are through automatic giving, stock gifts, estate planning, and donation of IRA Required Minimum Distributions. For more information, please contact the office.
You’re invited to a free flute concert! You’re invited to a holiday flute concert by Indy Winds Flute Choir. Carl B and Lynda S are both members of this group. Their holiday concert will be held at 3:00 PM on December 19th at St. Marks United Methodist Church in Carmel, 4780 E 126th St. The concert is free. All are welcome!
Afghan Family Assistance ~ First Friends recently approved becoming a co-sponsor of an Afghan family that is resettling in Indianapolis. As you are likely aware, the Afghans who resettle in the United States are folks who have assisted the United States in its longstanding effort to bring stability to Afghanistan. Most of these folks have come to the U.S. with nothing but the clothes on their backs and perhaps a small suitcase. We anticipate that a family will be assigned to First Friends very soon. Your help is needed for this “Whole Meeting” project. In addition to providing assistance in setting up an apartment; employment; English tutoring; registration for school and selective service; banking and finance; transportation and other activities, First Friends needs to raise funds to support this effort. Our goal is $5,000. We hope to achieve most of this goal yet this year but will also accept donations in January 2022. Checks should be written and sent to First Friends with “Afghan Family” noted in the memo section. Or you can donate on our website at indyfriends.org/support by choosing “Afghan Evacuee Assistance” as the fund or text 317-768-0303 with keyword “Afghan.” If you plan to make a contribution in 2022, we would appreciate that you send a note to First Friends with the amount that you intend to contribute in 2022. Time is running short in 2021 so your prompt response is appreciated. Quakers and other churches have always been eager to assist folks who have been victims through no fault of their own. Our time is now. Please help as you are led and are able. Thank you.
Brush Up on Afghan Culture ~ As First Friends Monthly Meeting approved the request to fully commit and back a family of Afghan evacuees with Exodus Refugee, we thought it’d be helpful to send this useful guide of Afghan culture tips, from Riley hospital! It might be beneficial to brush up on these tips, whether you plan on assisting these evacuees, or if they perhaps someday visit! Something else you can do for fun is try an Afghan recipe! Here’s a link to a recipe for Afghan eggs and tomato, courtesy of afghancooks.com.