As Way Opens
A friend sent me this writing from St John of the Cross from The Ascent of Mount Carmel. I usually think of this mystic monk and writer from the 16th century as the author of the Dark Night of the Soul. That was the classic writing on facing our disbelief, feeling alone and abandoned. It was in this place of darkness, that the Light of God surrounded him and overwhelmed him.
This particular writing really moved me and seems like the follow up to the Dark Night of the Soul. I am embracing this as I set my intentions for the new year. We are peering into uncertainty and darkness in these turbulent times. Yet the light of faith allows me to see a brilliance that is as if I was blind before. We can see into the darkness.
"The overwhelming light of faith eclipses our intellect and what we can see.
The light of faith is like the light of the sun,
So bright that when it is shining all other lights seem not to be lights at all,
All other ways of seeing seem not to be seeing.
The light of faith does not improve our human sight, it overwhelms it.
Discovering the light of faith is like being born blind,
And then being introduced to colors we have never seen.
It is seeing with a wholly new kind of sight.
When we see with the eyes of faith,
We are seeing in the dark."
May we all set our intentions each day to live into this vibrant light and allow this light of faith to guide our daily paths.
Beth
Announcements, Reports, & Opportunities
IMPORTANT NOTICE: January Meeting for Worship ~ Please stay tuned to your emails for clerk’s council’s decision on whether or not to continue meeting in person for the rest of January. Please note if we do hold worship, we will not serve any snacks or drinks for Fellowship Hour after Meeting for Worship. We will still gather with masks on for this time of fellowship. Thank you for your cooperation!
Office Notice ~ Please note that our Office Administrator Rebecca will be gone for two weeks and will return January 31. During this time Bob and Beth will answer calls and emails and cover office duties. If you are in need of something, please bear with the office during that time!
Gnostic Gospel Group ~ Everyone is invited to join us on Thursday January 13 from 6-8pm for a group study on the non-canonical/Gnostic Gospels. This time we will study the Book of Thomas. We will be meeting by Zoom only. If you are interested, email, call the office at 317-255-2485
Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day Celebration Service ~ Shalom Zone invites you to an annual service in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. It will be held Monday, January 17 at 11:00 at Cross & Crown Lutheran Church, 5233 E. 79th St, Indianapolis, 46250. The keynote speaker will be Rev. Kenneth Wheeler, nationally recognized preacher and author. It will also feature guest musicians, The Lewis Trio. Our own Pastor Bob will also be participating in the service. A catered community luncheon will be served immediately following the service (vegetarian and take home options available). Face masks are optional. If you’d like to join virtually, the livestream will be at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1f79BoM9fw. Questions? Contact info@ccllutheran.com.
You’re Invited to Alhuda Mosque Tour- POSTPONED ~ Our trip to Alhuda Mosque in Fishers has been postponed to Saturday, February 12th at 10:00am. We will have a tour and a time for questions and answers. Please let Beth know if you would like to join us—there is still time to sign up!
Adult Quaker Affirmation POSTPONED ~ Please note that our adult Quaker Affirmation class series start date has been postponed to begin on Sunday, February 6th, from 11:30-1:00. This is an 8-week study of what it means to be a Quaker. It will cover Quaker history, theology, and what Quakers are doing in the world today. Spots are still open! If you’re interested, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org
Men’s Threshing Together ~ If you are interested in gathering with other men who mull over current issues or topics, where all points of view are heard, no decisions are made, and all in a non-threatening atmosphere over a meal, then Threshing Together is for you! Please note that there will be no Men’s Threshing Together meeting for January. We plan to pick it back up in February. Please see the schedule here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11F_3lXxX3ZNRAW1yoowKrA2H2iDDLqvP/view
Meditational Woods Bird of the Month
For January: Song Sparrow
Anticipation
In the Christian calendar we will in a couple of months begin Lent, a period of anticipation leading up to Easter. Recently we celebrated Advent, looking forward to Christmas. The anticipation for Christmas seems to stretch the “secular advent” until it begins, in stores at least, around Halloween.
In the bird world the anticipation is celebrated by the males of many species, as they sing and perhaps begin to display courtship rituals far earlier than the actual time for nesting. In the Meditational Woods the champions of this early stretching behavior are, among others, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, and this month’s selection, Song Sparrow. All it takes is a bright sunny day in January, cold temperatures or not, and snow covered or not, and the hormones in some of these males seem to wake up and cause the males to break out in full song. Perhaps they are practicing for later. I can just imagine the females responding with a loud groan and, “Hey, hold your horses!! It’s not time yet!!”
For me, it brings a smile to my face. I share the anticipation of the boys. The bright sun and resulting singing remind me that, although much of winter is still ahead, part of God’s creation is anticipating springtime. ~Brad J
FCNL: Setting Quaker Lobbying Priorities for the 118th Congress ~ Every two years, Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) asks Friends around the country for help in setting the focus of our advocacy work. Starting now until mid-April, you and your community of Friends can participate in this discernment process to influence the priorities that we at FCNL will advocate for during the next Congress starting in 2023. Join us for our January Quaker Changemaker event to get inspiration from Friends’ experiences bringing Friends together through this process and get ready to engage your community to do the same.
Register to join the conversation on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m. EST.
Current Field Committee clerk Deb Hejl and former Policy Committee clerk Alex Stark will discuss the FCNL priorities process with moderator Bobby Trice. Learn what engaging in this process can look like, and then bring this knowledge to your Quaker communities to inform FCNL’s legislative agenda.
To register and for more information, visit https://www.fcnl.org/events/setting-quaker-lobbying-priorities-118th-congress.
Mark your calendars for Oak Leaf: Meeting for Reading book club titles for 2022!
January 25 ~ The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
February 22 ~ Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
March 29 ~ The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson
April 26 ~ Let the Lord Sort Them by Maurice Chammah
May 31 ~ Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell
June 28 ~ The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
July 26 ~ The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
August 30 ~ Love Your Enemies by Arthur C. Brooks
September 27 ~ The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel
October 25 ~ Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
November 29 ~ The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
December 27 ~ The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
The group meets at 7pm either on Zoom or in the Parlor. To sign up for the email list, please contact the office at office@indyfriends.org.
Queries for the Week
· How aware am I of the need for others in my life?
· Who may I need to “turn to” this week and listen to more intently?
· As a faith community, how might we at First Friends embrace a spirit of ubuntu in the coming year?