Resolutions of the Spirit
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
January 5, 2020
A New Year’s Prayer
God of all time, help us enter the New Year quietly, thoughtful of who we are to ourselves and to others, mindful that our steps make an impact and our words carry power.
May we walk gently.
May we speak only after we have listened well.
Creator of all life, help us enter the New Year reverently, aware that you have endowed every creature and plant, every person and habitat with beauty and purpose.
May we regard the world with tenderness.
May we honor rather than destroy.
Lover of all souls, help us enter the New Year joyfully, willing to laugh and dance and dream, remembering our many gifts with thanks and looking forward to blessings yet to come.
May we welcome your lavish love.
In this new year, may your grace and peace bless us now and in the days ahead.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
11 To this end we always pray for you, asking that our God will make you worthy of his call and will fulfill by his power every good resolve and work of faith, 12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Happy New Year and Decade!
Well, we are finally winding down from our Christmas breaks and our children are heading back to school after their holiday. Yet before things even officially began winding down and starting to go back to “normal,” this past week we endured one last borage of emails, adds, and year-end giving opportunities which found their way to our mailboxes (both snail and email).
Most of this extra mail included advertisements heralding the words “New Year’s Resolutions.” Many were about weight-loss and getting healthier in the New Year, but I noticed many were also about following through with your resolutions. It seems advertisers have noticed that we don’t do such a good job on the follow through if we even make New Year’s Resolutions anymore. Actually, I have had several of you tell me recently, “I have no desire for New Year’s Resolutions, it’s just a waste of time.”
It seems many people have given up on the whole idea of New Year’s Resolutions because statistics show that on the average resolutions only last a couple of weeks (at the longest a month). Maybe instead of making changes, we should be talking about stamina and will-power this time of the year.
Actually, I read that a recent poll was conducted to find out the top resolutions people wanted to make for 2020. The survey gathered the opinion of 274,779 Americans.
I kind of feel like David Letterman…Here are the top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for 2020:
10. Staying motivated
9. Upgrading my technology
8. Being a better person
7. Being more healthy
6. Being happier/better mental health
5. Going to the gym
4. Losing weight/diet
3. Eating more of my favorite foods
2. Trying something new
…and…drumroll please…
1. Actually doing my New Year’s resolution
So, when the reality is that the #1 resolution for 2020 is to actually do my New Year’s resolution – I think we need a new look at resolutions.
Now, for Christians, we usually run to the Bible for help on what we should do. But it is kind of a stretch to find New Year’s resolutions in the Bible. Sure, if you were diligent in your exegesis you would find many people of faith resolving to be better people, to change their ways, and God giving second chances.
In preparing for this sermon, I ran across one person who wondered what New Year’s Resolutions for Bible Characters would look like. Here are some that I thought you may enjoy (and even better they wrote them in “tweet” form):
Adam: Seems like everyone is all about high fiber – Me, I plan to eat LESS fruit this year.
Lot’s Wife: Longing for the past helps no one. Don’t Look Back!
Rehab: Debauchery and deception are so last year – Heart is ready for 12 months reinvention and restoration.
Ruth: Turning over a new sheaf – Done with multi-faith online dating. Ready for good ole fashioned matchmaking.
David: Done fighting lions and Philistines – Taking a safer job playing harp for the King #Can’tLose
Balaam: For starters, booting all “Dr. Doolittle” movies from Netflix queue #BeenThereDoneThat
Naaman: Start bathing more – does wonders for your health.
Bathsheba: Start bathing less – Who puts a bathtub on the roof anyway?
Wisemen: This year we’re inventing MapQuest – no more asking burning ball of astro gas for directions.
Lydia: Got a big thing for purple, I know. This year I am resolving to be more crafty with other hues in the color palette.
Thomas: So last year I resolved to be less gullible. That didn’t go so well. This year won’t care if you fool me. #TrustImmediately
Peter: Want to get out fishing more this year – men are more important just not as tasty #fishersofmen
Now seriously, even from these funny tweets we can get a glimpse of the changes and challenges that took place in the lives of even characters in the Bible.
And if we took a deeper look at our roots in the Jewish faith, we would find that they had festivals to remember and make needed changes each year that were not only for individuals but were often for entire communities. These were developed to keep people everything from healthy to right with God. So, in a sense, the Hebrew people knew that an ongoing examination of one’s condition was necessary and helpful for everyone – individual and communal.
And then there is our Quaker faith. Even though many Quakers in history did not celebrate holidays or mark the New Year, they did find a need to make resolutions in life. Still today many Quakers (including myself) see the S.P.I.C.E.S (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship) as Quaker Resolutions for living life.
Actually, I believe that if every year we simply took time to rededicate to these very testimonies, we would probably find a lot more resolve in our lives and communities. These were the summarization of the resolutions of our founders, George Fox, Elizabeth Fry, John Woolman, Lucretia Mott, William Penn, and many more. They resolved to live simple lives, to seek peace, to be people of integrity, to value community, to stand for equality, and protect our planet.
It reminds me what Brian McLaren sent out this past week to pastors in preparation for the coming year (you may have seen it on my Facebook page) – a year he considers could be the most important for pastors and churches to speak up, show up, and stand up tall on, what he called the “5 P’s”.
Planet
Poverty
Peace
Political Corruption
And ALL People.
Just like our foremothers and fathers who made resolutions about everything from War to Women’s Rights, to where we buy our goods to how prisons should be reformed, we too are being faced with real issues in our world today. It’s time as Quakers to make our voices heard.
· It’s time we reconsider our resolutions regarding the care of our planet.
· It’s time we faced the reality and roots of Poverty in our country and dealt with privilege and equality.
· It’s time we returned to seeking peaceful solutions and extending hands of friendships.
· It’s time we admitted that politics in our country is corrupt and powered by racism and greed.
· And its far time that we began seeing ALL our neighbors as ourselves.
These are all issues I am resolving as a pastor this year not to avoid, ignore, or sweep under the rug. Its time as Quakers to make our voices heard again in 2020. And please understand, I know it is not going to be the easiest or the most comfortable year, but it could be our most important and fruitful if we, like our founders before, resolve to make a change.
So, you may be asking…where do I begin in 2020?
A post by Quaker Wendy Swallow, the Blog Editor for Reno Friends Meeting caught my attention this week. Her query to start the New Year is,
“How can I move forward in the New Year with a more solid foundation for my spirit so that I can bring my best self to the world?”
I believe as Quakers, our first resolution must be an inward journey that prepares us - especially when life and the world can spin out of control without warning.
Out of that query, Wendy penned a list of ten spiritual resolutions she was considering for 2020 – and as I read them, I want you to notice the importance she gives to time and silence. As Quakers, I hope these queries speak to your condition (I know they have spoken to mine).
After I read them, I will give us some time and silence this morning to write down three resolutions (blank space has been provided on the back of your bulletin). Listen carefully to Wendy’s resolutions and maybe borrow some ideas for yourself as you journey into 2020. Here are her resolutions:
1. I will take advantage of the Silence to reconsider my choices around work and commitments. Which things are most important? Am I being realistic in the projects I take on? Can I still contribute while doing a bit less and giving myself more time to regroup and refresh?
2. I will take advantage of the Silence to reassess my energy and my gifts. Am I honoring my strengths by taking on commitments that line up with what I can do competently and happily? Can I give in these ways without depleting myself?
3. I will spend time with people who lift me up. I will intentionally seek them out and connect with them.
4. If a new commitment arises, I will give myself permission to sit with it and ask for spiritual guidance before jumping in. I will respond to my spirit and heart, rather than to the chorus of “shoulds” in my head.
5. I will give myself time for a hobby or activity that makes me happy and relaxed. The goal is to do something I’m interested in, and to do it without judgement.
6. I will take time to sit in silence and listen to God, especially when things turn difficult. If a bad day is unfolding, I will retreat for a half hour to calm my heart and listen to what arises. I will practice lifting problems into the Light so I can understand them better.
7. I will make things simpler. When given a choice, I’ll try the doable way and learn to accept help gracefully. I will save my energy for the most important things.
8. I will take an occasional retreat day: Every now and then (maybe once a week), I will give myself a day off without deadlines or engagements, to read, relax and do easy chores. This will give me time to reconnect with my happy self.
9. I will take time to consider my faith journey and deepen my connection with Spirit through readings or retreats or gatherings that expand my faith experience.
10. I will take advantage of the Silence to ask myself: what would I do if I were not afraid? I will think of new ways to deal with recurrent problems and try to imagine a life lived fearlessly.
Now, that you have some ideas – take some time to write down your own resolutions and then we will enter waiting worship this morning.