Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Pastor Bob Henry
August 2, 2020
Isaiah 40:28-31 (The Passion Translation)
28 Don’t you know? Haven’t you been listening?
Yahweh is the one and only everlasting God,
the Creator of all you can see and imagine!
He never gets weary or worn out.
His intelligence is unlimited;
he is never puzzled over what to do!
29 He empowers the feeble
and infuses the powerless with increasing strength.
30 Even young people faint and get exhausted;
athletic ones may stumble and fall.
31 But those who wait for Yahweh’s grace
will experience divine strength.
They will rise up on soaring wings and fly like eagles,
run their race without growing weary,
and walk through life without giving up.
As you probably already know, this week we have been on the Rocky Railroad and we have enjoyed focusing on something special for our children. The themes each day have all begun with speaking of Jesus’ power.
Last Sunday, we looked at how Jesus’ power helps us do hard things.
On Monday, how Jesus’ power gives us hope.
On Tuesday, how Jesus’ power helps us be bold.
On Wednesday, how Jesus’ power lets us live forever.
And finally, on Thursday, how Jesus’ power helps us be good friends.
That last one seemed written for us Quakers. But in actuality, talking about the “Power of Jesus” is as old as Quakerism itself.
Our founder, George Fox, and the early ministers of Quakerism well understood that true religion is not in rites or church fellowship or even in true doctrine, but rather true religion is in the possession of the Life and Power of Jesus Christ.
Scott Martin in a Friends Journal article on this, gives us a bit more background to this early and important teaching. He says,
"The Power of the Lord" had multiple meanings for Fox and other early Friends, but the most common use of the phrase was to refer to a sensible, divine power or energy.
Friends would experience this power surrounding them or flowing through their bodies under a variety of conditions, but most often at the point of convincement, when facing a trial, or during meeting for worship.
An experience of the power was often associated with some kind of involuntary physical or mental phenomenon. When seized by the power, some Friends quaked, vocalized, or fell unconscious to the floor, while other Friends saw brilliant light, had visions, experienced healing, or felt a force emanating from them that was capable of subduing an angry and hostile mob.
Wow, now that is a power we need in our current day.
One thing I heard often during last weekend’s Western Yearly Meeting sessions was that there has been and continues to be a lack of energy within our Yearly Meeting.
That instead of focusing on the life and power of our Present Teacher, Jesus Christ within and among us to change our world – we have returned to what I described during our Yearly Meeting sessions as “religious navel gazing” which focuses on those things that George Fox and the early Quaker ministers denounced as “true religion.”
I find it ironic to juxtapose this week’s VBS with our Western Yearly Meeting sessions all amidst a global pandemic.
During our VBS, we were teaching our children one of the oldest Quaker distinctives and foundations for our faith – that God has given us the “power of the Lord” to make a difference in this world.
A power that helps us do hard things.
A power that brings hope.
A power that makes us bold.
A power that gives us life.
A power that helps us be True Friends.
Before I decided to speak up during one of the vision sessions during Yearly Meeting this past weekend, I found myself for the first time in a while, literally quaking.
Now, I have to be honest and admit, I was refusing to speak what I believe God was nudging me to say.
Instead of speaking, I began to write-out some notes to hopefully ease this quaking, but it only made it worse. By the time I finally sensed I had to speak up, one of my legs was shaking so bad under the table that I had to hold it with my hand as I finally spoke.
Now, I knew I was going to say some hard things.
I also knew there were many in our gathering desperate for some hope.
I sensed a need to be bold.
And as God led me to speak – I recognized a glimpse of life emerging - as others felt moved to speak up as well.
Now, I have had these experiences on several occasions and heard many others share their similar experiences even within our meeting, but when we begin to recognize the power of God flowing through us – I believe we then may begin to see things change – first within us and then around us.
Even though listening, discernment, silence, and proceeding slow are all very Quakerly and extremely important, sometimes we need to simply believe that the power of the Lord is flowing through us and giving us renewed life in the present moment.
For several months now – even before the pandemic – Beth and I have been contacted by Quakers across our country wanting to know what is different about First Friends.
Often, they speak of our energy, excitement, and willingness to be bold and address hard issues. They talk about how what they see happening at First Friends gives them hope for the future and the life we exude.
Just maybe it is because together, WE are tapping that power and Divine energy and presenting a “true religion” to our world as George Fox and the earliest Quakers sought.
Just maybe it is because we are working hard to instill in our children, our youth, and our adults the power they have to
To do hard things.
To seek hope.
To be bold.
To come alive.
And to be true Friends.
And please know – it is not just the pastors or leaders of First Friends alone – as I tell people all the time – what makes First Friends an alive and exciting place is not our building, not our resources, not even our heritage – it is the people we have currently in this moment that want to embrace that divine power and go out and change our world. So…
Let’s keep doing hard things.
Let’s keep seeking hope.
Let’s keep being bold.
Let’s keep coming alive.
Let’s keep being Friends.
And let’s just watch and see how our lives, our community, our yearly meeting, and even the world change.
Before I read the queries for this morning, I want to take a moment to thank Beth Henricks for “doing hard things” by taking on the challenge of a “virtual” Vacation Bible School and her ongoing dedication and commitment to our children at First Friends.
Thank you to our amazing office administrator and amateur videographer and video-editor-extraordinaire, Rebecca Lopez, who spent an enormous amount of time putting together such quality videos for our VBS. We are so blessed by her willingness to make this experience way beyond our expectations.
Thank you to my dedicated wife, Sue, for providing your teaching skills and excitement in each day’s Imagination Station.
And also, thank you to my partners in comedy, Jim Kartholl (Cam Track) and Bill Heitman (who played Ananias). You bless us all, and especially our children. Thank you.
Now, let us take a moment to enter into Waiting Worship:
1. How am I tapping this Power and Divine Energy in my daily life?
2. What “hard things” do I need God to help me through, currently?
3. How might I be bold and bring life into my world this week?