12-4-22 - "Mary’s Magnificat: A Challenge to Love"

Mary’s Magnificat: A Challenge to Love

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

December 4, 2022

Good morning, Friends and welcome. This morning our scripture text is from Luke 1:39-55 from the New Revised Standard Version.

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.

    Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him

    from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;

    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

    and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,

    and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,

    in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,

    to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

Our text for this morning includes what we have come to refer to as a beautiful song, probably because it has been vocalized and set to music on many occasions. But in today’s world, I have a feeling it would be considered more a piece of “slam poetry” or “spoken word” declared by Mary as a subversive and revolutionary message. We might even hear it recited at a protest or march and maybe even rapped or set to a hip-hop beat. 

Too often we nice things over, romanticize, and soften the edges of difficult words and thoughts, but this is a rather gritty and bold message from a young Mary. Putting her words to classical music or making it a choral piece kind of takes the bite away from the message.

Rev. Carolyn Sharp put it so well when she said,

“Don’t envision Mary as the radiant woman peacefully composing the Magnificat.”  Instead see her as “a girl who sings defiantly to her God through her tears, fists clenched against an unknown future… Mary’s courageous song of praise [becomes] a radical resource for those seeking to honor the holy amid the suffering and conflicts of real life.”

Throughout the years, I have come to hear Mary’s Magnificat not in classical tunes or peaceful soft vocal voices, but rather in the voices and soul of my black sisters of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in the inner city of Chicago where I used to teach the Bible, or the voices of Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi who began the Black Lives Matter movement in our country, or maybe even a young, passionate, Nina Simone with her stirring lyrics addressing racial inequalities.

In my mind, I envision Mary as a young brown woman declaring justice, freedom, and hope for her world, instead of the pale white Mary wrapped in baby blue quietly singing in the corner that we are used to seeing depicted on Christmas cards. I see a strong woman with arms flaring, fists raised, wild bodily movements, beads of sweat forming on her brow, and a strong voice throwing down those magnificent words from Luke 1:46-55.

The main reason I hear Mary in this way, is because these words are rather loaded words. Actually, these words have had a rather big impact on the church and even our modern world.

Did you know that:

Mary’s Song (The Magnificat) has been part of the Church’s liturgy or worship programming since the earliest days of Christianity.  It was that important.

For centuries, members of religious orders have recited or sung these words on a daily basis. Along with the Song of Creation, The Song of Praise, The Song of Zechariah, the Song of Simeon, the Glory in Excelsis, and the Te Deum.

But folks, the Magnificat is the ONLY song used by the universal church which was written by a women.

It is the longest set of words spoken by a woman in the New Testament. I think that is very important to note.

It is also the first Christmas carol ever composed.

Parts of Mary’s Magnificat echo the song of Hannah (found in 1 Samuel 2:1-10) and are also reminiscent of the anguish of the prophets of the Old Testament.

And get this, are you ready for this...In the past century, there were at least three separate instances of governments banning the public recitation of the Magnificat.  Its message, they feared, was too subversive. 

First, during the British rule of India, the Magnificat was prohibited from being sung in church.

Second, in the 1980s, Guatemala’s government discovered Mary’s words about God’s preferential love for the poor to be too dangerous and revolutionary. The song had been creating quite the stirring amongst Guatemala’s impoverished masses.  Mary’s words were inspiring the Guatemalan poor to believe that change was indeed possible.  Thus, their government banned any public recitation of Mary’s words.

Third, after the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo—whose children all disappeared during the Dirty War—placed the Magnificat’s words on posters throughout the capital plaza, the military junta of Argentina outlawed any public display of Mary’s song. 

Even the German theologian Dietrich Bonheoffer recognized the revolutionary nature of Mary’s song.  Before being executed by the Nazis, Bonheoffer spoke the following words in a sermon during Advent 1933: 

“The song of Mary is the oldest Advent hymn. It is at once the most passionate, the wildest, one might even say the most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. This is not the gentle, tender, dreamy Mary whom we sometimes see in paintings.…This song has none of the sweet, nostalgic, or even playful tones of some of our Christmas carols. It is instead a hard, strong, inexorable song about the power of God and the powerlessness of humankind.”

Now, it is important for us to understand the context of Mary’s song.  We heard in our scripture reading that Mary was visiting her relative Elizabeth. Yet let’s be real honest here, in reality she was escaping the ridicule and possible retribution of her neighbors, family, and community for being an unwed pregnant teenage girl. 

Scripture even tells us that the situation was grim enough that Joseph had planned to call the wedding off quietly. He did not want Mary humiliated or become a social outcast.

And to take the story up a serious notch, the reality was that according to Jewish Law Mary could have actually been stoned for adultery.

Mary is humbled by the realization that the God is up to something and that she has been chosen to be God’s vessel. She senses things changing, literally being turned upside down. Her difficult life of growing up as a vulnerable woman, economically poor, and living in an oppressive world under Herod and the Roman Empire was being turned around.  

I believe Mary’s Magnificat was a cry of freedom and hope for a new world.  This was the cry of…

Mary who grew up economically poor. 

Mary who was a teenage bride-to-be and also pregnant making her a social outcast. 

Mary who gave birth to Jesus in a homeless situation.

Mary who fled with her family as refugees to a strange land because a religious and military power were threatening them.

And this is about a God who knows her condition. Who wants to meet her in her humanity. Who wants her to identity with Him. 

And the same is true for us. God wants us to listen to Mary’s word – and proclaim them today. 

As Reverend Anne Emry wrote in on her blog, Sacred Story,

“Mary’s song rings in our ears, and calls us to disrupt the hold violence has on our world. She sings of a future where all children are safe from violence. She sings of a future where people have homes and food and jobs. Her words are in solidarity with us. She sees to the far horizon and sings of the coming reign of God. We will be fed, and we will feed others. We will be blessed and we will bless others. We will receive justice, and we will do justice to others. All things are possible with God.”

Mary’s Song is timely for us in our day and age – as much as it was in her day.  The beauty of Mary’s Magnificat is that it is our song or poetry as well.  Her passion and words, should flow from us as a hopeful message to our world, today.  The queries I continue to ponder are…

Are we bold enough to proclaim Mary’s Song today?

…in our economic and political climate?

…with the troubles in our world with race, gender, and economic inequalities?

…with a religious fervor that is focused on being right and creating “us vs. them” mentalities?   

If so, it is going to have to be done in Love.  

Several years ago, I came across a modern rendition of the Magnificat by Joy Cowley that was shared by John Shelby Spong.  I would like to close our time with sharing this version. There is one line in it that I believe sums up Mary’s intent and ours… Joy Cowley writes..."It’s the Love that we are made for…"

Mary knew this truth and so must we as we proclaim this important message again to our world. It’s being the Love of God to our world that we are made for this Holiday Season.

Maybe close your eyes and listen to this beautiful modernized version of the Magnificat.

Modern Magnificat  by Joy Cowley

My soul sings in gratitude.

I’m dancing in the mystery of God.

The light of the Holy One is within me

and I am blessed, so truly blessed.

This goes deeper than human thinking.

I am filled with awe

at Love whose only condition

is to be received.

The gift is not for the proud,

for they have no room for it.

The strong and self-sufficient ones

don’t have this awareness.

But those who know their emptiness

can rejoice in Love’s fullness.

It’s the Love that we are made for,

the reason for our being.

It fills our inmost heart space

and brings to birth in us, the Holy One.

Now, as we enter waiting worship this morning, ask yourself,

How will I share the important message of Mary’s Magnificat this Holiday Season?

Who needs to hear it, today?

11-20-22 - "Thankful Awareness"

Thankful Awareness

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

November 20, 2022

Good morning, friends.  Our scripture reading for this Sunday is First Thessalonians 5:14-18 from the New Revised Standard Version.  

And we urge you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the faint-hearted, help the weak, be patient with all of them. See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

Earlier this week, I had “Today with Hoda and Jenna” on in the background while I was working, because I had heard that Michelle Obama was going to be on to talk about finding light when the world feels low. These ideas were coming from her new book, “The Light We Carry.” (Hearing such a focus on “Light” - I sometimes think having the Obama daughters attend a Quaker school rubbed off on mom and dad.)

Hoda and Jenna opened the interview with explaining how Michelle’s new book was inspired by the 2000+ letters per month that Michelle receives from people thanking her for being an inspiration in difficult times. 

Since I am a sucker for a good story, I stopped working for a bit when 25-year old, Irene Dimatulac, a cancer survivor read the letter she wrote to Michelle in 2020 during the pandemic. Before inviting her to come out and meet Michelle, they cut to a video of her reading her letter with an accompanying photo montage.

Through growing tears, I listened to Irene’s cancer battle, her struggle to be a good daughter, her utter fear of the world outside her door during the pandemic, and her loss of feeling worthy and beautiful due to her illness.

But through it all it was Michelle Obama who inspired her to keep going – someone she did not even know personally. The thanks poured from Irene’s lips, the gratitude was seen on her face, and there was a sense that even though she had never met Michelle Obama, she had given her hope in these really hard times through sharing her own struggles. 

I was wiping the tears from my face, as Irene had the opportunity to meet and thank Michelle in person on the show.

I think Michelle Obama was absolutely correct in responding to meeting Irene by saying,

“You never know whose life you’re changing in the process of sharing your story.” 

But I believe you could also say,

“You never know whose life you’re changing in the process of being  grateful and thanking someone.”

I have found it is just as important and impactful to take the time to express thanks to the people who help, support, even inspire us, especially through difficult times. 

My parents intentionally raised me to be thankful. I spent a lot of time in my childhood, at times almost against my will, writing “thank you” notes for presents or experiences I received from relatives and friends. But overtime, that discipline of writing thank you notes changed my view and taught me what I believe is genuine gratitude and thanks. 

Now, every month, I take a day or two to stop and write personal thank you notes and emails to people who have made a difference in my life. Sometimes it is in response to something they have done, but often it is more of a response to who they are in my life or in the lives of those around me. 

Robert Emmons, psychology professor and gratitude researcher at the University of California, Davis, says that there are two key components of practicing gratitude:

First, we affirm the good things we’ve received.

And second, we acknowledge the role other people play in providing our lives with goodness

Did you hear the words Emmons used in these two points – affirm and acknowledge. Two very Quakerly words.  

You may not know that early on in Quaker history, Friends were considered a religious group who greatly lacked gratitude and thanksgiving. Many early Friends believed that thanking someone or showing public gratitude could lead to individuals having pride in what they had done. So, they often would refrain from thanking people or even teaching about gratitude in their Meetings.

Sadly, I think, at times, that belief has continued in pockets among Friends. 

Yet, as Friends have evolved, gratitude has evolved as well. Many Friends have acknowledged what lacking thankfulness and gratitude can do to individuals and even to a society. 

Recently, Friends Committee on National Legislation asked “What would our society look like if we embraced gratitude? Not just privately, in gratitude journals and personal prayers… but as a civic practice?”

We don’t often think of gratitude as a public act. In her book Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks, religious scholar and author Diana Butler Bass explores the radical idea that gratitude is social. It connects us to one another.

Her idea of public gratitude reminds us that it is important for society to witness public acts of gratitude to acknowledge grace (what Quakers might call, “walking in the Light”).

As well, it is important to remember that gratitude and thankfulness is also important for our personal lives.

Monk, author, and lecturer David Steindl-Rast says:

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy—because we will always want to have something else or something more. 

Research has even found a link between gratitude and a wide range of benefits, including, if you can believe this, strengthening your immune system and improving sleep patterns, feeling optimistic and experiencing more joy and pleasure, being more helpful and generous, and even feeling less lonely and isolated. 

Even God wants us to have a spirit of gratitude in all we do and say. We heard this in our scriptures for this morning, “give thanks in all circumstances.” When we are grateful, we will have greater happiness and satisfaction in our lives. We will recognize the influence and blessings of God.

That means lacking gratitude and thankfulness or avoiding it could actually be detrimental to our lives and even our health in so many ways. 

One of the Quaker queries that I most appreciate is the one that asks:

“Do I live in thankful awareness of God’s constant presence in my life?”

I feel that being in "thankful awareness" and expressing gratitude is at the heart of the spiritual life. This includes gratitude not only for God, but also for that of God in the people around us.

So, to close this sermon this morning, I would like for us to take a moment to  explore our “thankful awareness.” It won’t just help our Thanksgiving holidays, but it will help us remember what we should be grateful for, and how we may have forgotten or neglected to see all that God has provided for us. 

I have broken it down to 5 specific areas to consider.

1. Identify 3 things that you feel thankful for and appreciate about your life.

These things can be based on the past, present, or future. No category or thing is too big or small to appreciate, however, being specific might be helpful.

2. Identify 3 things that you take for granted but are actually very thankful for.

We all have things that we take for granted. This is the time to reflect and discover which of those you value the most.

3. Identify 3 things that you appreciate about yourself.

Pick things that are meaningful. These can involve your personality, your qualities, your actions, or anything else directly related to yourself.

4. Identify 3 things that you feel grateful for about First Friends.

            What does First Friends mean to you and your spiritual journey. 

5. Identify 3 people who had a significant and positive experience on your life.

These can be coaches, mentors, professors, bosses, family members, or anyone else. Call those people to mind and think about how they made a difference in your life.

Whether it is by giving a testimony of gratitude during Open Worship today, by making a phone call, writing a note, planning a lunch, visiting the graveyard or favorite place you spent time together, find a way to let those people know your gratitude today. 

Let us continue this as we enter Waiiting Worship this morning.

11-13-22 - "Radical Hospitality: An Appreciation of Otherness"

Radical Hospitality: An Appreciation of Otherness

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

November 13, 2022

Good morning, friends and welcome to Light Reflections. Our scripture reading for this mornings is Luke 14:12-24 from the New Revised Standard Version.

He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Then Jesus said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many.  At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’  Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’  Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’  So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’  And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’  Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

On Tuesday morning, I woke up early with my wife and son to see the Beaver Blood Moon Eclipse – Did any of you get a chance to see it? It was stunning, but as I came in to warm up with a hot cup of coffee, Beth and I received a text from Phil Goodchild. His text read,

“…I’m so thankful for and proud of our Meeting for serving as a safe and welcoming place for all citizens to participate in democracy on Election Day. And for hosting Election Protection volunteer training. Go Quakers!”

Beth was here really early on Tuesday to get breakfast items and lunch ready for the election workers and also to help out in any way. When I came in just before noon, there was a long line of voters, and the workers were taking their lunch break. They were so grateful and said again and again how thankful they were and how they planned to sign up for our poll location each year because of our gracious hospitality.  

Now, I know Quakers aren’t supposed to be proud, but I am proud of our Meeting for it’s hospitality in so many ways. I love hearing people share in Adult Affirmation Class, at New Attender Dinners, even over a cup of coffee during the week about how they were welcomed or feel welcome at our Meeting.  That is a blessing and I thank each of you.    

Quakers have always been known for what we like to call “radical hospitality” - a practice of putting extraordinary effort and emphasis on making people feel welcome.

Not only does radical hospitality have a lot to do with being welcoming, but it also is about helping people feel a sense of belonging or, maybe even better, allowing people to become full participants in our Meeting without jumping through hoops or meeting some criteria.

In our world today, hospitality might at first be seen as welcoming and even being nice or polite, but lately it has also become about being at ease with people and sensing an amount of safety within a group of people.

This has not always been the case in our religious history.

Hospitality looked a bit different in the ancient Near East than it does in America, today. And that was mainly due to hospitality being offered to complete strangers.

Marjorie J. Thompson in her book “Soul Feast” (which I consider a primer for experiencing the Spiritual Life in a Christian context) says this about hospitality in ancient times,

“People who appeared from the unknown might bear gifts or might be enemies.  Because travel was a dangerous venture, codes of hospitality were strict. If a sworn enemy showed up at your doorsteps asking for food and shelter, you were bound to supply his request, along with protection and safe passage as long as he was on your land.

All sorts of people had to travel at times through “enemy territory” which meant the hospitality to strangers was a matter of mutual survival. It was a kind of social covenant, an implied commitment to transcend human differences in order to meet common human needs.”

Wow! Let me read that last line again:

“It was a kind of social covenant, an implied commitment to transcend human differences in order to meet common human needs.”

Might it be time for us to reinstate this “social covenant” in our day and age?  Ponder that.

Thompson continues, she says:  

“Hospitality was a hallmark of virtue for ancient Jews and Christians. But in scripture, hospitality reflects a larger reality than human survival codes. It mysteriously links us to God as well as to one another…Hospitality in biblical times was understood to be a way of meeting and receiving holy presence.” 

If we as Quakers truly embrace the theology of “That of God in everyone we meet,” then each encounter with our neighbor, friend, relative is an opportunity to meet and receive “holy presence.” 

Or think about in a couple of weeks, you will be having dinner around tables with family and friends which can also be opportunities to experience holy presence if we choose to make them so.  

If we are able to engage in radical hospitality – a hospitality that transcends our needs and allows us to enter this holy presence with relatives, neighbors, friends, even people we disagree with, voted different than us, or simply just rub us the wrong way, we might enter a new space of holy presence.    

I remember just before coming to First Friends, I had the opportunity for a silent retreat at the Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon. This abbey sits on the highest part of the Willamette Valley in Oregon. From there you can look out on a clear day and see the Cascade Mountain ranges, Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, and a plethora of other old volcanic peaks.

On my last day there, due to some rain, I had spent some time in the library and was on my way out when I decided to grab a quick drink of water out of the drinking fountain.  As I finished taking a drink, I noticed a beautiful sign above the fountain made with colorful mosaic tiles.

On it was written the Rule of St. Benedict #53 – Receive all as Christ.

Receive all as Christ. 

Receive all as a holy presence. 

Receive all as if we believed that there was that of God in them.

Jean Vanier, philosopher, theologian, humanitarian and founder of the La’Arch Community wrote about hospitality in “Befriending a Stranger.” He said,

“In the midst of all the violence and corruption of the world God invites us today to create new places of belonging, places of sharing, of peace and of kindness, places where no-one needs to defend himself or herself; places where each one is loved and accepted with one’s own fragility, abilities, and disabilities. This is my vision for our churches: that they become places of belonging, places of sharing.”

That could be the summary of my vision for First Friends since I arrived 5 years ago. 

See, when we start to receive people differently and allow radical hospitality to see that of God in them, then we are evoked to create new places of belonging and sharing.  

One of the biggest problems with churches and Quaker meetings today, is that they too often have stopped creating new opportunities for belonging and sharing. They continue to do the same thing over and over hoping for different results (some label that insanity!)

Often in many of these cases they slowly die and disappear.

That isn’t the way it is at First Friends – it easily could be – but thankfully it isn’t. I love all the ways we have been creating opportunities here at First Friends to help people find a place to belong and share and connect.  We are diverse place and that makes us stronger and I believe more beautiful.

I will be honest I think we are getting pretty good at this radical hospitality.  Many of us are dedicated to spending time with people for the purpose of developing community, friendships, and deeper relationships and it is paying off – we are learning, growing, and becoming more aware of the beauty that is both inside and outside these walls.   

Marjorie Thompson describes this type of radical hospitality and what it takes at its core. She says,   

“Hospitality means receiving the other, from the heart, into my own dwelling place. It entails providing for the need, comfort, and delight of the other with the openness, respect, freedom, tenderness, and joy that love itself embodies.”

That means that Radical Hospitality is first and foremost an expression of our Love.

Or maybe I should say, it is an expression of unselfish love.

In our scripture text for this morning, before Jesus shared his parable, he decided to say a couple things to his host.

He says in v. 12, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.

In other words, you don’t give in order to get something in return.

Why not?  Because when you behave in this way, it means that you are looking for a selfish gain in some way.  That is radical in our world, today.

Instead, Jesus tells the man in vv. 13-14, “invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you.”

In Israel, the crippled, the lame and the blind were obviously the poor of the society. These were the people who, because of their physical disabilities, could not work, and therefore they could not earn a salary. Most of them depended on charity to survive.

Why should you invite them? Precisely because they can’t repay you. This is the exact opposite of the worldly way of thinking – you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.

Nobody seems to give in this way these days, in a spirit of unselfish love. But this is how we are to respond, this is the true essence and nature of radical hospitality – it is a concrete expression of our unselfish love for our neighbor.

Also, I categorize this type of hospitality as a justice issue or part of Christ’s social gospel, because hospitality to strangers often is considered “doing justice.”

Interestingly, if you look carefully at the biblical meaning of justice and simplify it. You could easily say that it means being in “right relationship” with one another.

So, showing kindness to the nomad or vagrant, or offering support to the widow or orphan, taking in the homeless, refugee, or poor, and offering hospitality to strangers (even enemies) – these were all expressions of “just” relationships with one’s neighbor in scripture.

Take a moment to really think about this…who are the nomads, vagrants, widows, orphans, homeless, poor, and strangers in our neighborhoods? 

Who are the people who cannot repay us?

Who are the people who are neglected by the mainstream of culture? Where do they live and spend their time?  Why are they neglected?

We often look at the extremes and point outside our own four walls, but the reality is too often the strangers are also in our midst. Just maybe the stranger is

·      someone who feels alone,

·      someone who has no friends, no one to talk to.

·      someone who gives and gives but is never recognized by others for using their gifts.

·      someone struggling to keep their marriage together and afraid to admit they are struggling.

·      someone suffering from depression or melancholia.

·      someone who is ashamed by what they have done or what has been done to them.   

·      Someone who is addicted to pride or power or prestige.

·      Someone who is scared or wishes they could be stronger.

Folks, the reality is each of us in this Meetinghouse all have at one time been or maybe currently are strangers.

·      We all want to be welcomed.

·      We all want to belong. 

·      We all want to be full participants. 

·      We all want to be needed. 

·      We all want to be delighted. 

·      We all want to be loved.

·      We all want to be in right relationships

·      We all want to be seen and known.

This is why it is so important that when we practice radical hospitality it, as John Fenner at Parker Palmer’s Center for Courage and Renewal claims, is an “appreciation of otherness.” He says,

“Appreciating the value of otherness, for me, goes beyond tolerance – beyond “you’re welcome as long as you play by our rules.” Appreciating the value of otherness entails a level of engagement, inquiry, dialogue, and interaction in which all members can freely share their gifts, learn from each other, and ultimately grow spiritually together. This is hard work and takes time and practice. It takes a willingness to be stretched and to sit with discomfort. It takes a belief that there is “that of God in everyone.”

So, whether at Meeting for Worship, around the table this Thanksgiving Holiday, at your work meeting, with your yoga class, or wherever you are called to radical hospitality this week, remember to begin by receiving all as Christ, help people to feel that they belong and are appreciated, and remember that we are all strangers seeking to be known.

As we enter waiting worship this morning take a moment to ponder the queries I shared earlier in my message:

Who are the nomads, vagrants, widows, orphans, homeless, poor, and strangers in my neighborhoods? 

Who are the people who cannot repay me?

Who are the people who are neglected by the mainstream of culture? Where do they live and spend their time?  Why are they neglected?

11-6-22 - The Seed: Potential Life Breaking Forth!

The Seed: Potential Life Breaking Forth!

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

November 6, 2022

Good morning, friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  Today’s scripture is from John 12:24-25 from the Message Translation.

24-25 “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.

This week was Día de Muertos (or the Day of the Dead) in many Hispanic cultures and last Sunday, as well as in Friend to Friend this week, I mentioned that my family attended the community celebration at the Eiteljorg Museum here in Indianapolis.

Obviously, at an event that celebrates death and life, you almost assume there will be moments of pondering or considering the meaning of life and the process of death.

I find it interesting that Día de Muertos for us in Indiana happens to line up nicely with the end of fall as the leaves make their final descent and the nature around us dies away for the winter months, awaiting its rebirth in the Spring.     

Rob Bell in his widely read book, “Love Wins” wrote about this important physical and spiritual process in a chapter titled “Dying to Live.”  He says,

“In the fall in many parts of the world, the leaves drop from the trees and the plants die. They turn brown, wither, and lose their life. They remain this way for the winter – dormant, dead, lifeless. And then spring comes, and they burst into life again. Growing sprouting, producing new leaves and buds. For there to be Spring, there has to be a fall and then a winter. For nature to spring to live, it first has to die. Death, then resurrection. This is true for ecosystems, food chains, the seasons, -- it’s true all across the environment. Death gives way to life.”

That is what we heard in our text for this morning. Seeds must be buried in the ground before they can rise from out of the earth as new life. 

Think about that for a moment…when we see death around us, when people are being buried in the ground, when we are ending an era, when jobs, ministries, administrations, even buildings or businesses are closing – each are making way for life. 

The “seed” is actually the metaphor for potential life to break forth!  Quakers were known to use several metaphors for “That of God” within us – some called it the “spark,” some the “light” and still others would reference the “seed” - a seed of potential life ready to break forth from within each of us.

Yet in our grief, in our pain, in our wanting to hold on to the past, or our idea of what we thought something should be – we cling to death – we hinder the needed change and potentiality of life – we miss the opportunities to embrace the life around us, now.

I am not saying grief, mourning, remembering, are wrong (they are essential, needed, and part of each of our lives) – but if they begin to strangle out the life around us, they diminish life.

·      The death of a loved one can be devastating.

·      The ending of an era can be full of anxiety of what is next.

·      The loss of a job can seem like the end – but often these are only the beginning of something new.

When death comes it forces us to see life in new ways. It changes things.  It also gives birth to new possibilities.

Rob challenges his reader to “Think of what you’ve had to eat today.” He says,

“Dead. All of it. If you ate plants, they were at some point harvested, uprooted, disconnected from a stalk or vine, yanked from the ground so that they could make their way to your plate, where you ate them so that you can…live. The death of one living thing for the life of another.”

What he is saying is that this “Dying to Live” is built into the core of our being as humans. It is part of how God created us. Take for example how…

·      Scientifically – the cells in our bodies are dying at a rate of millions a second, only to be replaced at a similar rate of millions a second. Our skin is constantly shedding and replacing itself with new cells – we have an entirely new skin every week or so

·      Relationally – when someone sacrifices their life to save another – policeman, fireman, soldiers, heroic neighbors, etc.…we are inspired by the giving of life to save life.

These are only two examples, but I bet if we thought for a while, we would begin to see death giving way to life all around us.

Last week, as I stood among the community ofrendas (altars) at the Dia de Muertas celebration, I pondered where in my life death had given way to life? (And where it may be wanting to, but not able or allowed to?)

Take a moment and ask yourself that query – Where in my life has death given way to life?  (And where may it be wanting to, but not able or allowed to?)

Or how about here at First Friends – where in the life of our meeting has death given way to life?  (And where may it be wanting to, but not able or allowed to?)

I continue to ponder these queries and I believe deep down many of you in this room have been wrestling with this process in your lives in some way.

Because death is giving way to life all around us…we must be aware of what this may mean in our day-to-day lives, ministries, careers, families, etc.…

In his book, “The Holy Longing,” Ronald Rolhieser, speaks of the various deaths in our lives, I don’t have enough time to go into great detail about each of them, but I do want to give you his list and briefly explain each.  Rolhieser says that these deaths are the “bread and butter of our lives.” – that unless we die in infancy, we will be experiencing many deaths in our lifetime – and more importantly that means we will also be given new life through that death.  Here are the deaths Rolhieser emphasizes…

1.    Death of our Youth…

Each day we are getting older, but that doesn’t mean we are dead. Our choices in life are happening now – not back when… Many people refuse to give up their youth – always trying to live in the past. Our bodies are changing, our minds are changing, and the world around us is changing. We cannot live or even be like we were in our teens, 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, etc.… We must admit that our youth has died and given birth to new seasons, eras, and most importantly who we are in the present moment.

Just think about it – many of us cause more death in our lives because we have what we label a mid-life crisis – where for some reason we feel we can go back. The reality is that our past lives have died and given birth to who we are now.

The same is true about First Friends. We are not the same Meeting we were in the late 1950’s when we moved into this building. And we are not the same as we were in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, or even early 2000s.  Those eras at First Friends have died, our community has changed, the world around us has changed, even Quakerism has changed. We must be asking, who we are in the present?

2.    Death of our Wholeness…

This Rolhieser explains is the death that results when part of us is fractured and dies. Maybe it was an abusive relationship, a lack of care or love, a divorce, a bad childhood, a degrading work situation, having been diagnosed with cancer or sickness, the loss of mobility, or even our minds…each of us endure things in life that cause us to be incomplete.

Acknowledging these deaths make us aware that we are not whole – that part of us has died along life’s path.  Each of us has something that makes us incomplete.  The death of our wholeness does not mean that we are not living – that God isn’t bringing newness to our pain.  Instead, we are admitting that we are not whole – that there are places that need newness of life!

People have left this meeting for various reasons over the years, and people will continue to do so. This will cause fractures and be painful at times but that doesn’t mean that new life can’t spring forth.  We may feel less than whole for a while, but new life will spring up and fill the gaps left. 

3.    Death of our Dreams…

Rolhieser says, “When we fail to mourn properly our incomplete lives, then this incompleteness becomes a gnawing restlessness, a bitter center, that robs our lives of all delight.”

Part of us, on this earthly journey, will never be fulfilled, we will experience times of loneliness, restlessness, and incompleteness.  As we become more aware of who we are, we may realize we are trying to live someone else’s dream or a dream that has died a long time ago, instead of the dreams that you and I are being made for in the present.

I believe that God wants us to dream dreams that are for now! That ideal dream, the American dream, the dream that someone else has for you – whatever it is may need to die – so that you can allow yourself to really dream with God for the future.

And the same is true for First Friends.  Often, I sense we are living a certain person or group of people’s dream for First Friends instead of dreaming together as a community.

4.    Death of our Honeymoon…

I have heard people say…well, the honeymoon is over. The passion of a relationship has died. We have changed. This could be for married partners as well as friendships.  All relationships must go through times of death.

The argument, that time of separation, that disagreement, may actually be the beginning of a death – but if we can see it as the beginning of something new – a new season in our relationship – it will give life!

The honeymoon is much like the personal “mountain top experience” – when we let it die – we begin to find new adventures that fit more into the daily aspects of life and allow us to sense renewal and hope on a more regular and ordinary basis.  Again, the same is true for those “mountain top experiences” we have all have had at First Friends - which kind of leads us into the last death…

5.    The Death of a Certain Idea of God and Church...

Wherever we are on life’s journey with God, we too often cling to a specific era in our walk with God.  Many of us spend our lives trying to find the Meeting or church of our youth – or the Meeting or church that provides that one experience that we encountered back when.

The reality is that we are constantly changing…and we are always spiritually forming – whether we are attempting to or not. We are learning, experiencing, and feeling our way through life and our walk with God.

Personally, I don’t see church or God the way I did when I was in fourth grade – or high school – or in college – or for that matter last week!

Too often you and I are so stuck in the image of God or of church from a previous time or experience, that we cannot recognize God’s presence within our current reality. God wants to meet and work with you and I in the present moment.

We are in a critical time as part of the church in America – I think it is becoming clear that we are going to have to put to death some of our ideas from the past so that God can do new things with and through us currently.

These five deaths that Rolhieser points out are what I would call “seeds,” They need to be buried and die – so new life can arise! 

What might that look for you and me?

I return to Rob Bell’s words from “Love Wins” – he says,

“Jesus talks about death and rebirth constantly, his and ours. He calls us to let go, turn away, renounce, confess, repent, and leave behind the old ways. He talks about life that will come from his own death, and he promises that life will flow to us in thousands of small ways as we die to our egos, our pride, our need to be right, our self-sufficiency, our rebellion, and our stubborn insistence that we deserve to get our way. When we cling with white knuckles to our sins and our hostility, we’re like a tree that won’t let its leaves go. There can’t be spring if we’re stuck in the fall.

Lose your life and find it, he says.

That’s how the world works.

That’s how the soul works.

That’s how life works – when you’re dying to live.”

So, I ask us this morning as we enter waiting worship. 

What do I need to die to – so that I can truly live?

What do we need to die to as a Meeting at First Friends – so we can truly live?

10-30-22 - Thomas Maule - Advocate for Witches

Thomas Maule - Advocate for Witches

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

October 30, 2022

Proverbs 31:8-9 (NRSV)

8 Speak out for those who cannot speak,
    for the rights of all the destitute.
9 Speak out; judge righteously;
    defend the rights of the poor and needy.

A couple weeks ago, Sue and I were watching Hocus Pocus 2.  As we watched the opening scene about the Sanderson sisters as children in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials, it began to pique my interest once again in the real history of the trials and the Quaker’s response of that time. I grabbed my phone and opened-up the Google search only to find a rather interesting history.

I was reminded that several years ago during an interview with Phil Gulley, we talked about how many people grew up wrongly connecting Quakers with the Salem Witch Trials. Often, Quakers get lumped in with the Puritans, especially in our history textbooks where we want to cover things rather quickly. But lumping us with the Puritans is far from the truth. Quakers were nothing like the Puritans and were considered outcasts by most of them.

As Phil told me in that interview, our history shows us a much different picture. We weren’t the ones trying to burn women and young girls at the stake, often we were the ones taking the heat for standing up for and defending the real and so-called witches of the time.

I found it ironic, that this year at the Indy Festival of Faiths our booth was next to only one other booth – the Indiana Pagan Community Outreach and Dialogue – including witches, psychics, and other local Earth Based and Non-Abrahamic Spiritual groups. Ed Morris said when I arrived at the festival, “They must have known to put the Quakers next to the Witches because not every religious group would be as welcoming as us.”  And there is some major historical truth in Ed’s words.

Thus, today’s sermon is going to be more of a history lesson. I sense now more than ever we need to spend time re-engaging our past (at all levels of society) so we can learn from it and not continue to make the same often horrific mistakes.

How many of you have heard the name Thomas Maule?  

Thomas Maule was born on May 3, 1645 and died on July 2, 1724. He happened to be a prominent Quaker in colonial Salem, Massachusetts.

Actually, the New England Historical Society says that Thomas Maule was an outspoken Quaker, who went to prison five times for criticizing Puritans in Salem, Massachusetts. The Puritans also whipped him three times and fined him three times.

Why was he imprisoned, whipped, and fined so many times?

Well, Thomas Maule believed in witches as a religious group, and he also believed God would punish the Salem Witch Trial prosecutors for miscarrying justice.

Before we get into what should have put him more prominently in our history books, let me give you a bit of Thomas Maule’s backstory.

Thomas Maule was born May 3, 1645 in Warwickshire, England. His family opposed Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan followers. Maule immigrated to Barbados at about the age of 13. Some speculate he went to Barbados to find his father, who Cromwell may have imprisoned there. 

The “Quakers in The World” web portal points out that in the seventeenth century, Barbados was the main port for trade and travel between Britain and her growing number of American colonies along the eastern seaboard. At this time, many people were exploiting the potential of burgeoning transatlantic trade.  Many others were emigrating from Britain to the ‘New World’: some saw economic opportunities, and some saw the prospect of putting their political ideas and religious beliefs into practice.

Quakers were caught up in all these developments. Soon there were Quaker settlers in Barbados and Jamaica. Many Quaker merchants were involved in transatlantic trade. Other Quakers reached the Caribbean as convicts and had to work on the plantations: at the time many Quakers were being imprisoned for their beliefs, and it was common practice to ‘transport’ prisoners to various colonies to provide cheap labor, rather than keeping them in British jails.

Quakerism also came to the Caribbean through mission activity. Early Quaker missionaries all passed through Barbados – Elizabeth Hooton and Joan Brocksop in 1661, Ann Robinson and Oswell Heritage in 1662, George Fox, William Edmundson, Elizabeth Hooton in 1671, and many others. Quaker George Rofe described Barbados then as ‘the nursery of the (Quaker) truth’.

Thomas Maule left this hotbed of Quakerism in Barbados and moved to Boston in 1668, and he settled permanently in Salem in about 1679.

At some point he converted to Quakerism, most-likely in Barbados. There he also took up the occupation of tailor. He would continue his tailoring business in Massachusetts. Smart and successful, he expanded into merchandising, real estate, and construction — despite the Puritan discrimination against Quakers at the time.

In Salem, Thomas Maule supplied the lumber and the land for the first known Quaker Meeting House in the United States, built in 1688. (It is now part of the Peabody Essex Museum)

Eventually the Puritans repealed the harshest laws against the Quakers, but tensions continued. The Puritans viewed the Quakers as dangerous intruders. The Quakers did not forget the way the Puritans had whipped, branded, mutilated, and hanged them.

Like many Quakers of the era, Thomas Maule spoke out against the Puritans for their cruelty and intolerance. He received 10 stripes of the whip for saying Salem’s John Higginson, “preached lies and was instructing in the doctrine of devils.”

The truth was that Thomas and his wife Naomi believed in witches. When the Salem witch trials began, they testified against Bridget Bishop, the first victim to be hanged.

But Maule grew disillusioned with the prosecutors’ murderous frenzy. Twenty people were executed within four months, and 100 more awaited trial when Gov. William Phips returned to his senses and halted the trials.

In 1695, several years after the release of the last accused witch, Thomas Maule published a pamphlet. He called it Truth Held Forth and Maintained. In cool and cutting sarcasm, he wrote that God would condemn the witch trial judges. He famously stated,

“[F]or it were better that one hundred Witches should live,

than that one person be put to death for a Witch, which is not a Witch.”

The Puritans were sensitive on the point that they had gone too far in the Salem witch trial prosecutions. So, on December 12, 1695, officials arrested Maule on charges of slanderous publication and blasphemy.

He was taken to Boston and brought before the governor and council. He refused to answer any questions and insisted on a trial in his own county by a jury of his peers. Then, after a year in jail, a court finally tried him in Salem.

The judges ordered the jury to convict Thomas Maule. But Maule argued they had no standing to rule on religious matters. He pointed out the King’s law bound the jury, and he had not broken it.  And he said the pamphlet wasn’t enough evidence to convict him, since the printer, not he, put it there.

The jury, probably influenced by the backlash against the witch trials, ruled the court had no right to suppress his expression of religious belief.

The decision marked the first time a jury disregarded instruction to convict. it also reflected the growing impatience with the Puritan theocracy.

Emerson W. Baker discussed the trial in his book A Storm of Witchcraft writing:

“Regardless of the reasons for their verdict, the jury’s acquittal of Thomas Maule was a turning point in the history of not only the Salem Witch Trials, but also American jurisprudence. Before 1692, a Massachusetts jury would have undoubtedly convicted a troublemaking Quaker, a habitual offender who impudently challenged authority…Maule’s not guilty verdict, announced in the same courtroom and before some of the same magistrates who had sat in judgement of the victims of witchcrafts, signals a dramatic change. The case was a landmark for freedom of speech, freedom of press, and freedom of religion.”

Not only did Thomas Maule’s acquittal pave the way for the First Amendment in our country, but it also set a precedent for freedom of the press in America. Lawyers cited it as precedent for the John Peter Zenger trial, which established the right to print controversial opinions.

According to the Cultural Center for the Maule’s Estate:

Knowledge of the acquittal in Maule’s trial went immediately to the three printing houses in Boston, and by mail to New York and Philadelphia. Local Boston printers stopped seeking approval for many items, and authors stopped sending controversial works out of the colony for printing. The volume of pamphlet publishing increased significantly. To printers, the Maule case meant the right to print controversial pamphlets without being subjected to penalties.

Thomas Maule continued to write. He married twice, reared 11 children, and put his energy into his store and his Quaker Meeting. He died July 2, 1724, at the age of 79.

I admire Thomas Maule for living his life to defend the rights of marginalized people who could not speak for themselves. What he did was both advocate for religious freedom, as well as the rights of women in colonial Salem.

He, like many Quakers of his day, was a “change agent” - a person with the skill and desire to transform a community or ultimately a society. Thomas Maule knew something was inherently wrong in the Salem Witch Trials and believed strongly in standing up for the rights of witches and those wrongly accused of being witches.

It is clear that Maule held a fundamental belief in the value of each person and that there was that of God in each person. Acting on his beliefs led Thomas Maule to become what Friends would call a “witness in society.” In other words, Thomas Maule became a change agent to improve the daily reality of those who were witches or wrongly accused of being witches in his community.

His imprisonment and persecution for his beliefs led to much action and witness in society. Maule’s actions would put his advocacy of the witches in a long line of Quaker witnesses who would call for improved conditions in prisons, mental health hospitals to stop the practice of jailing mentally ill people, the end of the enslavement of black people in America, and the rights for women to vote in this country. 

As well, Thomas Maule spoke directly against the government or theocracy of his day. Some consider our country under a theocracy of sorts as fundamental Christianity has been swept up as a major part of the political dialogue, as well as making decisions and policies in this country.

Today, Quakers still must stand, like Thomas Maule, and advocate for people of other faith communities who are being abused or neglected by the systems in place.

And I am not just talking about being tolerant of people who believe different than us Quakers – I mean being willing to defend them and stand with them when they are being treated wrongly.

This week on the news I was saddened to see antisemitism on the rise again in this country.  The Anti-Defamation League shows that anti-semetic incidents have increased by 34% since 2021 and the numbers are rising as we get closer to elections.  

As well, the United Nations recently said there is an overall increase in Islamophobia specifically in the United States and Europe. Over 30% of people still hold Muslims in a “negative light.” 

2019 saw the greatest increase in violence against religious communities in almost a decade in our country and the numbers continue to rise.

I think we too quickly forget that religious freedom, one of our core First Amendment principles, supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.

Sadly, too many religious folks (who many call themselves Christian), think much like the Puritans in colonial Salem that religious freedom is to be perceived as something that is only meant to protect some citizens at the expense of others.

By speaking up like Thomas Maule, we can demonstrate that such rhetoric does not hurt only a subsection of the population, but ALL of us. 

And please understand, it does not have to mean we must do this only in the court of law. No, this means you and I standing up for our siblings of other faiths in conversations within our families, at work, in classrooms, in our neighborhoods and communities, and especially through our vote.

So, as we enter waiting worship this morning, I want us to ponder the following queries:

·      Am I aware of someone of another faith community that is being mistreated, neglected, or simply not heard?

·      How might I advocate for them?

·      What rhetoric might I need to change or stop using altogether, so that ALL people will benefit?

10-23-22 - Learning to Mind the Light in Anxious Times

Learning to Mind the Light in Anxious Times

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

October 23, 2022

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning our scripture reading is from John 3:19-21 from the New Revised Standard Version.

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.  For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.  But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Have you ever noticed how Quakers are always talking about “the light.”  We use the phrase to say things like,

“I am holding you in the light.” 

“We need to mind the light.”

“I am seeking my inner light” or “the light within.”

It also has been associated in Quaker circles with the historical Christ and as well the metaphorical understanding of Christ. We have a variety of names for Christ that speak of light:

Light of the World.

Father of Lights.

Light of Lights.

Light of God.

The Eternal Light

And the list could go on.

But you may not know that for us, Quakers, our use of “the light” metaphor goes all the way back to our founder, George Fox.  Here is a modern English translation of George Fox’s words:

“So long as you live in the light nothing can trip you up, because you will see everything in the light.  Do you love the light? Then here’s your teacher!  When you are out walking it’s there with you, in your heart – you don’t have to say, ‘Look over here’, ‘Look over there’. And as you lie in bed it’s there with you too, teaching you, making you aware of that wandering mind of yours that likes to wander off, and of your attempts to master everything with your own thought and imagination – they themselves are mastered by the light. For if you follow your own thoughts, you will soon get lost. But if you live in the light it will reveal to you the root of your wrongdoing, and the distortions of your life, and the degraded condition in which you live, and your endless thinking about everything.”

That sounds very similar to our scripture reading we heard for this morning.  The light is our inner teacher and is shedding light on the darkness of our lives – bringing awareness, capturing our wandering mind, and helping us find direction.

The problem for many people is that we have a hard time connecting to that inner light daily – especially in our over-busy lives. Quaker Rex Ambler in his studies started to wonder about similar things but how they related to early Quakers. His journey took him back to an in-depth study of the early Quakers to see how they found joy, peace of mind, and courage to share it with others, amidst the difficulties and anxieties of their day.   

Rex knew that Quakers didn’t have specific spiritual practices of this nature and honestly, spiritual “how to” manuals weren’t that big in the 17th century. But as he looked through the Early writings of Friends, he was surprised to find a clear pattern emerge. Rex shares his findings in a book I think is well worth your reading, Light to Live By: An Exploration in Quaker Spirituality.

On his website “Experiment with Light,” Rex identified 4 stages of this spiritual practice which early Friends used and described. Lately, I have been spending some time studying mindfulness and its benefits during stressful and anxious moments. Religious Education specialist, John Baxter, gives the following definition of mindfulness as it relates to both Quaker and Buddhist practice. He says mindfulness…

…is the development of both a skill and a perspective, the skill first to focus on the breath and the body as a way of disengaging from a relentless chain of thoughts and emotions that course through us, and become a detached yet amicable observer of them, increasingly skilled in letting them go and returning to a basic and fundamental awareness of body, breath, and mental and emotional life.

It amazes me that what Rex discovers and ultimately identifies as early Quaker practice is right in line with what people are teaching today under the heading – mindfulness.  Just listen to the four stages Rex identifies from our early Friends:

1. Mind the Light. This means stopping to consider what the Light within you shows you about what is happening in your life. Is anything causing you unease? Is there anything you need to attend to?

1. Open your heart to the Truth. Be honest and open with yourself and the Divine. Let the Truth emerge of its own accord. Don’t try to evade or excuse anything that you are shown, but also don’t let yourself become confused or guilty.

1. Wait in the Light. Instead of worrying over what the Light shows you, or trying to come up with solutions, be calm and patient. The Light itself, as it shows you the Truth, is a sign of something of the Divine within you. Its power can show you what you need to understand (or to do!) in order to achieve peace of mind—providing you don’t lose yourself in troubled emotions. “Be cool” said Fox in his longest account of this process.

1. Submit to the Truth. George Fox wrote in a letter,

“When you have seen what’s going on in your mind, and the temptations there, do not think but submit... You will then receive power. So, stand still in the Light, submit to it, and all the rest will quieten down or disappear.”

At times, the Light impels you to a necessary course of action, and then submitting means obeying it.

So, to help modern Quakers understand and find a practical use for what the early Quakers knew and taught, Rex created what he called an “Experiment with Light.” Some of you may remember pre-pandemic learning about this “Experiment with Light” from Dan and Jamie Mudd at a Saturday workshop they offered for us in our parlor.  

In creating this, Rex realized these steps were very similar to psychologist Eugene Gendlin’s therapeutic process of “Focusing.” Gendlin describes “Focusing” this way,

There are three key qualities or aspects which set Focusing apart from any other method of inner awareness and personal growth. The first is something called the “felt sense.” The second is a special quality of engaged, accepting inner attention. And the third is a radical philosophy of what facilitates change.

Again, another process and resource that is often included in what we would label under the broader definition of mindfulness, today. Making these connections allowed Rex to find a way to re-introduce the early Quaker spiritual practice to us which I believe is relevant in our day and age.   

This morning I would like to utilize Rex’s “Experiment with Light” based on Early Quaker understandings to help lead us into waiting worship.  

Taking time to remind ourselves of these Early Quaker practices seem quite appropriate as things begin to ramp up with politics in our country leading to election day, with the threat of nuclear war back on the table, as the climate crisis continues to be more and more evident in our world, as inflation and the cost of living continue to go up, and as tensions rise within school boards, around family tables, and in our work situations. We, like our ancestors before us, must be honest that our minds and lives are once again full, seeking answers, and needing some semblance of HOPE.

Many are seeking alternative ways than just turning off mass media or getting off the internet to center down and mind the light in their personal lives – and as Rex came to see, Quakers have offered opportunities to do this since their very beginnings.  

Folks, this is one of the reasons I was originally drawn to Quakerism. I first experienced these practices on Cannon Beach in Oregon each morning before entering my doctoral classes. I quickly found these early Quaker practices useful in helping me to center or refocus, calm my anxiety and inner-questioning, and ultimately discover positive solutions and hopeful possibilities for my condition and even the condition of my neighbors and world.   

Now, don’t worry, to participate in this “Experiment with Light” you will be able to stay right where you are seated. I will be reading a prompt and then giving some time after each prompt to allow you to experiment with the light.

In this time, please hold the silence – these practices will lead us into our time of waiting worship.

So, let us begin our “Experiment with Light” this morning:    

1        Start by Relaxing your body and mind. Make yourself comfortable.

Feel the weight of your body on the pew or chair.

Let all the tension go, in each part of your body (start with your head and work all the way down to your toes).

Let your immediate worries go, your current preoccupations.

Be relaxed, but alert.

Control your breathing.

Let yourself become wholly receptive.

2        In this receptive state of mind, let the real concerns of your life emerge.

Ask yourself, 'What is really going on in my life?', but do not try to answer the question. Let the answer come.

You can be specific: 'What is happening in my relationships, my work, my country, my Meeting, in my own heart and mind?' And more specifically still: 'Is there anything here that makes me feel uncomfortable, uneasy?'

As we gradually become aware of these things, we are beginning to experience the light.

3        Now, focus on one issue that presents itself, one thing that gives you a sense of unease.

Try to get a sense of this thing - as a whole. Deep down you know what it is all about, but you don't normally allow yourself to take it all in and absorb the reality of it. Now is the time to do so.

You don't have to get involved in it again or get entangled with the feelings around it. Keep a little distance, so that you can see it clearly. Let the light show you what is really going on here.

‘What is it about this thing’, you can ask, ‘that makes me feel uncomfortable?’

Let the answer come. And when it does, let a word or image also come that says what it's really like, this thing that concerns me.

4        Now ask yourself what makes it like that. Don’t try to explain it. Just wait in the light till you can see what it is. Let the full truth reveal itself, or as much truth as you are able to take at this moment. The answer will come.

5        When the answer comes, welcome it. It may be painful or difficult to believe with your normal conscious mind, but if it is the truth, you will recognize it immediately. You will realize that it is something that you need to know. Trust the light. Say yes to it. It will show you new possibilities. It will show you the way through. So, however the news seems to be at first, accept it and let its truth pervade your whole being.

6        As soon as you accept what is being revealed to you, you will begin to feel different. Accepting truth about yourself is like making peace. Something is being resolved.

If none of this seems to have happened, do not worry. It may take longer. Notice how far you have got this time and pick it up on another occasion. In any case this is a process we do well to go through again and again, so that we can continue to grow and become more like the people we are meant to be.

When you feel ready, open your eyes, stretch your limbs, and bring the meditation to an end.

At this time, we will begin our waiting worship. Take some time in the continued silence to reflect upon your “Experiment with Light” this morning.

10-16-22 - A Spirituality of Imperfection

A Spirituality of Imperfection

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Beth Henricks

October 16, 2022 

Luke 18:9-14 (NRSV) 

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other, for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Friends, I am thinking that many of you have heard this parable that Jesus shared with his disciples, religious Jewish leaders and interested folks in his ministry. On its surface it seems like a very straightforward and direct message. Jesus criticizes the Pharisee for his prayer and his self-righteous attitude that his good acts make him superior to others. The Pharisee’s prayer talks more about his righteous deeds rather than a need for grace and mercy from God. The tax collector is the sinner that recognizes his need for God’s mercy and prays a very different prayer in the Temple. The tax collector asks for grace and goes home from the temple forgiven while the Pharisee and religious man does not receive this from God. I read this message for many years in its simple explanation. I was called to think about how bad the Pharisee is and how good the tax collector is because he asks for God’s forgiveness. And there is much to consider in this parable. We often want to think we are good people because we don’t steal or cheat, lie, and we create our self-image on many of these narratives that tell us we do the right thing, so we are “good people”. It is so troubling in our current culture that we are dividing everyone into tribes, camps, sides and we seem to stick with our tribe and look with disdain at the “other”.

This was certainly true back in Jesus' time. We hear Jesus often speak about the Pharisees. They are portrayed as legalistic, “holier than thou” and superior to the common Jewish folks that looked to these men as scholars of the Jewish and religious laws and practices. It’s important to consider the context of Jesus' time and what was going on with the occupation of their territory by the Roman Empire. We remember that the Pharisees worked to arrest Jesus and turn him over to the government authorities. We might think that the Pharisees were part of the Empire. And certainly, the Pharisees had to be in communication with the Roman Empire and in some type of cooperation, but many of them stood with their Jewish people and tried to hold their culture and faith together during this oppressive Roman regime. They tried to hold onto the Jewish law, the Torah as Rome was trying to tear it apart.

The tax collector on the other hand, is portrayed as a sinner but a bit of a sympathetic character in several of Jesus' parables. However, when we look more closely at a tax collector at that time, these were no straightforward IRS agents. The tax collector was often Jewish and a traitor to the Jewish people as he was in full collaboration and employment of the Roman Empire. The authorities recruited these Jewish men to collect the taxes among their people to keep the Empire functioning. These men embodied the financial goals of the Romans and went to their kinfolk and demanded money. They were well paid by the Empire and were despised by the Jewish people which seems legitimate. It’s always the greed of humans that seems to allow folks to set aside principles, integrity, and their identification with their people to make money. 

At face value in this parable, it seems like there are good and bad people here. The Pharisee represents the legalistic, law driven and heartless person while the tax collector is the sinner, the one that recognizes the need for God’s love and grace. And there is truth to this. As religious folk we often think we have the right beliefs, the right path and the right structure and history to be the keeper of the tradition. And the tax collector represents so many folks that live in a place that diminishes others, supports the establishment, and takes money in an unjust way. The tax collectors’ sins are on full display to the people while the Pharisee’s sins seem to occur within his heart and mind. The tax collector recognizes that God gives grace, mercy, and love to all and that our actions do not determine the expansive love of God. The Pharisee struggles to embrace this message of Jesus that will turn their faith and tradition completely upside down. His heart just cannot soften to the idea that God loves everyone no matter what and that we cannot ever earn the love of God. To think it’s freely given goes against all the learning these leaders have trained in and studied and embraced. The tax collector seeks God’s forgiveness for his sins.

There are important lessons in this parable. Religious people need to have humility and embrace God’s love for all humans as God does not divide us into the worthy and unworthy. Unfortunately, we humans seem to want to do this, as we are such an achievement and performance-based society.

As I reflect on the message of this parable, my heart has been stirred this week and I look in the mirror and I see that I often put people in one camp or another. When I look down on the other (and that other is defined by each of us differently based on our background, our life experiences, and our traditions) then I am acting as the Pharisee. If I think I am better or more evolved than the legalistic, tradition bound, holding onto history, and doctrinal faith person, then I am the Pharisee. I am the Pharisee, and I am the tax collector. I can’t think that I am beyond the Pharisee view when I demonize those that believe differently than I do. As columnist and “theologian Dave Barry says: “There are two kinds of people in this world, and I am one of them.”

If I say dear God, I am thankful that I am not like this Pharisee, I am thankful I’m not like this person or believe this, then I become the Pharisee. I want to be the grace filled tax collector because I think Pharisees are legalistic and hypocrites – but then that is when I become the Pharisee. 

I cannot ever say as the Pharisee says at the start of this passage that I am thankful that I am not like his list of adulterers, thieves, rogues, or a tax collector. We are all full of humanity, full of imperfections, full of disappointments, bad decisions, and their consequences., adulterers, thieves and rogues. And I think what Jesus is saying is that none of that matters. God extends love to us all within all our humanity, all of our pain and bad decisions and bad intention, embrace of acquisitions, status, success. We can turn to God at any moment and say, I need you, I need God’s grace. I need a resurrection that brings me into the fullness of God’s love. 

It seems like we need to ask the question: which of these two people in this parable of Jesus am I? Maybe all of us need to understand that we are both Pharisee and Tax Collector and reflect on when we see ourselves in each of these characters? When I think I have the answers, when I think I am right, when I think I have the reputation, the wisdom, and the right way, I am a Pharisee. When I participate in structures of oppression and the desire for money at all costs, then I am the tax collector. All are in need of God’s grace and love. 

Jesus is a non-dual thinker, and he is turning the entire Jewish system upside down. The entire Old Testament is about the law and obeying this law to come into closer relationship with God. This is how the Jewish people believed they would experience God’s favor and our Jesus comes out of this tradition. Jesus is a scholar in the Jewish law as evidenced when it is written that as a child, he was teaching the elders in the Temple at age 12. He knew the law as well as any Pharisee and yet he was preaching a message that turned all of that tradition upside down. That tells us that Jesus was a revolutionary in his faith tradition. And how many times do we reject a person that comes into our church that speaks a message that is uncomfortable and different and something that we want to reject or can’t accept as we hold on to the traditions that we have embraced for years?

Of course, wouldn’t we love to hear more of this story after the encounter in the Temple? As the tax collector prays to God for mercy and is forgiven does he stop being a tax collector? How do we square the understanding and acceptance of personal forgiveness if we don’t also change what we are doing?

Jesus’ teachings are not about a meritocracy which is often how our country determines success. Jesus’ teachings combine the good and the bad, the winners and the losers and rejects the merit system and embraces the idea of faith, love and of turning to God. God’s love is given to all no matter any situation. God identifies with the tax collector because he is an outsider and God is all about outsiders. God has been about outsiders since we first received the Biblical teaching. The Israelites were outsiders for centuries – it is only when they achieved success they turned away from God and relied on the law, and the tradition. But God also identifies with the Pharisee as these religious leaders embraced God and the Yahweh path when all other societies thought they were crazy to depend on one God. These religious leaders had to start out with a powerful message of faith and trust in God. It seems like as time went on that this powerful and life changing message became diluted into a systematic institution with many laws, restrictions and separations among cultures and people. 

Our Affirmation class has been looking at the early Quakers and how Quakerism started. The ‘movement’ that George Fox and Margaret Fell helped establish was passionate, infused with a spiritual fire, principled as they were willing to spend time in prison for their beliefs and shared a revolutionary message of equality for all and the love of God available to everyone. A movement is exciting, fresh, appealing and can catch fire with many. But nothing can ever just stay a movement as structure, tradition and hierarchy come into play in order to keep the movement alive. It has to become more institutionalized but then power, money, disagreements happen, and the outsiders become the insiders and our traditions become more important than the revolutionary ideas that Jesus shared. This happens in all Christian denominations , it happens in the Jewish tradition, it happens in all movements. I think this is why Jesus spends so much time in his teaching urging us to come back again and again to the ideas of God’s love for all and to stop thinking in terms of us and them. 

The message in the Bible is not a winner’s message but a loser’s script. Why do many Christians always want to go to the winners, the potential strong individuals? Richard Rohr says “didn’t most of us think that it’s all a meritocracy? I certainly did. Many religious people think it’s all a merit badge system – all achievement, accomplishment, performance, and perfection. The good people win, and the bad people lose. Of course, once we cast anything as a win-lose scenario, the irony is that everybody loses. Why can’t people see that competitive games are not the way to go?”

 Jesus always embraced the losers from a societal perspective – the women, tax collectors, the poor, the Sanitarians that weren’t quite as good as the religious Jews, those feeling lost and forgotten for whatever reason. And really don’t we all feel like losers during parts of our lives? If we can embrace the losers, the outsiders, those that are different from us, the broken, the forgotten and those feeling lost then we all become winners. That, my friends, is the beloved community that we all want to see come to fruition.

As we enter our time of unprogrammed worship I share a few queries to consider .

When am I a Pharisee and when am I a Tax Collector?

In searching my heart, where do I divide people and think one side is good and the other bad?

Do I embrace God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness for all?

Do I speak my truth in love and care to others even when they believe or behave differently?

10-9-22 - Allowing Humor to Build Empathy (Part 5)

Allowing Humor to Build Empathy

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

October 9, 2022

Good morning, Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections. This week I am wrapping up my sermon series on Empathy. I hope you have a had a chance over these last several weeks to ponder your own empathy, the empathy of your friends and neighbors, and even explore the empathy within our Meeting.  We have looked at the subject from several different angles, but this morning for our final look we will be studying the relationship between humor and empathy. An aspect that I feel we are quick to forget or ignore. 

Our scriptures for today are Luke 9:53-54 and Mark 3:17 from the New Revised Standard Version.

…but they did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?”

…James, son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to whom he gave the name Boanerges, that is, Sons of Thunder)…

I love our scriptures for today, because they give us a glimpse into the authentic humor of both Jesus and the disciples. Given the disciples’ wild suggestion to bring down fire or lightning, and thunder, from heaven, Jesus gave them a nickname.  

No matter how gently we think this was delivered, it was bound to be the subject of much humor in numerous retellings of the story. I could see Jesus and the disciples sitting around the campfire at night and Jesus starting, “Remember that time…how about you Sons of Thunder?” I think too often we take the Bible too serious and miss the little interactions that make it relatable.

Jesus often used humor in relating to his people, but because we did not live in his culture and time, we often miss his point, turning it into a much more serious interaction. Often Jesus uses humor to build some empathy among his disciples, other followers, and even his enemies.

Remember that time Jesus addresses the rich young man. He says,

 “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:21-24)

Jesus takes a rather serious conversation and uses humor to make his point. I am sure the disciples who were trying to take it all in, simply broke out in laughter at the absurdity of Jesus’s illustration – yet they understood what he was saying about the difficulty he was trying to portray.

Several years ago, a movie about Jesus came out, where Jesus was portrayed by a dark haired and dark skinned middle eastern man (I know, surprising, right.) He was also short, hairy, and smiled a lot.

Obviously, many people did not like this actor’s portrayal of Jesus. It didn’t match their White European, emaciated, and effeminate Jesus looking downcast and with a halo hanging on their walls or in their churches (another great reason we do not have images of Jesus in our Meetinghouse).  

I was given an opportunity to watch a clip of the movie in one of my college master’s classes. We were asked to watch the scene where Jesus is sharing with the crowd the Beatitudes – commonly referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. 

Unlike most paintings that have Jesus teaching from the top of the mountain.  This movie has him starting at the bottom of the hillside with his disciples surrounding him, and then the camera pans up the hillside and shows the multitude of followers waiting for his teaching.

As Jesus begins, he walks through his disciples and directs the dialogue first to them. He approaches Matthew (the notorious Tax Collector) first and gently puts his hands on his shoulders. With a big smile on his face, Jesus locks eyes with Matthew and then delivers the first beatitude. He says, “Oh Matthew, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” And then he winks and moves on through the disciples. Meanwhile the camera catches Matthew’s laughter changing to contemplation, and you see him following behind Jesus hanging on every word out of his mouth. 

I believe Jesus used humor often because humor is able to build empathy. 

Scott Aukerman, co-founder of "Between Two Ferns," (Has anyone ever watch “Between Two Ferns” with Zach Galifianakus?) well, he defaulted to comedy to disarm bullies early in life. He thinks humor is key to fostering empathy and genuine interactions. He points out 3 ways humor is a skill that builds empathy:

First, he says, humor disarms people.

The kind of humor which disarms can interrupt the power struggles, easing tensions and allowing you to reconnect and regain perspective.

It helps you be more spontaneous. Shared laughter helps you break free from rigid ways of thinking and behaving, allowing you to see the problem in a new way and find a creative solution.

And humor can disarm by helping you be less defensive. Through humor, we hear things differently and can tolerate learning things about ourselves that we otherwise might find unpleasant or even painful.

I know when things are rather tense or stressful, I need people who understand the importance of humor and its power to disarm me.  It only takes a text to Phil Gully or a lunch with him, to have me breaking out in laughter and seeing things from a new perspective. This past week was rather stressful for me for a variety of reasons, and each day Phil would check in with me and within moments have me disarmed from my stress and struggle and able to talk more openly about what all was going on. 

Second, Aukerman says when you let go of the outcome being in your favor, it releases tension. 

In other words, when you’re not holding tightly to your expectations or whether you’re going to come out on top, it changes what might have been a typical interaction. 

Humor opens us up, freeing us to express what we truly feel and allowing our deep, genuine emotions to rise to the surface.

This is true when I have a meal with our own Mark Kishego, he knows how to utilize humor to disarm you and allow you to feel safe in sharing your heart and emotions.  Or most of us remember Dan Rains – for him it was a simple pun and after a pause we were drawn in by the laughter and the conversation.

And three, Aukerman says by bringing laughter to meetings/social interactions/everywhere, you acknowledge a mutual desire not to be bored. 

When situations or people get too serious and lose the ability to find humor in what they do, it is easy to become bored or simply not interested.  Sometimes, when we are trying to be good Quakers or fighting the cause, we don’t take the time to laugh together and be joyful. 

One of the things I love about our men’s Threshing Together is that when we get together, we spend a lot of time laughing and that opens us up to building deeper relationships. I heard the same about the women’s retreat that just took place – laughter is so important to our engaging one another in a deeper way. 

When I was in campus ministries, I had a team of about 23 college students. Each year we would begin with a retreat off campus, and I would always lead them in an exercise called, “First Impressions.” 

I would hand out a piece of paper with all our names on it with a space behind each name. Then I would ask them to spend the next 30 minutes writing down one word for each person that describes their first impression of that person. 

Since I participated as well, and had interacted with each of the students in the hiring process, I would utilize a theme. One year I gave each of them a Pixar Animated Character that I felt represented my first impression of them. 

Part of the experience was to share the one word, and then explain why without the other person responding or asking questions. Over the next hour we shared our words and explanations. We did a lot of sharing and even more receiving.

The room always erupted in laughter because some people were way off, and at other times they were right on. By the end of our time there was a sense of true empathy for each other. We both learned something about ourselves, and learned also a lot about our perceptions of other people.   

That specific year we bonded in a special way. That group would meet at our home once a month to watch a Pixar movie and discuss our similarities to the characters.  Some students were hilariously exactly like their character, others seemed to grow into their characters in interesting ways throughout the year. 

Still today this group of students keeps in contact with me. They still reference their Pixar characters and the many laughs we had over this one activity and how it brought us to see each other in new ways. This is still one of the best examples of utilizing humor to build empathy I have ever experienced.  

On a side note, many of the students gave me the word “teddy bear.” So my Pixar character became Lotso – which brought many laughs as well for a multitude of reasons.

Folks, when we utilize humor in a proper manner, it can lift others up, make it safe to admit our faults, honor our differences, laugh at our human frailties, lift us above our embarrassments, and allow us to relate to those who hold different views. 

Thus, humor allows us to build empathy in a special way.

This past week, I finished reading one of the best Philosophy books I have ever read.  It is titled, “Nasty, Brutish, and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids” by Scott Hershovitz (professor of law and philosophy at the University of Michiagn.  He starts each chapter with an often-humorous story about his two boys, Hank and Rex. I found that these funny stories led to disarming me and helping me to prepare for the deeper work in the rest of the chapter.  I found myself empathizing with Scott and his wife in their parenting, as well as navigating the difficult questions of life. 

In the last chapter on God he begins with this story.

“Zack has God boots.”

“What?” I said, turning my attention to Rex. I was in the kitchen making dinner.  Rex (then four) was at the table, eating the last of his pre-dinner snacks. The snacks serve a dual purpose in our house: they make it possible for us to cook dinner and make sure that our kids won’t eat what we cook.

“Zack has God boots,” Rex repeated, as if it were a revelation.

“ZACH HAS GOD BOOTS?!” I said, as if it really was a revelation.

(Over-the-top enthusiasm is one of my go-to parenting moves. Good things happen when you get a kid excited about a conversation.)

“Yes! God has God boots,” Zach said with increasing excitement.

“Which Zack? Big Zach? Little Zach? Grown-up Zach? There were an absurd number of Zach’s in the Giraffe Room.

“Little Zach!” said Rex, triumphantly.

“No Way, Little Zach has God boots?!”

“Yeah!”

“Cool…but what are God boots?”
“You know,” Zach said, as if it was obvious. 

“No, I don’t, buddy. What are God boots?”

“They are boots with God on them.”

“God is on Zach’s boots!” I shouted, treating this as the shocking news it was. “Is God heavy? Can Zach walk in his boots? Is he stuck at school? SHOULD WE GO HELP HIM?

“Not God, Daddy! A Picture of God.”

“Oh wow.” I softened my voice. “What does God look life?”

“You know,” said Rex, in a conspiratorial tone.

“No, I don’t,” I whispered. “What does God look like?”

“The man in the cowboy hat.”

“Which man in the cowboy hat?”

“The one in the movie.”

Now we were getting somewhere. Rex had only seen three movies. The first was Curious George. “Do you mean the man with the yellow hat?”

“No,” he said with a giggle.

The second was Cars. “Do you mean Mater?”

“No! Mater doesn’t wear a cowboy hat,” he said, in a way that suggested he was the one talking to a small child.

That left Toy Story. “Woody?”

“Yes! GOD!”

Scott says, “I have no idea how Rex arrived at this view, but if you want to creep yourself out, imagine that Woody is God. Wherever you go, whatever you do, Woody’s painted eyes are watching you.

On that note, let’s take a moment to enter waiting worship this morning. As we do, I ask that you ponder the following queries:

·        How do I let humor disarm me?

·        Who in my life brings needed humor and allows me the freedom to be my authentic self?

·        How might I utilize humor with others to build empathy in my world?

10-2-22 - Jesus the Empath (Part 4)

Jesus the Empath (Part 4)

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

October 2, 2022

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This week I am on part four of my series on Empathy.  The scripture text for this morning is Matthew 9:35-36 from The Message translation.  

Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd.

Back when we lived in Oregon, I had a conversation with a friend who introduced me to the term empath. At first, I was skeptical of its meaning, so I spent a lot of time listening to our friend and her experience. After talking to some others about the concept, I began to be able to identify certain people in my life as empathic or even as empaths.  As I continued my research, I began to identify characters in the Bible who also showed empathic tendencies. Above all there was Jesus, who, by definition, would be an empath on a very high but balanced level. 

So, what do I mean when I use the term empath. To get to the root of the concept, this past summer I began to read The Art of Empathy by Karla McLaren.  Karla was the first person to have claimed the title, empath, professionally in the late 70’s. She has spent her life learning to work with, understand, define, redefine, and study emotions, empathy, and empaths. So, who better to go to for a definition of the term. Her definition reads,

An empath is someone who is aware that he or she reads emotions, nuances, subtexts, undercurrents, intentions, thoughts, social space, interactions, relational behaviors, body language, and gestural language to a greater degree than is deemed normal.

But Karla makes sure to point out that we are all empathic at some level. We actually need to be empathic in order to navigate our way through the social world. We all read emotions, intentions, nuances, and so on, because empathy is central to our capacity to connect to, interact with, and understand others and our world.

The reality is that part of our nature (or being) is to be empathic. And I believe it is also part of that of God in each of us. I would say it is an aspect of the Imago Dei or image of God within us. And who better to show us what that looks like, than Jesus.   

As part of my second sermon in this series, I began to explore Jesus’ empathy.  I reminded us of Jesus’ multi-faceted suffering during his earthly journey and his willingness to identify with us through that suffering. I also identified the variety of empathies Jesus utilized that are recorded in scripture – which I described as his cognitive, affective, emotional, and saving, spiritual, and pro-social empathies. My point was to show how Jesus tapped into a variety of empathies to speak to the conditions of the people he ministered to and served.

By Karla McLaren’s definition, Jesus would have been considered a balanced empath leaning toward a hyper-empath. Yet his empathic capacity and skills were much greater and honed than the average person. Throughout the Bible we get glimpses into his ability to discern what people are feeling, their motives, and even the spirit in which they were operating.

Let me give you some examples of Jesus the Empath:

In Luke 5:22-23 Jesus is speaking to Pharisees who wanted to show he was against “The Law”, but it says, “When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts?” Jesus discerned their motives and answered them with wisdom. 

In John 11:33-35 Jesus wept as he saw the pain of Mary and Martha on losing their brother Lazarus. It says, “When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.” The text emphasizes that he felt their emotions at the depth of his soul.

In Luke 19:41-44 we see Jesus weep another time, this time over the city of Jerusalem. It reads, “As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace!” He was brought to tears over their condition and their lack of understanding.

In John 6:14-15 Jesus was able to escape a mob because he discerned their motives and knew it did not align with God’s Kingdom of love and peace.  It says, “When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.” He knew their intentions were wrong and escaped to take time for his own mindfulness.

In John 4:16-18 Jesus approaches a well and sees a woman who he discerns has had multiple husbands. Jesus shows that he understands her deep shame, lack of identity, and the emotional void this woman carried. It says, Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.” Jesus offered her a chance to experience the fullness of life if she wanted it. 

And finally, in Mark 5:30 Jesus is touched by the woman with the issue of blood. There are many cultural references in this text that I don’t want to go into, but I want to focus on this one line in the text,

“Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my cloak?” 

If you do some research, you will find that the word power is more often translated virtue from the Greek. Thus, in many translations it reads, “the virtue had gone forth from him.” Some may even say this was Jesus’ empathy exuding from him. It was so great for the woman that she found hope again and was healed in more ways than just her issue of blood.

And there are many more examples of Jesus the Empath throughout the gospels. I think it is clear that Jesus’ empathy helped him comprehend, connect to, and care about others in a deep way. His empathy is the underlying ingredient that he wants us to tap into in our own lives, so we can live a more peaceful life with ourselves, with our friends, and with our neighbors.

Thus, I believe, as I have stated throughout this sermon series, following the example of Jesus we should all become more attuned to our own empathic nature for the benefit of our family, friends, and neighbors.

So, to help us get a bit more in touch with our own personal levels of empathy, I would like us to do something different this morning to close this message.  I would like us to take an Empathy Inventory. It is from the Karla McLaren’s book. “The Art of Empathy.” Please note: I know this inventory only gives us a picture our empathy and is not complete or all encompassing, but I have found it helpful to get me thinking more about my own empathy and the empathy of those around me.   

All you need to do for this inventory is remember the number of questions you answer “yes” to.  So, only count how many times you answer “yes.” Then at the end I will explain how you can score your inventory.  There are 43 questions – so I will pause briefly and then keep going to get through them. So, answer honestly but quickly. Here we go:

·        I tend to know how others are feeling, even (or especially if) they are trying to hide it.

·        I tend to avoid conflict because I don’t want to hurt others or make them feel embarrassed.

·        People (and animals) and their relationships and interactions are endlessly interesting to me.

·        I do not need to see other’s faces to read their emotions.

·        I am drawn to situations of injustice, and I spend a lot of time thinking about how to alleviate suffering. 

·        I often mimic the mannerisms, accents, and body language of others without meaning to.

·        I tend to think about interpersonal issues by imagining myself in the place of those involved.

·        I have a very easy time reading between the lines, under the surface, and behind the obvious.

·        I feel beauty palpably; beauty creates a sense of delight and expansiveness in my body.

·        Interpersonal conflict – even when it does not involve me personally – often feels physically painful to me.

·        I do not like black and white polarization, the truth usually resides somewhere in the middle.

·        When I make a social blunder, I feel extremely disturbed, and I work hard to make things right again.

·        I feel the emotions of others viscerally, as if the emotions belong to me.

·        I can sense and identify multiple simultaneous emotions in myself, in others, and in interactions between duos and groups.

·        I can sense and identify the relative intensity of multiple emotions in myself, in others, and in interactions between duos and groups.

·        I consider the needs and feelings of others in decisions I make often to the point of ignoring my own needs and feelings.

·        I love to watch interactions, especially when the people or animals are unaware of me.

·        I enjoy drama, movies, good television shows, and well-told stories.

·        I love good literature, well-written characters, and well-placed stories.

·        I love to play with and interact lovingly with people and animals.

·        I have an easy, natural ability in one or more art forms.

·        I have a good and often silly sense of humor.

·        I am good with shy people.

·        I am good with children.

·        I am good with animals.

·        In an emergency, I can focus on what’s important and provide assistance.

·        I often feel protective tender feelings toward others – even complete strangers.

·        Art, music, and literature touch me very deeply.

·        I am very sensitive to foods and tend to respond markedly to dietary changes.

·        I have an intense capacity to focus on activities that delight and engage me.

·        When I am in conflict with others, I tend to talk deeply about it with third parties so that I can sort out the many issues that have led to the conflict.

·        I love to talk about and think about interpersonal issues and social structures.

·        I have a rich interior life, and I enjoy being alone with my thoughts and ideas.

·        I often need to get away from the needs of others and recharge my emotional batteries.

·        I am deeply sensitive to things like sounds, colors, textures, scents, shapes, and spatial relationships between objects.

·        I am able to stay present (for myself and others) in the face of intense emotions like grief, rage, and despair.

·        I tend to physically feel the emotions of fear and anxiety of others in my body, especially when others are unwilling or unable to admit to feeling them.

·        I enjoy thinking about, searching for, and finding the perfect gift for others.

·        I regularly feel alongside others; I feel their emotions and share their concerns.

·        I tend to approach problems tangibly, using my hands and body as I think about and walk through the issues involved.

·        I gesture a great deal when I communicate, and my face is often very animated.

·        With those closest to me, I tend to rely upon gestures and eye contact (rather than words) during conversations.

·        I am very aware of the personal space of others.

Alright if you were marking down the number of yeses – take a moment and count them up. All you need is your total number of yeses.

If you answered yes to 20 or fewer of these questions, you can consider yourself  to be somewhat low in empathic ability at this moment. Please note, the reasons for this are different for each person. 

This score may mean that you’re relatively uninterested in or unaware of the emotions and situations of others. Sometimes, a lower score can mean that you’re actually hyper-empathic but currently unable to organize your sensitivities and your concerns for others in a way that works for you.

For those had 21-32 yes responses, this midrange of yes responses may place you in just the right empathic sweet spot – where your empathic responses are neither too cold nor too hot.  However, there may be areas where you need some support in increasing or decreasing specific sensitivities. We are always trying hard to create a balanced, healthy, and happy emphatic presence in our world.

For those who had 33-43 yes responses, this places you in the high empathy category, which can lead you into hyper-empathy if you haven’t learned to create effective boundaries, work gracefully with emotions, and use self-regulation skills when you’re overwhelmed. As I said earlier, Jesus was probably a hyper-empath but he was able to balance out his emotions, set bounderies, and use self-regulation skills. High levels of empathy can be double-edged swords for many of us, especially if we were born this way. Often those who are in this category never have had to learn about their responses and do not know how to manage their empathic abilities.

Karla McLaren suggests as you consider your score, take some time to think about the people in your life who you consider being low in empathy or high in empathy. 

Karla points out that people who seem to be very low in empathy can sometimes be covering up an uncomfortable amount of hypersensitivity or an uncomfortable deep level of concern for others, which means they could use some gentleness and accommodation for others.

On the other side of the coin, people who seem to be high in empathy can be heading for burnout, because their empathic skills are too activated, which means they could use some gentleness and accommodation as well.

Again, this is a lot to chew on, so as we enter waiting worship, I would like us to consider the following queries:

How do I feel about my level of empathy, and what does it say about my empathic skills?  

What am I learning from the empathy of Jesus?

How might I utilize my empathy to bring more peace into my life and the life of those around me?

9-25-22 - Empathy, It's Hard (Part 3)

Empathy, It’s Hard (Part 3)

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

September 25, 2022

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This week I am on part three of my series on Empathy.  The scripture text for this morning is Micah 6:8 from the New Revised Standard Version.

He has told you, O mortal, what is good,
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness
    and to walk humbly with your God?

On Monday, as I sat down to write the next sermon in this series on Empathy, I took a moment to reflect where we have been so far.  If you missed a sermon in this series, you may want to go back and watch it on our YouTube channel.

In my first sermon I shared that I believe empathy is a gift that enables us to take the perspective of another, to see the world as Thoreau says, “through their eyes,” and to deeply connect with them in a way that wouldn’t be possible without this special gift. And at the end of the message, I focused on Lauren Graham’s signs that we are not doing empathy well.

Last week, I showed us how Jesus’ empathy arose out of his own relational, emotional, and physical suffering, and how he responded to the marginalized of his day through cognitive, affective, compassionate, and saving/pro-social/spiritual empathy. Leaving us to ponder how we are or should respond to those suffering in our world. 

Today, I want to explore why empathy often seems to have a problem within religion and especially Christianity, today.  To help us explore this, I will be referencing Senior Lecturer in Psychology from Leeds Beckett University, Dr. Steve Taylor’s perspective on this subject.  

But before we dive into the meat of Dr. Taylor’s work and what I have gleaned from it, I want to take you back to Monday morning when I sat down to write this message. 

As I opened Facebook after my morning meditation, I took a moment to look at my Facebook Memories realizing that 2 years ago I had posted about the monumental passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. 

At the same time, I was receiving updates about Queen Elizabeth’s funeral happening that morning, so I turned on my TV to have the funeral playing in the background.

As I returned to my memories, I read how 8 years ago my mom was cleared to begin therapy to walk again after enduring a head-on automobile collision in Oregon.

And how 9 years ago that Monday I was interviewing fellow pastor and Friend, Phil Gulley on his new book at the time, “Living the Quaker Way” for Englewood Review of Books. 

And then, overwhelmingly sprinkled through my memories each year since I first jumped on Facebook in 2007, were memorials to the passing of singer and songwriter, Rich Mullins. Monday happened to be the 25th anniversary of his sudden and early death by a car accident in Bloomington, Illinois back in 1997.  I realized within the first hour that this was becoming a rather heavy day for me to be reviewing my memories.

I paused for a moment and thought I would mute the funeral procession of Queen Elizabeth and jump off Facebook and take a few more moments to listen to some of Rich’s music. After a couple of my favorites, a song that has always spoke to my condition came on. The song was “Hard” by Rich Mullins. I have asked Eric to come and play it for us today to set the tone for this message.  

[Eric will play “Hard.”]

Thank you, Eric. 

Dr. Taylor says that the teachings of religious leaders such as Jesus set a high bar for human behavior and that their followers often struggle to meet these standards.

This is what Rich Mullins was wrestling with in that song Eric just sang. We must be honest, it’s not easy to love your enemy; it’s not easy to turn the other cheek when someone insults or injures you. It's not easy to refrain from lying or harming other living beings.

Nevertheless, in our world today, it often surprises me when people who call themselves religious, or more specifically Christian, act in ways that are contrary to the basic teachings of their faith. 

Most experts, including Dr. Taylor, state that the essence of Jesus’s teachings is empathy and compassion – as I tried to highlight last week in my sermon.  Dr. Taylor says that,

“At a time when the Romans were oppressing and murdering his people, Jesus advocated his followers to ‘do good to those who hate you’ and ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him.’ At a time when human life was full of brutality and war, Jesus stated that ‘Blessed are the peacemakers,’ and advised soldiers to ‘Put your sword back into its place; for those who live by the sword, die by the sword.’

And yet, the actions of many who claim they are Christian in our world today are difficult to understand in light of these teachings.

I too find myself questioning this all the time. I personally find it really hard to do good to those who hate me – and God forbid I would want to make them dinner or take care of their needs.

Even though I am a Quaker, I find my actions not befitting a peacemaker on occasion. Sure, I have a sticker on my car that says, “War is not the answer” but often I find myself embroiled in wars of a much different nature – conversational or email wars, Meeting wars, even theological wars. I have to ask myself, do I really believe in peacemaking or just getting what I want or being right?  

Dr. Taylor asks some poignant queries regarding these difficulties:

·        Why are some Christians suspicious and hostile towards marginalized groups, rather than being charitable?

·        Why do some Christians advocate conflict and aggression towards other countries rather than pursuing peace?

·        Why do they support government leaders who seem incapable of empathy and compassion, and whose policies lead to increased xenophobia and conflict?

This is nothing new, history shows that there has always been a massive gulf between religious teaching and the actions of religious people.

Dr. Taylor pointed out that hundreds of millions of people have been killed in the name of Christianity. From the Crusades to the Spanish Inquisition and the Nazis, violent psychopaths have used the Christian religion as a pretext for mass murder, or at least seen no contradiction in committing atrocities whilst professing to be Christians.

Talk about hard…this is hard. 

So why is there a tragic mismatch between Christian teachings and the actions of Christian people?

Dr. Taylor says it is too simplistic to accuse religious people of hypocrisy, of not being real Christians…, or of twisting the teachings of their religion to suit their own ends.  Those are what we usually go-to.

There is some truth in all those accusations, but Dr. Taylor believes that there is a more fundamental reason. He says,

“While religions may teach compassion and empathy, actually being religious often leads to a diminishing of the capacity for empathy and compassion. For many people, the function of religion is to strengthen the self, bringing a sense of certainty and superiority and group identity. Feeling that you possess ‘the truth’ and that everyone else who has different beliefs is wrong, provides a very strong sense of identity, which is bolstered by the feeling of belonging to a group. And a strong sense of ego or self often equates with a low level of empathy and compassion. As our beliefs become stronger, the boundaries of our self become stronger, and we find it more difficult to connect with other human beings. We become ‘walled-in’ by the strong structures of our identity.  As many studies have shown, religious people find it easy to empathize with and be altruistic to members of their group, but are much less empathetic and altruistic towards members of other groups.

Another way of putting this is that for most people, the actual teachings of religions aren’t so important. The paramount thing is the psychological function of religions — that is, the sense of certainty and identity that they provide. The psychological benefits of religion are so great that some believers are able to ignore and contradict the essential teachings of their religion, without experiencing any cognitive discord. Their need for belief outweighs their need for self-authenticity.”

Obviously, Dr. Taylor is painting with a broad brush, but he is getting to the core of what I believe Quakers have always wrestled with inside the bubble of religion.  

Instead of possessing “the truth” Friends have always worked to be “convinced of” or “seek” the truth together.

Therefore, Friends will lean more toward uncertainty than having it all figured out.

We will encourage people to ask deeper queries, and work to interact in community instead of on our own.

·        It’s why our Faith and Practice is seen as a guide, and a fluid document which can always be questioned and changed.

·        It is why we do not adhere to rigid dogmas, doctrines, or creeds. 

·        Its why we embrace Continuing Revelation – which keeps us on our feet looking for what new thing the Divine is doing in our midst. And it allows for us to evolve and grow in our understanding of God and our neighbor.

·        It is why we have many interpretations of scripture and seek guidance from outside the Bible.

·        It is why we do not have images and symbols in our Meetinghouses so all are welcomed and walls and barriers are not set between those of differing beliefs.

·        It is why as Friends, Peace is not just about killing others, but also learning to have respect for them.

·        It is why we are not a denomination but rather a Society of Friends, or even better yet… a way of life.    

And these aspects of the Quaker Way have historically been put in place to help keep us from becoming myopic, from naval gazing, and only helping ourselves or protecting our way.

Have we always been able to do this? No. Actually, we have many Quaker Meetings who have closed because they could not see outside their four walls. Who became myopic, lost in naval gazing, only to lay down their meetings or churches while protecting their so-called beliefs or ideas. 

That is not what I want to see happen at First Friends – even though we are always very close to this reality, especially when we get comfortable, stop asking questions, and forget those outside our four walls.  

To help put this in perspective, I often turn to the closing paragraph of Phil Gulley’s book, “Living the Quaker Way” where he reminds us what it means to live the Quaker Way. He says,  

“Any religion that does not have a kind and hopeful word for the world’s oppressed or creates by virtue of its principles an underclass is not a religion worth our dedication or obedience. As for me, I want no part of any god or religion that exalts some and vilifies others…To live the Quaker way is to see God not just in some but in all. It is to want the best for all and to work for that lofty goal with a cheerful heart and unflagging zeal. It is to want what Jesus wanted – God’s kingdom of peace and justice to be realized on earth, just as it is realized in heaven. To live the Quaker way is to scorn injustice and reject self-interested privilege. It is in the words of the prophet Micah, to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with the God who cherishes all.”

So, my prayer this morning is that we at First Friends would not become myopic, but rather embrace the hard work of living together the Quaker Way.  Let us not diminish our empathy and compassion for others to protect our own desires, certainty, or superiority.

 To help us center down into waiting worship, I have a couple queries for us to ponder this morning.

·        Where have I become “walled-in” by the structures of my identity and ego? Where has First Friends become “walled-in” by the structures of our identity and ego?

·        Where in my life am I seeking “the best for all”?  What privilege(s) may I need to reject or lay down to better welcome and serve my neighbor?