9-10-23 - We Need More Disturbing People

We Need More Disturbing People 

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

September 10, 2023

Welcome Friends to Light Reflections. This Sunday at the Meeting is Kick-Off Sunday. The text I have chosen for today is Joel 2:28-29a from the Voice translation.  

     Then in those days I will pour My Spirit to all humanity;
        your children will boldly and prophetically speak the word of God.
    Your elders will dream dreams;
        your young warriors will see visions.

    No one will be left out.

Being that it is Kick Off Sunday, I usually begin this season with a new sermon series. Since throughout most of the summer, VBS, and even at Annual Sessions we looked at Light and Darkness, I felt I wanted to go in a completely different direction to start us off this Fall.  And the subject I have decided to teach on, may come as a surprise to some of you. Most churches today, especially Friends, avoid discussing it or pass right over it.  And honestly, I would have followed suit.

That is until last year about this time, I was contacted by my friend and former Professor Emeritus of Religion and Biblical Studies at George Fox University, Howard Macy.  I consider Howard a “Weighty Friend” who has spoken great wisdom in my life during some tumultuous times. On occasion we still talk over Facebook messenger or by email, but this time he was reaching out to me to read and possibly endorse he latest book. Without hesitation I told him to send it my way, and I would immediately read it.  When it arrived in my inbox, I quickly opened it and found a very brief little book of only 6 chapters/essays and an introduction.

I have said on many occasions, that it seems that as the people I find the most wise and profound in my life continue to hone their thoughts, their books get smaller and more concise. If you don’t believe me look at the size of Richard Rohr, Parker Palmer, or even Phil Gulley’s books – they have become smaller over time but almost pack a bigger punch.

The book that Howard sent me fit this description. At only 75 pages, I read it one setting, yet stopped multiple times to reflect, pause, and even ponder what all was being said.  This little book opened my eyes to something I had not seen before in the pages of scripture. Thus, when I went to write my endorsement of the book, I said the following:

“I cannot recall the last time I preached on the biblical prophets, but that is going to change. Howard Macy has reintroduced his readers to these neglected characters and revived their messages for our times. More than ever we need “disturbing people” willing to guide and challenge us in the way of righteousness, justice, love, and truth. Throughout this book, you will find a renewed call to pick up this prophetic mantle and bring peace and hope to our world.” 

So, this Kick Off Sunday we are going to take another (or maybe your first) look into the biblical Prophets – not individually, but more as a group.  Think of it as Howard says, “looking at a family photo rather than individual portraits.”  And as with most of my sermons, we are not going to nail down all the answers, or tie up loose ends, this series is to help give us new insights, as well as whet our appetites for more as we personally ponder and study throughout the weeks ahead. 

This morning, I want to follow Howard’s advice and give a brief overview or refresher of the prophets, so we are starting on a hopefully similar page.

Just hearing the topic, some of you may already be considering checking out right now, the idea of the prophets may seem to you irrelevant or even boring. I thought the same, but had to believe that my friend, Howard, had in all his wisdom seen something more (and I believe he has).  So, I hope you will join me as we explore how to befriend the prophets again in 2023. 

Let’s start with a brief overview from Howard. 

A common short description says, “The prophets spoke to the people for God and to God for the people.” It simply captures the basics. Another common way of speaking of the prophets is to note that, in Israel, there were three offices: prophet, priest, and king. This honors the reality that prophets played a significant role, though it neglects the fact that it isn’t an official role, unlike those of the royal and priestly families.  Prophets were only appointed by God.

Of the several metaphors people use to speak of the role of prophet, I find the idea of “ambassador” compelling.  An ambassador represents a particular government and is authorized to speak on behalf of that government. In a sense, prophets are ambassadors of God’s government, God’s realm, which is much broader than simply the people of Israel and their kingdoms of Israel and Judah.  The Israelites understood that God’s sovereignty extends over all the earth, over all of creation.  So, the prophets come as ambassadors from that realm, speaking with the authority of the sovereign.  For the prophets, being in between God and the people they belonged to and loved was often awkward and sometimes painful, especially if the message they had to deliver was harsh.

Christian history defines two groups of prophets that are seen in the Hebrew scriptures – there is the former or early prophets starting with the prophet Samuel.  And yes, there were other prophets before Samuel like Abraham, Moses, Miriam, and Deborah, but most historians separate them from this category.  The Early Prophets refer to those between 1000 to 800 BCE.  This would also include familiar characters like Nathan, Elijah, and Elisha. Most of their stories can be found in the Hebrew books of Samuel, Kings and Chronicles.

What are labeled the Latter Prophets are those after 800 BCE.  You would find their writing in the books Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and several others.

As Howard states,

For the purposes of our family photo of prophets here, we will treat the prophets as very much alike over the centuries. They share similarities in their interactions with kings and queens, their messages to the people, their calls, and their common themes. 

If there is one word that has been used to describe modern-day prophets, it must be the word – DISTURBER.  You cannot think of names like Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Galileo, Charles Darwin, Mohammed Ali, John Lennon, Greta Thunberg, and so many more who challenged the status quo without utilizing the word, disturber. Even Martin Luther King Jr. was given the title “The Peaceful Disturber” during and after the Civil Rights Movement.

Rabbi philosopher, Abraham Joshua Heschel called the Hebrew prophets “some of the most disturbing people who have ever lived.” They are in a similar category to those names I just read off.  Yet too often when we think of “disturbing people” our first response is to avoid them – probably because they are actually not disturbing us, but rather challenging us, making us feel uncomfortable, or maybe even deep-down a bit guilty.  

I agree with Howard that the world needs more disturbing people. People who can envision the wonders of life together that God intends for us.  People who can see through and call out the ways we corrupt that life. And people who can teach us how to walk in God’s ways. That is who the prophets in the scriptures were.  And as we begin to get to know them better, just maybe like many of our Quaker ancestors, we too will take up their mantle and become like them. 

Yet, before we get to the point of befriending the prophets, let’s take a moment to talk about some of the obstacles which arise in getting to truly know them. Howard points out several obstacles that I just want to hit on briefly.

1.     Their Role and Character: Often people think the prophets were eccentric cranks totally obsessed with the end of the world.  OK, I admit, sometimes the prophets can seem a bit weird, but remember they were ordinary people like you and me – and let’s be honest, we can be kinda weird at times, too, correct?  

Howard gives us a slightly different definition and it is much more relatable:

“A prophet is a visible sign and enduring witness that God is here, that God cares, and that God is actively working to renew wholeness (shalom) in all creation.” 

Just take some of the “disturber” names I listed before and put them in his definition. For example: Martin Luther King Jr. was a visible witness that God is here, that God cares, and that God is actively working to renew wholeness (shalom) in all creation.

Friends, each one of us, with that of God within us, can live into that description.  Eric, Mary, Wolff, Abby, Ed, Lisa, Corrine, Larry…Fill your name in here… is a visible witness that God is here, that God cares, and that God is actively working to renew wholeness (shalom) in all creation.  

2.     Unfriendly Translations: One of the biggest obstacles to understanding the prophets have been the translation of the scriptures we have been reading. Many traditional translations draw us by their beautiful phrasing BUT block us from the true or deeper meaning.  

For example, many love the King James Version for its lyrical beauty, but a more modern translation that uses current phrases that we would utilize today are much more helpful in understanding deeper meaning.  This is exactly why I will often utilize The Message, The Voice or some other modern translation within my teachings.

3.     Miss their point: Most of what the prophets were saying were said to people of a specific time and place nearly 2500 years ago. That means you and I are going to need some background to get their point.

Sadly many, simply have distorted their words to fit their theologies or desired outcomes – which have led to dangerous conclusions that many of us have been hurt and abused by in other faith communities.  

4.     Poetry vs. Prose: As with differing translations, we also need to understand that most of the prophets’ words were written in poetry rather than prose. Often the lines come off as brief, sometimes even graphic and upsetting, causing us to have quick reactions.

I like what Howard suggests for us to do when reading the poetry of the Prophets. He says,

“…you have to listen patiently, soak in it, let it soak into you. Let the images live and the word plays do their job. Slow down and listen.”

5.     Misleading Expectations: In the scriptures, God sent prophets to particular people in specific circumstances to give words of guidance, hope, warning, or correction. And we should believe that those people in their context would understand what they were saying. 

Too many people today, think that what the prophets said were filled with codes and with baffling lingo that people throughout the ages have had to decipher or unpack. 

Let’s be honest, this is what sells Left Behind, End Times, Bible Coding, and Rapture books, and creates followings…but this was never the intent. It is all due to seeking out…

6.     Hidden Meanings: Howard says,

“Trying to tease out hidden meanings, mostly to serve our curiosity and need to control, generally obscures what the prophets have to say while we are looking for the things they don’t say.  The clear witness and major themes of the prophets, if we receive them, will challenge us to live today as fully as they did the original hearers.”

            And finally,

7.     Unapproachable:  We love to put people today on a pedestal (and we then love to take shots at them to knock them off). We kinda have done that with the prophets as well. In Christianity, we use a variety of different words to describe these people – when I was an Anglican, we went more along with the Roman Catholics and called them Saints.  Many Evangelicals and Protestants simply call them prophets but hold them almost to a saintly state.  And even within Quakerism, we often talk about Mystics attaining a level that is almost other-worldly. 

In each case, overtime, people have given these saints, prophets, and mystics an almost superhuman quality that after a while removes us from relating to them.  I immediately think of the many myths of Francis of Assisi, or the power of Billy Graham, and even though I love our own Quaker mystics, I have heard people talk of Elton Trueblood in this manner.

Friends, please hear me on this, each saint, prophet, or mystic, was first and foremost – JUST LIKE YOU AND ME. If anything, these people we admire, listen to, and follow, should as Howard says, “…remind me of how faithfully all of us can actually live ordinary life a day at a time.

And that brings me to my final point as we wrap up this first sermon. There is this interesting thread running through the scriptures that Howard points out.  Moses in his prophetic role, pushes back on Joshua saying, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them.”  Later, the prophet Joel exclaims God’s promise (and our scripture for today):     

Then in those days I will pour My Spirit to all humanity;
    your children will boldly and prophetically speak the word of God.
Your elders will dream dreams;
    your young warriors will see visions.

No one will be left out.

Multiple times in scripture, the disciple Peter exclaims that the Spirit of God was poured out on the people he was speaking to and even on occasion to the Gentiles and it says they all began to prophecy.  

The Apostle Paul even includes prophecy as one of the gifts that he hopes will be poured out and available to all people.

So, what does this mean?  Well Howard closes with this…

“They [these prophets] hold out the prospect that, individually and in community, we can all share the identity and the witness of the prophets, which is another reason to come alongside them. I know well that many folks resist taking for themselves the title “prophet” and shy away from regarding themselves as a prophet. I share that reluctance. But despite that, as the Spirit calls us out and empowers us, all of us can be visible signs and enduring witnesses to God among us.  We can point to God’s steady presence and how the extravagant love of God pursues us. We can call people to join in the ongoing longing and work for renewal and healing restoration.  We can invite folks to know God intimately and to embrace what God delights in – compassion, justice, and right living.  We can join the prophets in being disturbing and helpful people for the love of God.”

So, are you ready to join the prophets over the next few weeks and learn from them how to be disturbing but helpful people for the love of God in our world?

As we ponder that, let us enter waiting worship this morning. I also have a couple more queries that may help you center down and focus during this time of expectant waiting.

1.     What have been my perceptions of the biblical prophets?  Have they been positive, negative, or neutral, and why? 

2.     Who have been disturbers in my life? What have I learned from them?

3.     How am I a visible sign and enduring witness to God among us?

9-3-23 - "Glimpses of the Sacred"

Glimpses of the Sacred

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

September 3, 2023

Good morning, Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning’s scripture is a little different.  It is from the Apocrypha or the Deutero-Canoncical Books.  These are the scriptures that land between the Old and New Testaments. The reading I have chosen is from Sirach 15:14-17.

It was he who created humankind in the beginning,

    and he left them in the power of their own free choice.

If you choose, you can keep the commandments,

    and to act faithfully is a matter of your own choice.

He has placed before you fire and water;

    stretch out your hand for whichever you choose.

Before each person are life and death,

    and whichever one chooses will be given.

I have had several conversations over the last few years about First Friends and what makes it so unique. One of the things that I always express is that we have a theologically diverse gathering of people.  Even though we have a spectrum of beliefs, we somehow find a way to come together. 

Some of the reasons this is possible is because of the variety of opportunities we offer from Bible Studies to Book Groups, from Programmed to Unprogrammed Worship, from opportunities to serve others to opportunities for self-examination, from events for the young and old alike. 

Actually, I have come to realize that First Friends is like no other church or meeting I have known.  It is one of the truest examples of the Kingdom of God talked about in scripture that I have ministered among – and I mean that with my whole heart.  Sure, we have our issues, our challenges, our quirks and quarks, but overall, First Friends is the closest I have ever been to what I have dreamed of for what is called “The Church.”  Some days I am in awe of what all we do, who all we are, and the beauty that is First Friends.

A while back, a friend of mine from a more Evangelical background asked me about First Friends and I found myself having a hard time describing it to him. He had some specific markers I needed to hit, but he was baffled by the fact that we had a spectrum of beliefs and theologies within our gathering. His mindset was more like I described last week in my message - a “cookie cutter Christianity” where all people were striving for the same goals, beliefs, and actions. 

I told him the closest we would come to similar beliefs would be our dedication to our testimonies or S.P.I.C.E.S., which intrigued him.  Yet, I explained that how we interpret them is unique to each Friend and even each Meeting.  Those SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship) are also on a spectrum of understanding among Friends. 

His Evangelical mindset reared its head at this point and said, “Well, I can see there could be differences in those, please tell me that you all have the same view of Jesus, right?” 

Well…I knew he was not going to like my answer, but I shared with him that there were a variety of views of Jesus among our Meeting – just like there were a variety of views of Jesus in the Bible, or in history, or throughout other faiths.  I knew I was headed into dangerous waters, but I also knew that this is one of the things I love about First Friends. 

He could not wrap his mind around the fact that we had this much theological diversity.  That some were not big on Jesus and that others felt Jesus was everything – and somehow that was “allowed” at First Friends.  “Allowed” I said, “No you mean encouraged.”

I also have had other people who have come to talk to me from a much different perspective. They tell me how they have found themselves being drawn to Quakerism, but consider themselves Atheists or Agnostics. It is something about the philosophy of Quakerism that has drawn them to be part of our community.    

As one who is not afraid to or unwilling to delve into difficult conversations, I want to talk about this in more detail this morning.  I want to step outside our religiosity, our faith structures, and our traditions and examine Quakerism from a philosophical bent. 

A fellow Quaker Kim Baker wrote a blog post that I read recently that had me pondering how I might explain Quakerism outside of the traditional methods we often utilize.  She starts out by telling the following story,

My parents are firmly atheists and also very open to religious ideas. Both of them were raised Quaker and went to meeting every Sunday of their childhood. They met at a Quaker university and married in a Quaker ceremony in which they exchanged their own vows. They didn’t stick with it though. When they started their new lives away from their families, they moved from the East Coast to the West Coast and stopped going to meetings. By that time, my dad was an atheist and remains so to this day. He turned 80 this year. My mother is a bit more undecided, but religion is not a big part of her life either.

Then listen carefully to what Kim goes on to say,

“While they no longer believe in God in a traditional way, and they didn’t raise me in the religion, the philosophies have stuck and been passed on to me. Even though I don’t identify myself as religious, I still adhere to the basic philosophies of Quakerism.”

What she is describing is both a unique aspect of Quakerism and also an aspect of what many would label spiritual formation.  As Quakers we would say the seeds are planted and remain when they transcend our lives and speak to our universal condition. 

Unlike other faiths, their creeds or dogmas lead to them getting stuck on certain beliefs for this very reason.  They run into roadblocks or discouragement when their understanding of their faith cannot be questioned or transcend their understanding. 

I always think of when my wife, Sue spoke out of the silence and told the story of when in high school she worked at the grocery store and a fellow employee saw her reading her bible and questioned her.  He asked her to explain what she believed without using the Bible to explain it – leaving her with few words and pondering an entirely different approach. 

Kim goes on in her blog to point out some of the Quaker Philosophies that have spoken deeply to her condition and then to translate them to a more universal audience. I think these have really helped give me new ways of looking at Quakerism, how it transcends organized religion, and how it has shaped my evolving understanding of just what I believe and the impact it can have on ALL people – not just those who are seeking a religion to follow.  

Let’s start with the first Quaker Philosophy:

God is inside each and every human being, so every person is equal and you should never kill or harm another person; doing so is harming God.

Kim says regarding this philosophy: 

“When I really think about this, the idea of God becomes decentralized and I connect with that idea. Far from being the God in the paintings, you know the one with the gray beard who lives in Heaven, God is the sacred part of each of us, a part that recognizes the sacred in others and respects, everyone. For me, that means I have a responsibility to do as little harm as I possibly can. I am a teacher, so when I teach, I need to honor the learners because I am, in fact, one of them.  I find this philosophy beautiful; it stops me from acting only in my own self-interest. We are not separate, we are part of a greater whole, when I harm someone else, I am actually harming myself. So, whether you believe in God or not, you can believe in the sacredness that connects us all and makes us into a community.

I will be honest, growing up a Lutheran and then becoming an Anglican, I spent a lot of time hearing we are made in the image of God – the Imago Dei.  Or maybe you were taught as I was that if you believe correctly, Jesus will sit on the throne of your heart.  Clearly, there was something about the Divine being within us that was important to understand and for me its meaning has continued to develop (or spiritually form) over time. 

But it wasn’t until I was among Friends, and I heard “there is that of God in everyone” that I started to grasp this sacredness which Kim speaks of. Over time and a lot of questioning, searching, and study, I have learned that it does not matter if we call this sacredness in us, God, the Divine, the Light, the Seed, or Jesus, but rather these are just labels we use to describe it. 

What really matters in the present moment is whether we acknowledge the sacred part in each of us. That we realize as I said last week that we need each other.  That we have, as Kim said, a responsibility to honor, not harm, and respect our neighbors, so ultimately, we can connect with them and create a stronger community.  Sadly, most of my religious upbringing was focused on just the opposite - on me getting it right while pointing the finger at and judging my neighbor. Instead, what Kim points out is an equality that eliminates this judging and finger pointing.    

Let’s move on:

The next Quaker Philosophy she points out is: Your morality should be based on your inner conscience.

Kim says, “Because God is not separate from me but rather a part of me, I am perfectly capable of figuring out what is right and what is wrong and acting accordingly. I love this because it prevents me from outsourcing my morality. So many times we are asked to do things that we don’t agree with morally, but because we are taught that a higher being is telling us how to behave, we go along with it and even sometimes defend it.

This philosophy sometimes gets Quakers into trouble because they follow their conscience instead of the law. For example, they were really active in the Underground Railroad and helped slaves escape because slavery goes totally against the tenant that God is within all of us, and because of that, all of us are equal. Quakers continue to be active advocates for equality, defending immigrants regardless of the current political climate.

I don’t need to believe in God, to believe in following my conscience. I take responsibility for my actions because ultimately I am the one who is performing them. The government or some other powerful group can tell me what to do, but I am not simply a tool for that organization to use, I follow my own guidelines in life. Those guidelines are not written in stone, they change as I learn new things and my understanding of the world changes.

I have come to realize that God, religion, politics, even education systems, and yes organized religion can easily become a cop out or a way for us to sidestep taking responsibility or using the minds the Divine has given us to make good and honest decisions. We have been given a conscience for a reason.

Taking the time to center down, to listen to what our heart is saying, has often been sidestepped for someone else’s thinking. As Quakers we talk about listening and waiting on the Spirit.  I have heard many people debate whether that Spirit is Divine or our spirit – in which I often reply – It is both. 

And when we are confused at what our conscience is telling us, we go to trusted Friends, to clearness committees, to people we can trust who may have the wisdom to unpack the mysteries. 

Folks, many of our contemporary dilemmas are not spelled out in the Bible or even addressed in our Faith and Practice, but have we thrown out reason, taking time to contemplate, to listen and wait on the Spirit to speak to our condition.

When I was an Anglican Priest, I had a Bishop who would say to me, “Have you come to a decision? (about a specific situation).”  I would answer no, and he would say then continue to wait until you sense clarity.  I would ask, “How long?” And the bishop would simply reply, “As long as you need.” I realized that I was not waiting on God to give me the answer, as much as I was waiting to be made comfortable with my decision. 

Probably the topic I waited for clarity on the longest was on Same Sex Marriage.  Everyone wanted to tell me what God thought, what the church thought, what the Bible thought…but over time, it was science, my friendships, my own family that helped bring clarity.  Sue and I walked with a friend who came out to us, who began dating a partner of the same sex, and finally were married.  As we travelled with them, we experienced the vitriol, the pain, and the shaming that took place from people who said God hated them, that the church did not want them, that they were somehow less than human…and it became very clear this was not what I believed.  I then made a decision to not be part of this, but to see that of God in ALL people.

Finally, one last Quaker philosophy: You don’t need a priest or religious rituals to have a connection with God.

Kim says, Sometimes I love rituals and ceremonies. I recently got to see the Semana Santa processions in Granada, Spain, and found them beautiful in their way. For me, however, they are not a religious experience, they are fascinating, but I don’t connect with them. The things that make me feel connected to a greater whole are much more random and unpredictable.

Once, while sitting in a hidden grotto near a river bank, the cottonwood fluff mimicking snow, the sun illuminating the grass, water, and rocks, I felt that I was a part of everything around me. I was inextricably connected with the trees, the water, the insects, and the air.

Another time, while leading a discussion on plot arcs in my literature class, everyone became singularly focused. Ideas flowed, one connecting to another, as 26 brains worked together to understand the world more fully.

In these moments, I know that I am not alone.

As I said before, I grew up in churches with lots of religious ritual and tradition. As an artist I have to admit I love religious art and sacred places.

Yet as I have done on many occasions, I have made a spiritual map of my life to plot out where I have sensed what Celtic Spirituality calls the “Thin Places” where the Divine is more present in our lives.   On my spiritual map there have definitely been places in nature like the National Parks with my family or the Oregon Coast with my doctoral cohort, and there have been religious rituals like being ordained a priest or recorded as a Quaker minister, or moments like teaching a group of 23 black women in Chicago about the Bible and having them break out in singing Amazing Grace or giving my first sermon in 8th grade on Christmas Eve. 

Today, I find painting, going on a road trip with my wife (or family), reading a good book, working in my garden, or having a cup of coffee with one of you – just as much a “thin place” as one of those more grand experiences. 

If you follow me on Facebook, I have spent the summer posting “Blooms of the Day” of the many varieties of plants in our gardens.  Watering the flowers, pulling the weeds, and seeking out the beauty of the garden each morning, has become a sacred moment of my day – almost devotional in nature. Our backyard has become a sanctuary of sorts.  There I find myself connecting on a deeper level. It grounds me and centers me to be ready for my day.  I have realized at this stage of my life, it is one of the most sacred things I do.  No pastor, no bible, no church involved.  But as Kim said, “In these moments, I know that I am not alone.

So, that is where we will end this week. Please know that this is just a teaser to get you thinking and there is a lot more to discuss around these issues. And no, I am not saying, there is no need for God or that Quakerism is just a philosophy. 

Instead, I hope you are hearing another way to see or even speak of Quakerism that may be helpful for more people. And as we change our perspectives and see from different angles, just maybe we will see glimpses of the sacred (or whatever you may call it) in new places, in those around us, in the sunset on a glorious evening, or in the blooms in the garden of our lives. 

I thank Kim Baker for her vulnerability in writing about this and for sharing it for us to wrestle with. 

Now, as we enter waiting worship, I ask you to ponder the following queries:

1.     What is it that draws me to Quakerism?

2.     What Quaker philosophies transcend my religious experiences and speak to a more universal condition?

3.     How am I acknowledging that of God or the sacred in others?

4.     What are the “Thin Places” that I notice in my spiritual journey?

8-27-23 - "We NEED Each Other!"

We NEED Each Other!

Pastor Bob Henry 

Indianapolis First Friends Meeting

August 27, 2023

Good morning, Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections. Our scripture reading for this morning is from Romans 12:4-5 from the New Revised Standard Version.   

For as in one body we have many members and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another.

Last week, I spoke about darkness and the challenges and opportunities it presents.  As I began to think about all that was shared out of the silence last week and the conversations, I had with several of you. I realized how important relationships are to processing our lives, our darkness, and to ultimately finding the Light within us.  

In Turning to One Another by Margaret Wheatley, she says,

Relationships are all there is. Everything in the universe only exists because it is in relationship to everything else. Nothing exists in isolation. We have to stop pretending we are individuals that can go it alone.

The reality is that we need each other more than ever. It sounds simple, but our world is getting more and more isolated, we make lots of assumptions about people, and we too often take for granted those that are closest to us. 

As well, many of us come to this Meetinghouse caring huge burdens, baggage, and pain, and as soon as we get out of our car in the parking lot we put on a façade and play a character for the next hour or so,

I don’t think that’s what Jesus intended, since the church he set-up was to be about a group of people who care for one another and not just coming to a building. Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of my father in heaven is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

This is why early Quakers called one another brothers and sisters instead of calling them by their titles or status. Today, to be more gender inclusive, I would rather simply use the term, siblings.  We are siblings in one big spiritual family. 

Thus, the church is not just about any people, but about true family – ideally, people who know each other, live life with one another, struggle together, challenge each other, listen to, and help each other, who deeply love each other, and who want the best for each other.   

The United Kingdom’s Faith and Practice describes this so well. It says,  

All of us in the meeting have needs. Sometimes the need will be for patient understanding, sometimes for practical help, sometimes for challenge and encouragement; but we cannot be aware of each other’s needs unless we know each other.

Although we may be busy, we must take time to hear about the absent daughter, the examination result, the worries over a lease renewal, the revelation of an uplifting holiday, the joy of a new love. Every conversation with another Friend, every business meeting, every discussion group, and every meeting for worship can increase our loving and caring and our knowledge of each other.

Folks, I believe that is what a spiritual family is supposed to do for each other.   

In his book, Living the Quaker Way, my friend Phil Gulley wrote about the importance of the community (or I would say spiritual family) for those we consider saints in our world.  He says,

Behind every saint is a community. Think for a moment of our spiritual heroes – Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, Mohandes Gandhi and others.  What do they have in common? Each of them was immersed in a spiritual community that honed their faith, clarified their thought, tested their resolve, and provided support.

Mother Teresa received much public acclaim, but behind her stood the Missionaries of Charity. Thomas Merton wrote beautifully of the spiritual life, but he did so alongside the Trappists at the Abbey of Gethsemani. Martin Luther King Jr. enjoyed the support of his peers in the civil rights movement, the Dali Lama is surrounded spiritually and physically by his fellow Buddhists, and Gandhi had the faithful support of Sabarmati Ashram. I think of my own life and spiritual communities that have enriched my faith and expanded my mind. I can’t begin to imagine how different my life might have been without the people I’ve loved, who have loved me in return.

And it is not just being loved by our spiritual family - It is also about being challenged or as Proverbs 27:17 states: “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”

It is important to have the influence of people who challenge you to think and do not let you fall into a “cookie-cutter Christian culture” where everyone looks the same, talks the same, or has the same vibe.

This kind of spiritual family can allow for only shallow discussions, without the encouragement of analytical, diverse, and spirited discussion of faith.

True sharpening of iron requires friction, sparks, and pressure. This does not sound like someone who stays strictly inside a comfort zone or within the confines of a group who are just like them.

I think we have to admit that life can be messy.  Our relationships can become estranged or even ended due to abuse or a lack of boundaries, and a variety of other reasons.

Often, we do not know where to turn for help. This is one of the arenas a mature spiritual family can support you.

A spiritual family can be there through the birth of your child, an illness, divorce, or even when you purpose to give up alcohol or substance abuse.

When you need counsel in a difficult life decision, where do you turn? Probably to someone who is wise, a Friend with spiritual insight. Maybe a clearness committee. 

Having a healthy spiritual family surrounding you can be a boon to the turmoil life brings our way. This is reciprocal, a circular relationship, one with a hand up and a hand down.

As it states in the book of Romans each member belongs to ALL the others.

Phil Gulley described this Spiritual Family or Community profoundly when he wrote,

It labors not for its own glory, but for the well-being of all people everywhere. It rejoices when the marginalized are included, when the slave is freed, when the despised are embraced. It sees in its fellow beings not sin and separation from God but potential, promise, and connection. Wherever people love, it is there. Wherever people include, it is present. Whenever people join together in a spirit of compassion and inclusion, this church feels at home, for those values have been priorities from its earliest days…This church seeks to learn, understand, and include. It is of the world, loves the world, and welcomes all people as its brothers and sisters [siblings]. Where boarders separate, this community straddles the partition, refusing to let arbitrary lines rule their conscience and conduct. They are in every sense of the word members of one another.

In Near Occasions of Grace, Richard Rohr talks about what he labels a “Vision of Peoplehood” and it is both a vision and a kind of warning to the importance of relationship.  Rohr says,

The Body of Christ, the spiritual family, is God’s strategy. It is both medium and message. It is both beginning and end:

“May they all be one . . . so that the world may believe it was you who sent me . . . that they may be one as we are one, with me in them and you in me” (John 17:21–23).

There is no other form for the Christian life except a common one. This may even be a matter of culture, if culture refers to something which is shared and passed on. In this sense, I am wondering if there is any other kind of Christianity except “cultural Christianity,” for better and for worse.  

And here is where I think he really nails it.

Until and unless Christ is someone happening between people, the gospel remains largely an abstraction. Until Jesus Christ is passed on personally through faithfulness and forgiveness, through bonds of union, I doubt whether he is passed on at all.

We are now paying the price for centuries in which the Church was narrowed from a full vision of peoplehood to an almost total preoccupation with private persons and their devotional needs. But history has shown that individuals who are confirmed in their individualism by the very character of our evangelism will never create church, except after the model of a service station: they will use it as a commodity like everything else. This is far cry from our “original participation”…in the Body of Christ from the moment of our conception.

Certainly, we must deal with individuals. But the very nature of our lifestyle and our church teaching must say from the beginning what the goal is—the communion of saints, a shared life together as family…the kingdom—here!

The prophet Haggai criticizes the Jews after the exile for dwelling comfortably in their “paneled houses” while the common walls of the temple lie in ruins (see Haggai 1:4, 9). His prophetic call is now and forever. We still think that we can work with the world’s agenda, where career and individual fulfillment are the basic building blocks of society. And we believe that we can build church from those well-educated and well-saved blocks. But God needs “living stones making a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5).

For Jesus, such teachings as forgiveness, healing, and justice are not just a spiritual test or obstacle course. They are quite simply the necessary requirements for a basic shared life. Peacemaking and reconciliation are not some kind of box seat tickets to heaven. They are the price of peoplehood. They express the truth in the heart of God, the truth that has been shared with us in the Holy Spirit, the union in Jesus the Christ who is reconciling all people to God.

So, if you just come to First Friends for my sermons, or Eric, Wolff, the Choir’s music, or our children’s ministry or our small groups, or whatever it is, alone…you may need to ask yourself if you are preoccupied with your individual needs?  That is not embracing the relationships, the personhood, the full benefits of this spiritual family – and it doesn’t allow us to fully be members to one another. 

If the church was truly to be about the people – then our relationships, as Margaret Wheatley stated, “are all there is.”  And if it was God’s strategy to create a spiritual family and be living stones making a spiritual house, then we can’t be just focused on our personal needs or likes, but instead like Phil Gulley said, we must labor not for our own glory, but for the well-being of all people everywhere.

Folks, that is why we need each other more than ever!

I want to close these thoughts this morning with one of my favorite poems by Sue and my good friend, Sarah Hoggatt. It is titled,

The Journey Worth Taking 

From “Spirit Rising: Young Quaker Voices”

We come from far-off lands,

cultures apart, struggling to 

understand a foreign tongue,

another viewpoint, another way to live, 

to see, to hear God in different words. 

We listen, opening to new sights, perspectives, 

ways to love as we discover

we are unique parts of a greater circle, 

distinctive expressions of the Divine Life. 

Yet our voices together lift up the mountains. 

Our chorus pulses the river down the outward

flow into a world needing to hear the rushing tide. 

We are on a journey and it may not even 

matter so much where we end up, 

but that we rise up to take the voyage. 

We speak the truth of our lives, 

hear each other and are changed. 

We can love without complete understanding, 

Walking the light together while miles apart. 

If in the tension we can find

the one light we are birthed from,

the thread through our stories,

we may discover we are brothers, sisters all

of one skin, one laughter, music, lilting, free, 

if we can just find the courage to come together

And take the journey.

As we enter waiting worship, take a moment to consider the following queries:

1.     Where have I isolated myself from my Spiritual Family?

2.     How might I engage new relationships at First Friends?

3.     What might it mean for First Friends to be “living stones making a spiritual house”?

8-20-23 - "And Now... Darkness"

And Now…Darkness

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

August 20, 2023

Good morning, Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections. For several weeks we talked about shining, sharing, and living in the Light, and now…let’s talk about darkness. The scripture I chose is part of one of my favorite Psalms. 

Psalm 139: 7-12 from the New International Version.

Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

I was thinking this week while sitting in the dark one evening in our front room about when I first really engaged the darkness. I am sure it was when I was young and afraid of the dark and asked my mom for a nightlight – as several of our children shared a few weeks ago in the Children’s Message. 

But then I remembered when I was in junior high. My youth leaders at the time had encouraged us to read a book that was being considered Christian Horror or as one person said the “Stephen King of Christian Books.” The book they were encouraging us to read was “This Present Darkness” by Frank Peretti. (I know for some of you, I just entered your darkness by reminding you of this book.)

“This Present Darkness” went viral in the pre-internet era, selling millions of copies and spreading through word of mouth across churches all over our country. It was sold at almost every youth event and Christian concert I attended in those days. Everyone was talking about it. This was the precursor to the Left Behind series that would have a similar effect a few years later. And it’s easy to see why it was so popular.  This was the peak of what we now label the “Satanic Panic” and in many ways gave the reader a glimpse at what was happening in this so-called dark satanic world around us.  I think at each of my youth events we had a breakout session about satanic worship and the cigarettes, drugs, movies, and rock n’roll that supported it. 

Many seemingly religious folks used “This Present Darkness” to place fear in the hearts of young Christians by opening them up to this wild battle taking place between demons and angels for their soul. It drew me in and at my age had me reading a satanic plot into every moment of my life for several years.   

Forget about monsters under your bed or in your closet at night. Now, in junior high I was learning about angels and demons literally fighting over and around me all day just out of my sight. No nightlight could shed enough light to bring this scary scenario into sight. 

Today, many have written that this book was the primer for helping create in the minds of young people exactly what we see being played out in our country, today.  Just listen to this one description of “This Present Darkness” – I think you will see what I am talking about:  

A sinister schoolteacher steadily grooms kids in their care to accept liberal indoctrination, ultimately leading to the takeover of young minds by shadowy forces. All the while, the teachers are backed by a larger, high-powered conspiracy to control the government, the educational system, and the national media.

That could be taken right out of our headlines, today. And I believe it is deeply connected to our headlines, today. I could go on, but this is not what I want to focus on this morning. If you want to read more about this type of influence, go read “Jesus and John Wayne” by Kristin Kobes Du Mez to have your eyes fully opened to how we arrived at where we are, today. 

For me, “This Present Darkness,” unfairly distorted and categorized darkness. It taught me to fear and avoid those things that others categorized as darkness or could lead to darkness rather than learning from them.

Soon I was being told I could be sent into eternal darkness – which they called hell.  And my heart could become hardened and filled with this darkness and ultimately removed from God. Really scary thoughts for a junior higher. The fear this produced, soon had me labeling neighbors, teachers, groups, even other denominations, and religious faiths as bearers of this darkness. 

My world and my faith soon became bifurcated into things that were good (Light) and those that were bad (Darkness), something the church has embraced for many years and for a variety of reasons – but especially to control outcomes. 

It wouldn’t be until much later, when I would be introduced to a completely different take on darkness. It was Quakers, “experts in the Light” that had a slightly different view of darkness, that wasn’t quite so bifurcated and so connected to being evil or satanic.

I read what Quaker Mark Russ had penned,

“There is darkness as a natural part of being alive, or a natural process we need to work through at different times in our lives.”

I realized quickly that darkness was not always evil…nor was it always bad or   something to fear, but rather something to utilize as part of our natural life system. 

Instead of ridding oneself of darkness, I was realizing it is part of each one of us. 

That changed things a great deal for me.   

One of the most positive descriptions of darkness in Quakerism, again as a natural process, is Jocelyn Burnell’s description. She says,

“Although we tend to equate evil with darkness, we should remember that in the plant world roots grow in the dark. Darkness (and shadows) are as much a part of the natural order as light.”

If you have ever taken a Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator Test, you may have found it helpful knowing your Personality Type, but a few years after it came out, a study showed that it was almost more important for people to spend time exploring their “shadow” sides because it will make them more well-rounded and understand where they struggle.

In her book, which I highly recommend, Learning to Walk in the Dark by Barbara Brown Taylor, she explains the prevalence of both light and dark in our lives this way:

To be human is to live by sunlight and moonlight. We need darkness; it is just as essential to our physical well-being as light. We not only need plenty of darkness to sleep well; we need it to be well.

She goes as far as explaining it as embracing a “Lunar Spirituality.”  Taylor believes most churches today focus on Sunlight Spirituality and do not balance it out with a Lunar Spirituality as well. Thus, they are not prepared for all that the world throws at them.  She goes on to say,

While we are drawn to the light, we would also be wise to understand the values of darkness, even when the darkness represents things that are uncomfortable, unfamiliar, scary, painful and even inconvenient.

Sometimes the way out of darkness begins with our willingness to enter the darkness.

Instead of avoiding the darkness, as we are often so prone to do, have we ever considered how it might prove more valuable to actually choose to enter into it?

To speak more candidly from a spiritual perspective, sometimes the way to God is choosing to go down instead of (instinctually) going up. In other words, when it comes to our desire to avoid, or even expedite the darkness, sometimes…

The way out is in.

The way up is down.

Such are the paradoxes of the manner in which God’s kingdom operates.

Barbara Brown Taylor points out that, if you look up “dark” and “darkness” in scripture, they are unanimous with being negative.

But if you look up the stories, it’s a whole different thing.

“In Genesis, darkness existed before God even got to work as a primal substance. Everything was made by God from dark. In Exodus, God promises to come to Moses on Mount Sinai in a dense or dark cloud. Here, darkness is divine and where God dwells. Abraham meets God in the darkness, Jacob wrestles an angel in the middle of the night, and angels announce Christ’s birth to the shepherds at night. There’s so much that happens in the dark that is essential to the Christian story.”

Folks, dark simply means “without illumination.”

Darkness is what remains in mystery.

It is what is yet unformed.

It is the womb.

It is the inside, the below, the deep, and the cave.

Darkness creates the space of not knowing that allows us each to become enlightened and illuminated with truth through a journey towards our own inner gnosis (wisdom) and light, rather than from an outside source.

This is illustrated so well in arguably the best of the original Star Wars Trilogy, The Empire Strikes Back when Luke Skywalker realizes there is something not right on Dagoba. He asks Yoda what it is, and Yoda tells Luke, he must go find out. Luke askes what is in the cave and Yoda responses, “Only what you take with you.”  Luke then enters the cave and soon finds that he is facing his greatest fear, Darth Vader. Luke quickly pulls out his lightsaber and begins to fight him, ultimately cutting off Darth Vader’s head. But in a moment of enlightenment, Darth Vader’s mask bursts open to reveal Luke’s face below. Luke was on a journey toward his inner wisdom and light, and he comes face to face with his real fear.  A darkness he doesn’t know the full extent of yet but has him searching for the light within himself and within his father. 

In one of my favorite books, A Testament of Devotion, Quaker Thomas Kelly put words to this journey, when he wrote,

What is urged here are inward practices of the mind at deepest levels, letting it swing like the needle, to the polestar of the soul. And like the needle, the Inward Light becomes the truest guide of life, showing us new and unsuspected defects in ourselves and our fellows, showing us new and unsuspected possibilities in the power and life of good will among [humans].

I started this message by talking about a story that gave me a skewed view of darkness. But let me end with a story by Rev. Erica Baron that I think illustrates what I am getting at:

Once upon a time there lived people who loved the light.

As soon as the sun rose every morning, they were up to welcome it, singing songs of celebration for the light. And when the sun went down each evening they sang other songs, sad songs, songs of missing the light of the sun. They loved the light so very much.

They did not love the darkness. Once darkness fell every night, they would hurry to bed, since they could only bear the darkness when they were asleep. Even then, total darkness was frightening to them, and so they always kept a fire burning in every room.

The people’s dearest wish was that the sun would not set in the evening, that darkness would never fall. But every day the sunset and they sang their sad songs and they endured the fearful, sad, strange darkness until they could greet the sun again the next day.

Now in this land were born two remarkable children. They were twins. One was a girl, and she seemed to shine from within. Whenever she entered a room, everything seemed to get a little brighter. And the people loved her very much.

The other was a boy, and he seemed to bring darkness with him. Whenever he entered a room, everything seemed a little dimmer. And the people did not like him. They feared him because he reminded them of the great darkness of the night.

But although the people loved the girl and did not love the boy, the twins loved each other very much. And because the girl loved her brother so very much, the people mostly let him be, even though they were afraid of him.

Now, as they grew, it became clear that these children were, in fact, magical children. The girl had the power to bring life back when it was harmed or lost. When she was a very small child, she could heal small cuts and bruises. When she grew a little older, she could heal broken bones and other larger hurts. And by the time she was a teenager, she could make the crops grow faster and larger and fuller. She could bring plants and animals that had died back to life. The people suspected she could even bring people back to life, but they were a little afraid to ask, and she did not offer.

The boy, on the other hand, had the power to calm and quiet anything. When he was a very small child, he could help his family go to sleep more quickly, thus saving them from the fear of the darkness. When he was a little older, he could calm animals when they were frightened and make them still. Sometimes, he would go first to an animal or a person who was hurt and help them to be calm enough for his sister’s healing magic to work. And by the time he was a teenager, he could calm storms and winds and rains. He could bring anything to stillness.

The people’s love for the light and fear of the darkness only grew with time, perhaps more strongly with the twins always before them to remind them.

And so one day, they decided to ask the girl for a favor. They asked her to see if her magic could hold the sun in the sky and stop the night from coming. The girl was reluctant, but after many, many months of being asked, she finally decided to try, just to get the people to leave her alone. One day, just as the sun was at its highest point, she went out onto the top of the highest hill in the land, and she threw her arms up into the sky, and she asked the sun to stop, to stay right there at the top of the sky forever.

She wasn’t immediately sure that anything had happened. The sun usually moves so slowly. But before very long it became clear that something had happened. The sun had stopped in the sky.

The people were overjoyed. There was a big celebration. They sang all of their songs celebrating the sun. They loved the girl even more—at least at first. For the first week or so, everyone was happy and content.

But soon they began to get tired. Although they had always slept with a fire to ward off the darkness, sleeping in the full light of the sun was another thing altogether. They tossed and turned and woke up constantly. Some of them remembered that the boy could help with sleep, and asked for his aid, but his power of bringing sleep seemed to have disappeared along with the darkness.

After about a month, the exhausted, frustrated people began to see that this constant sunlight was a problem. Though they still loved the light, they began to wish that the sun would once again move in the sky. Each person at first thought that they were the only one who thought this. And given the people’s love of the light and fear of the darkness, everyone was afraid, at first, to say anything about this growing longing for nighttime. But slowly, softly, as they began to confide in each other, they discovered that everyone felt this way. And they finally decided that something must be done.

They went back to the girl and asked her to get the sun to move again. It was her magic that had stopped it, and they figured her magic could make it move again. So, she went back up onto the top of the highest hill, threw her arms up into the sky and asked the sun to move. Nothing happened. She tried again. And a third time, but the sun stayed still. Sadly, she turned to the people and told them there was nothing she could do. There was a long moment of growing panic before the boy stepped forward. “Let me try,” he said softly. Everyone thought about it for a moment and then decided this was a good idea.

So, he took his sister’s place on the top of the highest hill, threw his arms up to the sky, and asked the sun to move. The sun began moving at once, rushing toward the western horizon. Within ten minutes, it had set, and within fifteen, it was full, dark night.

The people were caught off guard. They had all come out to the hill to see if the girl’s magic would work. They had no fires lit—they hadn’t needed them in weeks. They had nothing with them to light their way. They had never been outside at night before, and they were terrified.

At first, they tried rushing home to get away from the darkness, but they soon discovered that rushing when you can’t see where you are going is a bad idea. They slowed down, but still peered at the ground, trying to get home as soon as they could. But then, one of them looked up. “Oh!” she exclaimed. “Look!” Everyone looked up, and then they all saw the stars for the first time. They had never been outside at night before, and had no idea of the incredible beauty of a sky full of stars. They all stopped hurrying toward their homes and stood and stared in wonder. And then they realized how very tired they were, and so slowly now, and with more reverence, they started home again. They all slept for a very long time.

The people rested and were glad, and appreciated the darkness for the first time in their lives. Eventually, the sun rose again. As it did, the people got out of their beds and sang their songs to celebrate the coming of the light. But at the end of the day, as the sun began to sink toward the horizon, they did not feel like singing their sad songs. Instead, one of the musicians began singing a new song, a slow, quiet song of thanksgiving for the night. And soon the others joined in. It became their new sunset song.

And the boy and the girl grew up to be a man and a woman, and both of them were now much beloved by the people. Looking at them, still the best of friends as well as siblings, the people remembered that light and darkness are best in balance.

Now, as we enter a time of waiting worship, consider the following queries.

1.     What has distorted my view of darkness?  Do I believe it to be a natural part of my life? 

2.     Instead of avoiding the darkness have I ever considered how it might prove more valuable to choose to enter it?

3.     What will bring more of a balance to the light and darkness of my world?

8-13-23 - "Playful Joy!"

Playful Joy!

Indianapolis First Friends

Funday Sunday, August 13, 2023

Pastor Bob Henry

Good morning, Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections. Today, at the Meetinghouse we are celebrating Sunday Funday – which means we are experiencing worship through play.  The scripture I have chosen is from Matthew 18:1-5 from the New Revised Standard Version:

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

For those in-person, today, I am asking them to join me in playing a game. You may do this at home or wherever you are joining us from. You will need to find a partner to play with. Then what I want you to play is the classic game “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” Play the best out of five.  You may want to pause this video for a moment to play the game.

Hopefully, that was a little fun. I am sure for some of you, it has been a long time since you played “Rock, Paper, Scissors.”  For others, you may use the game to make major decisions in your household.   

Most of the time, when people play a game together the first thing I notice immediately is the smiles appearing on their faces.  For some the competitiveness comes out, but most make the best of it and find some joy in playing.  

I believe that joy is one of our best spiritual gifts. Joy is a marvelous gateway to God, and we create joy by playing together.  Overtime, I have come to believe that play is just as important a spiritual practice as prayer, contemplation, meditation, and service. Yet, too often play has had to take the back burner when we talk about worship or the spiritual life.

A few years ago, now, Dallas Willard wrote that

“God is the most joyful being in the Universe.”

I believe when we play, we are expressing God’s joy and experiencing that joy at the same time.

Again, like I said last week, we must begin to see the Divine through new lenses – last week it was the originator and author of light, this week it is that God is what I will call PURE JOY! 

This may be hard for Quakers who have gravitated to more somber and quiet expressions of faith and worship. Honestly, I believe it is directly related to why we have a hard time clapping or expressing ourselves. Quakers often do not make space for play – thus we often come off as too serious or unwilling to let our hair down.

Let me talk about play for a moment so we can more fully grasp its importance.  Let’s start with hearing from the professionals:

The founder of the National Institute of Play, Dr. Stuart Brown says, play is “any activity that brings a sense of pleasure and enjoyment done for its own sake.”

Bernard L. De Kovan from Psychology Today says, “Play is engaging our bodies, minds, each other, the world, in a moment of shared transcendence…toys and games are like prayer-wheels, tools to hold your mind to free your soul.”

I think what they are getting at is that play can be a spiritual experience because it connects us and shapes our souls.  So why wouldn’t it be part of our worship  and faith then? 

I love how Jesuit theologian Hugo Rahner described play, it is “our participation in the dance, a way in which our spirits return home to God. We take the inviting hands of God and together we dance.”

He goes on to explain this is a “dance without purpose other than the dance itself.” The dance is play, without any purpose other than joy. Rahner concludes, “Play is an act of freedom not obligation, one of delight not seriousness.”

This is what I see when I watch Stella dance in our aisles on Sunday morning.  She is participating in the dance without any purpose other than joy and delight.  

During VBS this year, while we were all having snacks, I looked over and Esther was watching the music video intently – almost hypnotically.  Then out of nowhere, she broke out in the freest dance while singing at the top of her lungs our theme song for the week. That was a picture of freedom and delight and I even captured it on video (some of it was in the VBS video we saw in worship). Afterward, I shared it with her parents. Now, Esther’s entire family does the Esther dance when they are full of joy! 

I have a sense that as we move out of childhood and into adulthood, we forget the importance of play. We become “serious” grownups and we consider play to be childish.

Perhaps it is time to reconsider the importance and sacredness of play in our lives. What if we saw play as a spiritual practice like prayer, meditation, or silence? 

It has been proven that…

Play helps us stay in the present moment, the moment of power and presence.

Play moves our mind away from stress and seriousness to the world of adventure, imagination, and fun.

True play involves the connecting of our bodies, minds, and hearts into that “moment of transcendence.”

Thus, I believe play connects us with God.

Watching your favorite team win the Superbowl or the World Series is not real play. You need to be physically involved in play for it to bring you peace.

When Sue and I worked for the summer at camp, we always started the week with an all-camp game of Capture the Flag. It was highly competitive, but we always agreed that at the end of the game – somehow it would end in a tie. Because it was about the fun and spending time together more than about winning or losing. And since the leaders and kids were having so much fun together – the winning honestly didn’t matter, but the memories live on.

De Kovan who I quoted earlier said that “Play is the art of peace…Games are not about winning. They are about celebrating our capacity for having fun together. A well-played game brings us to places of wonder and moments of joy.”

This is exactly what birthed “Funday Sunday.”  When I was in Silverton, Oregon, a member of my elders, Sheldon Lesire, suggested that we have a Sunday where we would come together to simply worship through play.  That became an annual event, just like it is here at First Friends. We had a bouncy house, picnic pitch-in, board games, and even a giant kickball tournament and slip’n’slide. 

And when my boys told the youth about Funday Sunday in the Youth Affirmation Program here at First Friends, they decided to bring the idea to our Business Meeting for us to approve. It was approved and now it has become an annual event at First Friends. I think this is my 10th Funday Sunday among Friends (5 in Silverton and 5 here)!

And one other thing:  Play is not only a spiritual practice and an art of peace, but it is part of the healing process. Laughter and play go together. We know when we are in true play because the laughter bubbles out of us. That is the healing laughter of God.

I love what Keri Wyatt Kent, author of Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity, said, “Play rests and refreshes us.” Play focuses our mind and heart on God as we redirect our thoughts away from the mundane world to the joy of God. She advises, “Be present in your play.” That is to be fully engaged in the now moment.

Ask yourself this morning:

Do I have play built into my life?  When do I play?  Have I become too serious and stopped playing? 

What was something I loved to do as a child that I gave up when I became an adult?  How might I bring that into my life again?  (Maybe you loved to dress up as a child – maybe it is time to attend a cosplay gathering or join your community theater.  Maybe you played tennis a child – pickleball could be calling.  Or maybe you were that kid that loved to play in the dirt – maybe a gardening club or growing some plants is what you need. What was it for you? – I guess maybe I need to join a Space Shuttle Club.

And since, play is about celebrating the joy of God together, connecting with each other and with God…and being spiritual is not just about being serious, it is also about being joyful. I invite you today to set apart some time to play, to find that joy together, to not be totally serious and let your hair down.  You might find that you not only needed this time, but that you are able to connect to that of God around you. 

So, let’s take a moment to center ourselves this morning and consider those queries as we enter a time of waiting worship.  

·        Do I have play built into my life?  When do I play?  Have I become too serious and stopped playing? 

·        What was something I loved to do as a child that I gave up when I became an adult?  How might I bring that into my life again? 

8-6-23 - "The Light Life"

The Light Life

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

August 6, 2023

James 1:16-18 (MSG)

16-18 So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.

I found it ironic that this year’s theme for Western Yearly Meeting was “You are the Light of the World” and we at First Friends had just come off a week of VBS and Meetings for Worship that were all about shining Jesus’ light.

While leading a workshop with Rachel Doll O’Mahoney, the pastor of Valley Mills, on supporting and attracting young-ish adults, I was reminded of a story from my time in campus ministries that had to do with exploring in more depth another aspect of the light of God we were talking about. I have shared this story on several occasions, but I think it gets to what I want to talk about this morning.

When I first arrived at Huntington University as the Assistant Director of Campus Ministries sixteen years ago, I was asked to lead an in-depth Bible Study for the students on campus - every Friday for the entire school year. 

After discussing what books of the Bible, I would consider studying, I told my campus ministry team that I was thinking of facilitating a study on the book of James. 

At first the team was excited but then paused as if I was going to say something more.  Finally, one person asked, “James is a very short book of the Bible, what other books are you going to cover throughout the year?” (If you are not familiar with the Book of James, it happens to have only 5 chapters and takes up about 4-5 pages in the Bible – that is depending on the translation.)

Now, I had decided every Friday we would simply take a word-by-word explorative journey through the book of James - unheard of, for such a short book. 

But I knew the book of James held a lot to discuss and ponder, and I looked forward to the challenge. So, for about two thirds of that school year I met in an auditorium with a couple hundred students every Friday.  It was just a little bit larger than Seeking Friends here at First Friends. 

Yet, it was one of the most engaging and challenging studies I have ever attempted. And yes, I was able to keep it to only studying the Book of James for the entire year. 

I share that story, because in some ways, teaching that class was a centering time for me before entering a very interesting time of my life. 

You see, not only was I a husband, a father of three young children, and now, a member of the campus ministry team at a Christian college, I had just come through a difficult time of church planting as well as church closing in the Anglican Church in the Detroit area.

We had just moved to Indiana from Garden City, Michigan, and we would continue to own our house in Garden City for the next two years because of the recession.

At this time our young family of five was forced to live with my parents in New Haven, Indiana. Not only was this a challenging time, but the things we had gone through were teaching us to see the world, our faith, those around us, and even God in a new Light. 

As I mentioned I was entering a very interesting time of life.

By the end of that year and study on James I was considering starting doctoral studies at George Fox Evangelical Seminary (Portland Seminary, today), and Huntington University had decided to enter a year focused on diversity and issues of race. My mind had a lot to process.  

Upon arriving at Huntington, I had been asked by the university to create a Facebook profile – not knowing that this would be my new way of communicating to the college students for the rest of my time there.  (Ironically, Rachel and I were just sharing our technology “firsts” this weekend in our workshop at Western Yearly Meeting – like when we bought our first cell phone, when we emailed for the first time, and even when we started using Facebook – all things that young people today have come to assume we have had forever.)

I also at this time found myself moving away from being an Anglican priest, and a new friend and colleague in my life, a progressive Mennonite was teaching me about pacifism, the living/historic peace churches, and nonviolent resistance. 

Not long after this, my family and I would join a group of peace-minded friends each week to discuss and encourage each other in this work. Still, this was all yet to come. 

So, let’s return to that Bible Study…

One Friday, we had a rather packed auditorium – I was hoping it was because my engaging teaching, but I think it was because students needed to get their chapel credits and it was the end of the semester.   

That morning, I started our class with a blank large dry erase board on the stage.  To encourage student’s participation, I asked them to name words that described God and wrote them on the dry erase board.

For the next several minutes, we filled the board with a plethora of words from loving to wrathful and everything in between. 

I then asked the students where they learned those descriptors and they shared the typical places – church, Sunday school, parents, VBS, etc.… (remember, it was a Christian college).

I then made what I thought was a natural transition to the text we were to discuss (which happens to be our text for today).  So, I read,

 So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.

Immediately a hand went up…and I called on a young man who had attended every Friday and always engaged in the conversation in a meaningful way. 

This week, I could see he looked rather disturbed.  He then said, “I have a hard time with these verses.  My dad left my mom when I was young and has nothing to do with me or my family.” 

At that point you could hear a pin drop.  He then went on to explain how he has struggled with the view of God as Father.  As with all good discussions, immediately hands went up and we started a much deeper conversation.  Some of the challenges came because…

For some God must be male.

For some God must be a parent figure.

For some God had to be a disciplinarian, and yet… 

For some God seemed absent much like this young man had explained. 

Emotions raised quickly, and for the first time I went and grabbed a chair and sat on the stage just listening. 

For several minutes, students aired out the issues they had with their dads or parents, others defended the views they had been taught by their churches, and some just sat very silent. 

What all this was landing on was one word from our text that for them was such a strong and polarizing word – Father.

Now, there was a good chance that I was the only father in that auditorium that day, but as I listened to the students talk, I began to think about my own views of God and being a father. 

Even though I have a caring, quiet, and rather passive father whom I can relate to my understanding of God, it was clear from the student’s angst and frustration this was not the case for everyone.

Actually, for these students, the father descriptor and metaphor seemed almost problematic. Either God was not living up to their understanding of being the proper father in their life or their physical father was not living up to being a godly example.

Interestingly enough, for the next several years, I personally began wrestling with the idea of God as father, but it wasn’t until about four years later that I returned to this particular scripture.

I, like many of my students, and many other Christians had focused so much on the role of the father and its example for earthly fathers (such as myself) that I completely put the focus on a standard that was too high to humanly attain. No wonder so many of my students had wrestled with this. 

As I started my doctoral studies, I was introduced to feminist, Black, progressive, and other unique and challenging theologies and spiritualities – and that included the one I landed within - Quakers.

I believe it was because of that conversation on fathers at Huntington University that I began to notice how often Quakers referenced the “Father of Light” in our teachings, as well as early and current documents.  This description is referenced in our own faith and practice and seems to be a rather Quakerly descriptor of God.   

I probably should have seen it when reading our scripture for today – the way Eugene Peterson translated this text is almost speaking directly to Quakers.

Peterson’s translation of James’ words even starts by addressing his dear “Friends” and then he gives a warning.

Don’t get thrown off course.

But let’s be honest…that is so easy to do whether reading scripture or just trying to process life. That is exactly what my students did 16 years ago – they had been thrown off course by struggling with their own images of father.

Yet, I see it still happening during this crazy time in our world today with our desire to be right and others be wrong, polarizing politics, and the all-consuming technology. We can easily get off course. We too can get hyper focused and miss the bigger point.  But what is that bigger point?

If we continue in our scripture, we might see a completely different picture. 

Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven.

The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light.

Let’s be honest - we all love receiving gifts – especially desirable and beneficial ones – but what if we were thrown off course and were missing the gifts before us? 

What if instead of seeing what God was offering, we were caught up in thoughts or beliefs that were throwing us off course?

The weeks following that conversation with the students, I did an exegetical study on what was meant by the descriptor “Father of Lights.”  Boy, was that a study.

God is Light.

God is the creator of light.

God is the creator of the heavenly lights.

And then I read God is the author or originator of the Light - the Light God has placed in each person.

Father was both a patriarchal and humanly way of translating what should have been more appropriately author or originator of Light. That light which is found in each one of us. 

That light as Peterson so poetically described is “cascading down” from the Originator of Light – through or over what is it cascading? – YOU AND ME.

What James was trying to say was one of the most beautiful and Quakerly things in scripture. The Originator of Light, who is not deceitful, not two-faced, not fickle is cascading through each of us – it is the Light within us. 

The Light that helps us dispel the darkness of our world. 

The Light that helps make us be better fathers and mothers, partners, siblings, neighbors, and friends.

The Light that, if we connect to it, will help us not be deceitful, two-faced, fickle…and we could probably continue to add even more relevant descriptors like racist, homophobic, misogynistic, narcissistic, abusive, arrogant, naive, and the list goes on.

And James goes on as well to say, “He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.” Let me restate it to make a bit more sense for our current condition.

The originator of Light has given us life (birthed the light within us) and has shown us how to live. When referencing the True Word – James is talking about Jesus who has taught us the way to live this Light Life.

And finally, James makes the point that each and every one of us (no matter if we are Fathers, Mothers, Siblings, Partners, Children, Neighbors, Friends) are special to the Originator of that Light within us all. 

So going back a couple of weeks, that means we need to Shine Jesus’ Light, or as we heard at Yearly Meeting this week, “YOU are the Light of the World. However you want to say it – to make a difference in our world it takes living the Light Life! 

So, let’s go live out that gift from the Originator of the Light Life, today!

To help us continue to process these thoughts, I have some queries for you to ponder as we enter waiting worship:

1.     What descriptors or attributes that we have given to God do I have the hardest time relating to? And why?

2.     Has something “thrown me off course” and not allowed me to see the good gifts of God in my life?

3.     How might seeing the Light of God “cascading down” through my life and the lives of those around me help me to value each person and see that of God in them?

7-23-23 - "YOU Are the Light of the World"

YOU Are the Light of the World

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

July 23, 2023

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This week at the Meetinghouse we are celebrating our Stellar VBS! As you just saw from the video, we had a wonderful time.  This morning, I am giving more of a homily or shorter message because of all the extra fun we are sharing from VBS. The scripture I chose for today is Matthew 5:5-16 from the New Revised Standard Version.

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

As you could see from the video, this has been a wonderful week of learning how to “Shine Jesus Light.” Each night during VBS we ended with having the children share their “God Sightings” for the night. Their leaders would write down where the children saw God during VBS on star-shaped Post-it Notes and then they stuck them to the windows in Fellowship Hall (they are still there – you may want to stop by and see them). 

I loved that often on the stars were written names of leaders, other participants, and even family members.  What our children were learning was that they could see that of God in those around them – because those people were “Shining Jesus Light.”  

This reminded me of something I read in Friends Journal a couple years ago from Tim Gee. The article was called “You are the Light of the World.” Here is a little of what he said,

Picture the scene. There are people all around, voices low. The famed social critic and prophetic speaker John the Baptist has been taken away to a place where he will be assassinated in a graphically gruesome manner. Word has spread. People are shaken and unsettled.

Is it safe to go out to a public meeting?

But still they come—you come—taking the risk in order to hear from the person John had spoken about, whose very name, Yeshua (Jesus to Greek speakers), is steeped in the country’s story. He was brought up by a father who was an ancestor of the legendary king David, and he is so important that the great John the Baptist said he was not worthy to carry even this man’s sandals.

And then he speaks. But he doesn’t talk much about himself at all. Instead he welcomes and affirms those…

·        with no or low pay (the poor),

·        people who are sad (those who mourn),

·        people committed to nonviolence (the meek),

·        activists (those who hunger and thirst for righteousness),

·        pacifists (the peacemakers),

·        powerful people who try to act kindly (the merciful),

·        and people who try to live lives uncontaminated by the military occupation of their lands (the pure in heart).      

Then, after some words of encouragement to sustain perseverance, he declares “You are the light of the world.” And so, begins the great Sermon on the Mount, passed down to us through the Gospel of Matthew, a multi-chapter vision of how the world would be very different if people who call themselves Christians actually did what Jesus said…

Jesus said, “YOU are the light of the world.”

But, who is the “you” he is talking to here?  

From the gospel stories taken together, we know that Jesus’s followers consisted principally of the marginalized and oppressed, in particular colonized peoples; a good many disabled people; many people from what we’d now call working-class backgrounds; and many more women in leadership roles than would have been typical in the deeply patriarchal structures of that society. There were more privileged sympathizers, even some Roman soldiers after a while, but principally, it was a movement of the dispossessed.

And here is Jesus addressing them, saying that you (plural)—the oppressed—are the light of the world. Then and now, this is a starkly radical message.

Quakers, of course, have been persecuted and in some places still are, but in other places are not. Can we square this with the belief that there is that of God in everyone?

In short, yes. At Pentecost (Acts 2), God pours His Spirit on all people, even, as is discussed in the letters, on some who might surprise us. In Jesus’s physical life, though, he spoke first and foremost for and with those on the fringes of society.

But then there’s another word. He says you are the light of the “world”—not the “earth.” When the Bible talks about the earth, it usually refers to the ground, the land, the soil, or what we’d call the planet.

In Genesis, God creates the heavens and the earth. In Matthew, Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. In the preceding passage, he calls his listeners the “salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). 

The word “world” more often refers to the age, the times, the system, the ways things are ordered, which is typically out of sync with God’s love. At his trial Jesus says, “my Kingdom is not of this world,” which I take to mean that the Kingdom of Heaven is not compatible with the system of empire.

Yet in this great opening speech, Jesus says, “you are the salt of the earth” but then says “the light of the world.” This world, the world system of his time, was dominated by violence and inequality, and there are so many echoes of that time in our own.

I take this phrase to mean—to borrow again from John—that then as now, there is a light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:5).

Folks, both then and now, there is still hope in love and in following Christ: “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Then let’s remember how these verses finish: “A city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket” (Mt. 5:14-15).

No, this little light of mine – I am going to let it shine!  Put it under a bushel – NO!

Every one of us has something to share with a visitor from elsewhere or to bring to others we spend time with, even if it is as simple as a ministry of presence.

Our connections strengthen us and can lead us to new ways of letting our light shine, so that others might see the good work going on and be inspired to do likewise.

So, this morning, I hope you too will recognize, like our children this week, those around us who are shining their Lights.  That we will notice that of God in our neighbors, our leaders, or relatives.  And that we too would remember that Jesus called ALL of us, no matter our disabilities, whether we are marginalized or oppressed, no matter our gender, or socio-economic situation, he called every one of us to be the Light of the World!

So, let’s go shine Jesus’ Light this week. 

Now, as we enter waiting worship, ask yourselves,

How can I shine Jesus’ Light in my world?

Who do I need to thank for shining their Light in my life?

How might I encourage someone around me to shine their Light? 

7-16-23 - "Be the Light!"

Be the Light!

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

July 16, 2023

Good morning Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections. Today at the Meeting is VBS Kickoff Sunday and we are excited to present a Stellar program again this year.  The scripture I chose for this morning is Matthew 5:14-16 from the Message version. 

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

With our theme for VBS this year being about Space, it reminded me that I am a part of Generation X – also known to some as the Space Shuttle Era. I grew up, like many of you who were part of the Space Race Era a generation before, engrossed with watching spacecraft heading off the planet into space. Unlike the rockets of the previous era, I grew up with what looked like a large airplane called a space shuttle - one that took off like a rocket and landed like a plane. It did not take just a couple people into space, but rather an entire crew of astronauts and scientists.

From early on, my young mind was captivated by space exploration and the space shuttle program. Instead of Rock & Roll posters in my room, I had posters of the space shuttle. Deep down I wanted to grow up to be an astronaut. To help instill these dreams, between my Kindergarten and 1st grade year my parents took me to what was then called Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida the home of NASA and the Space Shuttle Program.  

There I learned about the history of space flight, went out to a launch pad, and even saw my first glimpse of the actual Space Shuttle from a distance through the giant open doors of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building.  I remember being so small compared to the giant vehicles used by NASA, yet my excitement and dreams were really growing big!

At the Kennedy Space Center shop, I could barely contain my desire to purchase everything in sight. I wanted photo postcards, coins, patches, models – you name it – anything with my future emblazoned on it.  I did get a few of those trinkets, but the greatest gift I took home that day was a blue astronaut jumpsuit – just like the astronauts wore before heading to space.  My parents bought it large, so I would grow into it.  But since it was like coveralls – I knew I had plenty of time to enjoy it.  I liked wearing my jumpsuit and pretending I was an astronaut.  My friends were envious of me.

By second grade, I was still really into the Space Shuttle program. I think my love for Star Wars was fueling this deep desire for space travel and learning about the program.  Our school librarian, Mrs. Holly always invited my class up to watch the space shuttle launches on the Library TV.  If I knew in advance, I would wear my astronaut jumpsuit. 

Well, one launch, I had been prepared and was wearing my jumpsuit. Not realizing I had had a growth spurt over the summer months, I went to sit down on the floor with my class in front of the TV when I heard a big rip.  Immediately my friend, Tim, saw the damage to my space suit.  My Luke Skywalker Underoos were hanging out my backside.  Quickly, Tim moved in behind me to cover the damage.  Even though I was embarrassed, I remember thinking – I cannot miss the launch.  So, we sat through the launch, Tim walked behind me all the way back to my room for last period.  I slid my backpack over my back and quickly went to the car lane after school to see if my mom could fix the damage. 

The sad news then was delivered – I was getting too big and would have to give up wearing the jumpsuit.  I mourned the demise of that jumpsuit, but my dreams continued. Even though I did not have the jumpsuit, Tim and I continued to help Mrs. Holly in the Library when launches were to take place.  We did this until 1986 - my 7th grade year - when things came to a rather horrific stop.

Tim and I were helping Mrs. Holly on January 28th to record the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger.  Space Shuttle missions had become regular occurrences for us by now, but this one had a special passenger – a teacher named Christa McAuliffe.  Our principal had asked that we record the special event so that we could watch it at a special assembly at the end of the week.  Tim, Mrs. Holly, and I prepared the VHS tape and pressed record as soon as we heard the words, “We interrupt this program to bring you the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger.”   Since we had watched many launches, we were making chit-chat with Mrs. Holly as the countdown began.  As it came closer to launch, we turned our attention to the screen.  

Now, for those of you in the previous generation, you know where you were and what you were doing when you heard that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.  And for the Millenials, you remember where you were the day the Twin Towers fell in New York.  But for me and Genneration X, it will be January 28th the day that 73 seconds into flight, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart and disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean killing all seven crew members. 

Mrs. Holly, Tim, and I stood there before the TV in utter shock at what we just witnessed. In that moment, we were the only people in our school who knew and witnessed what had just taken place.  Mrs. Holly put her arms around us and drew us into her as a mother would her children. Then she asked me to go inform the principal as to what transpired. Most of the students were headed to lunch, and I remember our principal, Mr. Richert, grabbed the intercom and in a somber tone shared the sad truth, offered a prayer, and then gave time for silence. I could see the sadness in his eyes as he left to visit each of the classrooms.

Tim and I were invited to stay in the principal’s office for a while before heading back to our classroom to get ourselves in order.  The rest of the day we spent talking with our caring teachers about the disaster – some parents came and picked up their children, and the United States went into mourning the loss of seven incredible people and dreams of exploring space.  Even my dreams were thwarted by this one event. 

For several weeks, even months, there was a hopelessness that fell upon the United States.  It happens every time there is a tragedy in our world, today.  Whether it is a space shuttle tragedy (which we have had two of now) or a mass shooting at a school, people keep trying to process the devastation and wondering what they can do? 

What can you or I do to make a difference during times of tremendous pain and darkness? The Space Shuttle Tragedy shook me and made me feel helpless as a child and still today every time there is a mass shooting I feel very similar. 

The darkness is quick to descend and consume in these tragic times. Yet where there is darkness, we must seek to find and be the Light!

Much like Mrs. Holly or Mr. Reichert who chose to shine their Lights into the darkness of that Space Shuttle tragedy by giving us hugs, listening to us, giving us space to grieve and surrounding us with love, we each have this opportunity to shine our Lights into the darkness of our world.

Writer Holly Sidell says,

“We each have our own way of shining our light in the world…doctors shine their light by healing people, janitors shine their light by allowing us clean spaces in which to shine our light, teachers empower students to learn how to shine their own light, and so on.

 Or, it doesn’t even have to do with our job. It can just do with us, who we are at our core. Do you have a beautiful singing voice that brings chills to people’s arms and tears to their eyes?  Do you have incredible patience, or are you a great listener?  Do you bake delicious chocolate chip cookies that make people think of the safety and warmth of a mother’s love?  

Are you yourself, sick and going through your own healing process? You shine your light through that healing process of healing yourself…and in healing yourself, you can begin to heal the world.  Are you, or have you, recovered from an addiction?  That shines enormous amounts of light. 

We don’t have to be all guru-super-“woo woo” spiritual to shine our light…We just light up the world by doing what we were born to do – whether it’s a job, a passion, or a hobby. We light up the world by treating the person next to us with kindness, compassion, and human dignity.”

That is what I experienced in that moment of tragedy, and that is also what I believe our scripture was trying to teach us this morning.

You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world… Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

And to be this light and bring out the God-colors in the world, Paul gave some reminders to the Philippians of what that will entail.  In Philippians 2:14-16 it says:

“Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed!”

So, to be the Light we must first take time to check our attitudes.

Then he says, “Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society.”

So, check your attitudes and then consider your example.

Then he says, Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns.

Thus, we are to bring hope by how we live out the life and example that Christ gave us. 

And finally, You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing.

So, let me recap - to be Light in the world we need to:

·        Check our Attitudes

·        Consider our Examples

·        Bring hope by How We Live.

·        Become the Living Proof of God’s Light in the world. – BE THE LIGHT!

We may not be able to erase the darkness of tragedies, but we can shine our Light so the darkness does not overcome us. 

And today as we kick off our Stellar Vacation Bible School this is what we are going to be instilling in our children throughout this week - how they too can shine their lights in this often dark world. 

I am excited that in today’s lesson we will be looking at “When Life Feels Dark, Shine Jesus’ Light!”  and then through the rest of the week we will be looking at 

When people don’t get along, Shine Jesus’ Light!

When good things happen, Shine Jesus’ Light!

When people are sad, Shine Jesus’ Light!

When people need help, Shine Jesus’ Light!

Along the way, I am sure we will need to check our attitudes, consider our examples, work to bring hope in how we live, all so we can become the living proof that God’s Light is in the world!

So, folks, there will always be darkness in our world…tragedies, death, war, but you and I can make a difference – because we can choose to BE THE LIGHT!

Now as we enter waiting worship, take a moment to consider the following queries:

·        Do I believe my Light can change my world?

·        Am I doing what I was born to do?

·        Who do I know who has suffered through tragedy and needs my presence, today?

7-9-23 - "The Spiritual Benefits of Road Trips"

The Spiritual Benefits of Road Trips

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

July 9, 2023

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections. Our scripture for today is from Luke 24:13-35 from the New Revised Standard Version.

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.  Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.  Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.  Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.”  Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.  When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.  Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, and he vanished from their sight.  They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem, and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!”  Then they told what had happened on the road and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Before I begin my message this morning, I want to thank Eric and Beth for bringing two wonderful messages while I was enjoying vacation with my family.  It is so encouraging to have such outstanding partners in ministry to rely on while away.  Thank you both! 

The story of the road to Emmaus is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. There are so many ways to interpret it, but even more I find myself experiencing it in new ways every time I take a walk around my neighborhood or a road trip to another state.  

Our family just returned from a 10-day road trip to Florida. To be totally honest, I simply do not like to fly – I would much rather take a road trip in a car or van.  That is probably because my parents instilled in me the importance of road trips at an early age.  Taking time to allow your mind to escape the daily and see new sights, experience new people, have new conversations, even try new foods was all a part of the experience. 

As a father, I too have instilled these important aspects into our family.  When our children were younger, we would take a road trip about every two weeks.  Some were just a daytrip while others were over-nighters.  We might take a hike in a local park, head to the coast for dinner and to see the sunset, or in Oregon we might take a weekend trip to Seattle or to visit a friend in another state.  We loved taking road trips to National Parks, State Parks, and seashores to see wildlife or watch the whales heading north (one of Sue’s favorites).

Once when I was out on the Oregon Coast for my doctoral program, a few of my cohort took a Sunday morning road trip up the Oregon Coast in search of lighthouses.  Along the way, we stopped in Pacific City and climbed the sand dunes to get a view of the raging Pacific Ocean as it hit the many rock formations just below us. At one point we all decided to lay down on the ground and simply experience the sights, sounds, and smells.

The experience was not only overwhelming, but it was transcendent.  One of my friends said, “This is better than any church I have been to on Sunday morning.” In that moment we experienced the beauty of the Divine all around us. There was a sense of cleansing, a sense of renewal, and a sense of true connection. 

After coming down from the sand dunes and rock formations, we all had lunch together at a favorite restaurant – The Pelican Pub and Brewery.  Together we shared in a meal of fish and chips and cold beer.  As we were about to enjoy our meal, one of my friends, said, “Quakers would consider this communion” and it truly was.  

To this day, that road trip changed me. It helped me see the Divine in new ways, to connect in new ways, to experience life outside of the box I had put it in.  I shared with my friends, that being on top of those sand dunes and rock formations, I felt how the disciples must have felt on the road to Emmaus when their eyes were opened to that of God in their midst. I know my eyes were opened to God in the mighty ocean, the wind blowing over me, in the people I was with, even the conversations and laughs in the car.

From that moment on, I began to realize the spiritual benefits of road trips and how good they are for one’s soul.  On several occasions I have written about this and even seen walks and road trips as spiritual disciplines.  As I began to study this more, I found that others were talking about how important Road Trips are for one’s soul.  Just “Google it” and you will find article after article about the value of road trips.  

One of the articles I came across was “10 Reasons Why Road Trips are Good for the Soul” by Harry Kettle on the site “The Travel”.  His points really spoke well to what I have learned and experienced – let me highlight a few of them.

Take time to reflect on life.  

Kettle says, “There’s no point in sitting down and pretending like everything is okay 100% of the time, because it’s not, and it’s great to be able to admit that. Sometimes, you just need to be able to clear your head, not think about anything else, and just allow the miles that you travel to enhance your clarity on life.”

I could not agree more. I once was told that driving or even commuting can be a daily spiritual retreat.  Instead of filling it with radio noise or music, just embracing the silence and taking in your surroundings, can open your eyes to new possibilities and allow your soul to refresh. 

Take time to explore the countryside. 

On our recent trip to Florida, our GPS took us off the highways a couple of times to avoid accidents. One of those times, we found ourselves driving through an “old growth” pecan tree farm in Georgia. Just before leaving, I had been reading Jimmy Carter’s book, “Living Faith” where he talked about the challenges of farming, racism, and faith in this same region. A connection was made off the beaten path that I was not expecting. It put life into his words. 

I wonder what would happen if we allowed ourselves to explore the countrysides of our life more often?  We might see with new eyes.

Take time to forget about work.

Kettle says, “Whether it be a deadline that has just been and gone or a potential promotion that is dangling overhead like a carrot, none of that matters on a road trip.” 

A road trip allows us to put the chaos of life and the noise of the world behind us for a moment so we can again hear what the Divine is speaking to us. It breaks the cycle of the ordinary and gives us a break from our daily grind.  Work can wait – this time is for you.

Thus, Kettle says, enjoy your music.  As we know so well here at First Friends, music speaks to our condition – and specific songs speak deeply to our soul.  Last year Sue and I took a road trip by ourselves and I put together a collection of CDs for us to listen to in the car of her favorite music – as we were celebrating her 50th birthday.  As we listened, we realized how many songs had special meaning to our lives and the places we had experienced them together.  It was a trip down memory lane.

In one of my favorite “road trip” movies, Elizabethtown, Claire (played by Kirsten Dunst) questions Drew (played by Orlando Bloom), 

“To have never taken a solitary road trip across country? I mean everybody's got to take a road trip, at least once in their lives. Just you and some music.” 

In response Claire prepares a road trip with accompanying map and soundtrack for Drew to experience as he deals with his father’s death and his seemingly failed life. I don’t want to give away the movie – but it is such a powerful way to show exactly what I am talking about in this sermon – I highly recommend you steam it.   

Now, music is important but as I mentioned earlier silence is also important.  Turning off the radio and listening to the rain can be just as spiritual or renewing.  Or listening to the cicadas at night. 

Take time to experience different cultures.

Kettle says, “Whether it’s visiting a new place for the first time or just stopping off for gas, there are new cultures to be explored within every single corner of the globe.” 

If you don’t believe this – you have not been to Buc-ees - a gas station destination throughout the south - which this trip we seemed to avoid because of the long lines.  

Sue is the queen of finding local restaurants for us to try on trips.  This trip we found Hull’s Seafood Market and Restaurant on Ormond Beach, Florida which was a gem of a place with lots of history and fishing/beach culture (something foreign to us suburban/city dwellers).  On the walls of the restaurant, you can read the story of Captain Hull who at the age of 10 had a passion to be on the water and 40 years later would still be providing fresh fish to the people of Ormond Beach.

Take time to make memories with family and friends.

As Kettle states, “The old saying is that we’ve only got one life so we should just shut up and live it, and as stereotypical as that may seem, it’s true. The friends and family that we surround ourselves with aren’t going to be around forever, and that’s a harsh reality that we all must face.”

This year, my parents are celebrating their 51st wedding anniversary.  Since Sue and I did not know what to get them for their 51st anniversary, we did what any good person would do, we googled it to find out. For one’s 51st anniversary they are to return to their honeymoon spot. So, we invited my parents to join us to go along on our vacation this year.  51 years ago, they went to Disney World for their honeymoon and the park was in its inaugural year.  We made it an even bigger celebration since I was celebrating my 50th birthday and Alex (who was celebrating their 25th birthday) flew in from Austin, TX to join us and we all had a magical time at Disney World together. We were making memories that will last a lifetime. Folks, my mom and dad even went on Test Track and Rise of the Resistance and I have photos to prove it! 

And it doesn’t just have to be family.  Some of my favorite road trips have been with friends or colleagues. It is all about experiencing it together.

Now, this is a very important one – Take a break from social media.

Kettle says that “Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and beyond are all incredibly addictive tools, and they can all be used for good. At the same time, they can also be abused, to the point where they no longer become fun anymore. Perhaps the idea of not using any of them throughout the course of a road trip isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but at the very least, restricting your usage can be great for your own state of mind. By simply looking up from that smartphone, a whole new world of possibilities can be discovered.

One of the first questions I received when I returned from vacation was “I haven’t seen any posts about your vacation.”  I only posted two photos the entire trip.  When I drive my phone is usually used for the maps – so that makes it easy for me to not get caught up in social media.  Also, I want my time to focus on those I am with.  But the reality is that I need about two days to come off of social media and that is hard.  It is clear that when you do – an entire world of possibilities are awaiting to be discovered. 

Maybe our connection with the Divine and one another is suffering because we aren’t looking up and around more often.

And lastly, take time for the adventure.

As Kettle says, “every single part of a road trip forms a brand new piece of the puzzle – and a brand new adventure to go alongside it. It’s important to push yourself outside the realms of your comfort zone from time to time because that’s the kind of thing that makes your soul smile. It sounds cliché and a little bit corny, but it’s what makes us feel alive again.

I believe the disciples on the road to Emmaus felt alive again.  What did they say, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?” There was a new passion growing within them.  And I believe if we take the time to take a walk or road trip and expect that the Divine will meet us on the journey through nature, through each other, through the experiences we have together, we too will feel more alive.

So, plan to take a walk or road trip this week and see how God will meet you along your path! Enjoy the adventure!

Now, as we enter waiting worship, take a moment to consider the following queries:

What “countrysides” do I need to explore?

Who should I take with me on a road trip? Where should we go?

What is getting in the way of me having a new adventure with the Divine?

7-2-23 - "Let Justice Roll down Like Waters"

Let Justice Roll down Like Waters
Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting
Beth Henricks
July 2, 2023

Good morning, friends. I am speaking to you today because Bob and his family are on a much-needed summer vacation, and we are stepping in to provide the messages during these few weeks. We heard a powerful message from Eric last week and I am grateful he shared some of his personal story as well as encouraging and challenging us in this beautiful tapestry of community.

Our scripture reading this morning is from Galatians 5:13-15 (Message Version)

“It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?”

We are about to celebrate the 4th of July. I am sure we all have great memories of traditions in our childhood that we cherish. Maybe an annual parade in our towns. Or a traditional cookout at a dear relative or friend’s home. My memory growing up was an annual visit to a private lake that a friend had access to for holidays. My dad and brothers would head over there early to fish all morning. My mom would cook all morning and make fried chicken, potato salad, deviled eggs, pickled cucumbers , fresh fruit, and brownies. My mom and I would pack up the car with the food and head to the lake around noon. We had this delicious picnic and then I would get in the boat with my dad to catch some catfish (my brothers were serious fish folks looking for bluegill early in the morning) and sat in lawn chairs and just enjoyed being together. We usually came home in time to head downtown for a magnificent display of fireworks on the Detroit River in the evening. It was always a great day, and the memories are sweet for me now.

We all learned in early grade school the 4th of July is the day we celebrate our independence from England. We know the courage and fortitude these brave men at the time entered into, willing to risk their lives to create this independent country and its great experiment with democracy.  So many history books and biographies to read about this period of time. Anyone that has been to a live performance or watched the movie Hamilton experienced a more visceral understanding of the tremendous risk and commitment these founding fathers took to break away from England. While we sometimes in our current culture want to judge these early leaders of our country by today’s standards and mores, we can’t do this to anyone in history. These flawed men were brave, visionary, and inspired to establish a country that would break boundaries and help create a place where anyone could flourish. One of the founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton, was a perfect example of this when you look at his background as a bastard child, growing up as an orphan in the West Indies, having no money and coming to America to be one of our greatest early leaders. 

The vision these men put into our Declaration of Independence was astounding and far reaching to a hopeful future. These men could not live up to the vision personally but had the vision of the future and what it could be. This was the world they hoped for even though they could not step away from the culture and context of their time. 

We celebrate the establishment of this country this week. It is breathtaking to think about the values this country was founded on. The potential for opportunity regardless of your family history was significant. The idea that we were all created equal and had a right to pursue liberty and a level of contentment and joy was astonishing.

We celebrate these actions and values this Tuesday and remember the sacrifice of so many to move towards these goals. We do have much to celebrate in our history.

It took many years for our country to gradually move towards these idealized values and we are still far from this vision our founding fathers projected. We began our history with slaves and much that was developed in this country became a reality because of free labor. We almost broke ourselves apart because of the slavery and free labor issue during the Civil War. We held together but still deal with the remnants of slavery and live today in a United States where people of color are treated differently in many circumstances (particularly when it comes to institutions) even while many individual folks of color have succeeded in significant ways. This is part of our evolution. 

Women had no rights in our early years although the vision for them in our Declaration of Independence was seeing all as equal citizens. This did not happen until the early 1900’s but women’s rights have continued to evolve over the last 100 years. We are not where we want to be, but women have made great strides. 

Our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters worked for so many years to be accepted as individuals and many came out of the closet to show America that they are normal, come in all colors and experiences, and should not be feared. It took a long time for them to claim the values of the Declaration of Independence, but this acceptance culminated in the passage of a same sex marriage amendment in 2015. 

There are so many examples of how we keep evolving to become a more perfect union. These are signs of a healthy country. We have a great history, but we also have a dark past in many ways and we cannot push this aside and gloss over it in telling our story. During most decades we can identify activities, systemic oppressions, and injustices that surely some folks living during those periods believed as the worst of times and so dark that it could destroy us. And yet over the last 250 years we have been evolving and slowly moving towards the ideals in our constitution. This is another aspect of America that I appreciate. We have known our weaknesses within our souls and part of the grace of this country is that we have traditionally allowed debate, we don’t block out dissent or kill those that disagree with. Part of our greatness is that we have traditionally over time named our mistakes and weaknesses. Our power in our history has been perfected in our weakness and an amazing grace has occurred when this happens. God’s power is always perfected in weakness. The moral arc does point toward justice. My prayer for our country now is that we don’t lose these characteristics that have allowed us to prosper and continue to evolve.

I know it seems like this recognition and naming our complicated history is coming under attack in the last number of months. It seems like the issues we face, and the divisions of our country are imminent based on the hardened positions of all sides, And I know we feel like this is an existential crisis in our time. And climate change will destroy every country in our world if we do not make changes in so many aspects of our lives. Yet we have experienced many life changing “existential challenges” in our history. I interviewed long time member Helen Davenport a few years before she passed away, and she gave me a significant perspective on what our generation born before 1925 can share with us. How many times in our past have we thought “this is the worst time ever in our history”. Some of the examples include the wars during our early years, when we were a fledgling country, could have destroyed us. The civil war could have annihilated us as a country of states. World War I and World War II might have destroyed the world. If we had not embraced our brothers and sisters of color, our LGBTQ+ community, the women and all that are the backbone of our society, we would not keep advancing as the most powerful nation in the world. 

I believe with all my being that God is pushing us to make changes in this country that we love. Jesus commanded us to create a kingdom of heaven on earth. I am thankful I was born in the United States and participate actively in trying to create this beloved community.

My son Greg traveled to Medellin Colombia last week for 9 days to visit his wife’s homeland as she had not been there for 4 years to visit her family. Greg fell in love with Colombia during his 9 day stay there. The culture is great, the food is amazing, the scenery is stunning, people are truly friendly and helpful. A sense of extended family is one of the most important values to Colombians. Fernanda’s family embraced Greg with open arms and as a young man with limited family still alive here, Greg’s heart was filled with joy and love. Midway through the trip Greg texted me that he thought he could live in Colombia as his home. He saw this country through fresh new eyes and was so taken with some of the differences between Colombia and the US. As the trip went on, he also became more aware of the opportunities that the US offers those that come within its borders that are not as available in other countries. While the cost of things is very low in pesos in Colombia, the wages are extremely low. As much as Fernanda’s family loves their homeland (and have great pride in it) all of them want to move to the US. They know the opportunities that they could have here to make an even better life for their families. The last day of the trip, Fernanda’s brother told Greg “you do not want to live here but please visit regularly.”

Part of the beauty and struggle of this country is that it has always been a country of immigrants. The beauty is the beautiful tapestry that has been created as Eric shared so wonderfully last week. We are a richer and more diverse country with new voices each generation that help us to continue to evolve and change. But always, the established power will resist this. The US discriminated against Germans, Jews, the Irish and Polish natives early on and did not have a very welcoming heart to these immigrants. And yet even with the discrimination they would face, these immigrants wanted to come to the US and it has been important to our country as they gradually became part of our threads in our tapestry. The same thing is true today. For many immigrants, we do not have open arms to embrace them and yet they still want to be here as they recognize a potential for opportunity for their families.

I appreciate the book by historian Jon Meacham, The Soul of America: the Battle for our Better Angels. He says “extremism, racism, nativism and isolationism, driven by fear of the unknown, tend to spike in periods of economic and social stress- a period like our own…. For many, the fact that we have arrived at a place in the life of a nation, where a grand wizard of the KKK (David Duke) can claim, all too plausibly, that he is at one with the will of the former President of the US seems an unprecedented moment. History, however, shows us that we are frequently vulnerable to fear, bitterness and strife. The good news is that we have come through such darkness before.”

Abraham Lincoln said in his first inaugural address, in 1861, “We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will, by the better angels of our nature.”

This is my prayer today. We must think of ourselves, with all our differences as friends. God calls us to this as we read in Galatians 5 – don’t use your freedom for your personal gain – freedom grows when we serve each other in love. 

 Before we enter our unprogrammed worship, I want to remind all of us of the words of the Declaration of Independence, our value statement of why we exist as a nation. 

In Congress, July 4, 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America, When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States.

We now enter a time of unprogrammed worship where we quiet ourselves and listen for God’s voice.

I am not offering queries today but ask that we all sit in silence thinking about our history and our future and what is our role that God calls us to this future.