3-24-24 - Palm Sunday – A Planned Protest by Jesus?

Palm Sunday – A Planned Protest by Jesus?

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Associate Pastor Beth Henricks

March 24, 2024

Friends, it is good to be with you on this Palm Sunday.  I always love to see our kids start our service with the remembrance of waving palms as Jesus is headed into Jerusalem on a colt with people shouting hosanna, meaning we beseech you to deliver us.  It is the first day of the holy week that many Christians celebrate throughout the world and has traditionally been a day of celebration of Jesus ministry .

Our scripture this morning is Mark 8:27-36 NRSV version.

27 Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

30 Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.

33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

34 Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life[b] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 

I have been reading the Tim Alberta book, The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory as well as The Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan this past month and have been reflecting on the meaning of Palm Sunday.   Early on in my spiritual journey, I always had a hard time with Palm Sunday (even as I enjoyed the pageantry and joyous celebration of the traditional day in our Christian culture).  How could the  large crowd honoring Jesus, turn against him in one week and choose Barabbas to go free over Jesus?   As I have continued to read, study, reflect and listen to Biblical scholars a different picture has appeared to me.  I’d like to explore and wrestle with some of my reflections and continual openings about this important event in our Christian heritage. 

The most detailed account we have of holy week appears in the gospel of Mark as it gives a day-by-day account of Jesus activities. Most Biblical scholars agree that this gospel was written about 60-70 years after Jesus’ death.  That is a significant amount of time to lapse to record a detailed description of Jesus life and ministry.  Many scholars also agree that Mark was the first gospel written and that Matthew and Luke utilized a lot of the material found in Mark as well as another piece of writing called the Q source. 

Jesus procession into Jerusalem paralleled another procession that was occurring around the same time – one where Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor was entering Jerusalem at the time of Passover to display the power and glory of the Roman Empire.  The fact that Jesus comes riding into this important city of Jerusalem on a donkey highlights the different kind of leader that he was.  Jesus is painting the picture of the kingdom of God versus the kingdom of Empire.  God’s kingdom is so different than the oppressive kingdom of Rome. 

It seems clear that Jesus planned this ahead of time as a protest and demonstration of God’s realm.  It was the peasants that attended Jesus’ parade and its leader is riding in on a donkey.  Jesus utilized symbolism from the Jewish scripture found in Zechariah 9:9 that Israel’s future king would be “humble, and riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”  In Zechariah 9:10 it describes what kind of king this would be – he would ”cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the war-horse from Jerusalem; and the battle bow shall be cut off and he shall command peace to the nations.”  We sense that there is going to be a clash between these two kingdoms. Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan describe this coming clash as one that takes on the domination system of the day - with a definition of domination system from them as follows – “The phrase domination system is shorthand for the most common form of social system – a way of organizing a society – in ancient and premodern times, that is , in preindustrial agrarian societies.  It names a social system marked by 3 major features:  political oppression, economic exploitation, religious legitimation (meaning the leader is ordained by God).”

 This domination system didn’t stop when we became an industrialized world.  It has continued in various forms and iterations in many places in our world. 

In Jesus time, the Jewish temple authorities collaborated with the domination system of Rome.  This was the method the Roman empire deployed in areas that they took over militarily.  They relied on the wealthy and influential in the society to enforce their rules, laws, and taxation. In Jerusalem that was the temple priests and authorities that were Jewish.  Part of Jesus protest parade was to criticize these collaborators with the Roman domination system.  It’s important to remember that many of these wealthy, influential and powerful people were not bad or evil and many did good works for others.  Jesus’ criticism was more about their participation in the domination system that oppressed people politically, economically, and religiously.   However, I think these temple authorities were in a difficult situation.  Do they cooperate with the domination system that controlled all their lives and maybe help make the common folks lives as good as they could be while they are living in a territory that Rome overtook?  Do they say to themselves, this is the way things are now and I have to accept them even though this would not be my choice?  How do these folks walk the line between not angering their captors in Rome while not angering their Jewish kin?

Jesus talks a lot about the kingdom of God during his ministry.  This was deadly talk as kingdom was all about political kingdom.  This sounds like insurrection talk to speak about a different kingdom and king than the emperor.  This kingdom that Jesus describes is one that demands sacrifice.  And who did Jesus mostly deliver this message to?  The poor.  They know what sacrifice means.  And this is the way, the path, the journey to the kingdom of God.  We believe in the good news of this kingdom of God, God’s alignment against the domination system and the support of the poor, the oppressed and the folks that live in the margins.  It’s interesting to read Mark 8:34 if we put ourselves in the story at the time of Jesus entrance into Jerusalem.  Jesus says, “ if any of you want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”  If the author of Mark is describing the events of Jesus entering Jerusalem, the cross had one meaning.  The cross is a symbol of destruction of an enemy of the domination system.  Anyone that challenged the authority of the Roman Empire would be put to death by the cross.  And yet Jesus is telling his followers that they must follow this path that could lead to the cross.  Jesus is calling his followers to defy, protest, work to change the domination system and its power.  What a radical message!

Sometimes we think of Jesus entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as a peaceful and loving entrance into this city.  I think it was anything but that.  Jesus knew exactly what he was doing and knew this was part of his protest and sacrifice to show a different way, a different path to live and to be part of the kingdom of God. 

I am a student of the Bible and spend much time studying it, being challenged on it, trying to understand it in the context of the time it was written and most importantly reflecting on its meaning in my life today.   Because of this love and appreciation for the truths I embrace from the Bible, I am deeply concerned about how it’s  being used today to divide us and I am heartbroken that we often pledge our allegiance to a kingdom of nation over a kingdom of God.  Do we serve God or the political powers of the day?

I listened to an interview by Tim Alberta (journalist at The Atlantic) last month on this new book about the rise of Evangelical Christianity.  Tim’s story resonated with me as he is a Christian and the son of a preacher in Michigan (where I am from – not the daughter of a preacher but my mom was a spiritual giant in our Nazarene church growing up).  He talked about a profound moment last year when his dad who had retired from the ministry had a massive heart attack and passed away.  His service was at Cornerstone church in Brighton MI where Tim grew up and his dad was the pastor for many years and he was shocked that in this most vulnerable and grief-stricken moment, some members of the church wanted to question him about some of his political statements as a journalist.  He was in disbelief that his beloved church would not offer him love and care and embrace during this sad time.  I knew I had to read his book as he tried to explain this change in many Christian faith communities.

Tim examines the rise of nationalism within the evangelical Christian community.  He traveled the country to talk with pastors and faith leaders to hear about their congregations, the rise of political engagement of their congregants and the blurring of politics and religion.  Tim writes how many of our churches are putting the kingdom of this world above the kingdom of God. 

I was drawn to one pastor he interviewed named John Torres, pastor of Goodwill Evangelical Presbyterian church in Montgomery New York.  Tim joined a service one Sunday morning to hear a message that Torres shared with his congregation titled “The One We Didn’t Plan”.  Torres examined how earlier in the chapter of the gospel of Mark, Jesus had just done a number of miracles and the disciples were seeing how the people responded to Jesus and these miracles from God.  At this point Jesus asks them who do you think I am, and Peter answers the Messiah.  This is what the Jewish people had been waiting for hundreds of years.  And these disciples were going to be a part of this.  They probably  envisioned being part of Jesus court when he was crowned the new king bringing in a new kingdom of this world.  But Jesus told the disciples to not share his identify to the people because the time was not right.  And he began to share more with them how he would be taken into custody by temple and Roman authorities, tortured and killed but would rise again on the third day after his death.

What! This was too much for the disciples to take in.   This was not what they had imagined or signed up for when they left their homes and families to follow Jesus.  They weren’t going to be elevated to a ruling status with Jesus but were going to be associated with this man that the authorities were going to put to death.  What was God doing?

The narrative of Mark in some of the verses that Bob read for us describes that Peter “began to rebuke him”  Surely you are wrong Jesus, this is not how this should turn out, not what we had planned.   Jesus response to this rebuke is strong.  He says to Peter, “Get behind me Satan, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”  Interesting that this is the same language that Jesus used in the desert when he had his confrontation with Satan who offered Jesus the kingdom of this world and Jesus gave the same rebuke, get thee behind me Satan. 

I think the procession into Jerusalem on this first day of Passover received a standing ovation from the people because they believed, like the disciples had believed, that Jesus was their messiah, going to be their earthly king and change the domination system that they lived under.    Hosanna – a psalm of praise for their Savior.  This was the savior that they had been waiting for their entire life.

But as the disciples have learned earlier in their journey with Jesus, this is not going to be the outcome they have anticipated and wanted.  Jesus is going to be captured by authorities, tortured, and killed.  Jesus was not talking about the installation of an earthly king but of a kingdom of God beyond our country and our world.

Friends, what worries me  in this day and age is that our Christian principles, our beliefs, our actions have taken us to extreme places to support our version of this worldly kingdom and systems that run our communities. What are we putting ahead of our desire to live as Jesus lived.  I have been examining my own heart and what are the things that I put ahead of following the example of Christ.  How do I allow power, greed and a need for self-importance play out in my words, actions, and deeds.  God’s kingdom requires taking up a cross, suffering, going against what is popular, turning upside down many of the domination systems that control our lives. 

The parade and demonstration that Jesus planned on this Palm Sunday is a call for me to examine my heart, what are my motivations and how do I participate in supporting the powers that be of this world.  Where is my treasure and am I following the way of Jesus?

I close with a story from a couple of weeks ago when I was subbing for Tiffany teaching our PreK – kindergarten kids.  We were talking about Palm Sunday and the procession with Jesus on the donkey and his followers shouting hosanna and laying down their cloaks for him.  We also talked about a different parade going on at the same time with the Governor of Rome coming in on horses, with fancy robes , many soldiers and jewels and glory.  We talked about how Jesus was showing the way to a different kind of King.  And Franny said to all of us that Jesus was the love king.  What a beautiful expression to consider this new kind of kingdom that Jesus showed us.

Please consider the following queries as we enter our time of waiting worship.

Are we prepared to take up our cross and follow the way of Jesus?

Is my priority the kingdom of God or the kingdom of this world?  Do I seek the glory of power more than the glory of God?

3-17-24 - Learning to Listen Below the Surface

Learning to Listen Below the Surface

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

March 17, 2024

Good morning Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning our scriptures are from James 1: 18-19 from The Voice version.  

We have a special role in His plan. He calls us to life by His message of truth so that we will show the rest of His creatures His goodness and love.

Listen, open your ears, harness your desire to speak, and don’t get worked up into a rage so easily, my brothers and sisters.

As this is our last week looking at the Quaker Virtues before entering the Easter Holiday season, let me begin this morning by sharing a story that I came across this week as I was researching my sermon:

Gerry was walking down a sidewalk in Washington D.C., with a Native American friend who worked in the Bureau of Indian Affairs. It was lunchtime in Washington. People were husslin’ and busslin’ along the sidewalks, and car honks and hurried engine noises filled the streets.  In the middle of all this traffic, Gerry’s friend stopped and said, “hey, a. cricket!”

“What?” said Gerry.

“Yeah, a cricket,” said his friend. “Look here,” and he pulled aside some of the bushes that separated the sidewalk from the government buildings. There in the shade was a cricket chirping away.

“Wow,” said Gerry, “How did you hear that with all this noise and traffic?”

“Oh,” said the Native man. “It was the way I was raised … what I was taught to listen for. Here, I’ll show you something.”

The Native man reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of coins … nickels, quarters, dimes … and dropped then on the sidewalk. Everyone who was rushing by stopped to …  listen.

We with our busy lives, rushing down highways and byways, preoccupied with our own inner thoughts and expectations, what do we hear?

Where is our focus?

What are we paying attention to?

What are we listening to?

For 350 years…the underlying principle of Friends belief and practice is that within every person there is that of God or Spirit leading us to respect the worth and dignity of all.

For 350 years, Friends (or Quakers) have waited in expectant silence, trusting that if we still our thoughts and intentions enough to hear it, the measure of Truth that is given to each of us will become clear.

This is why we must commit ourselves to learning the practices needed for listening deeply (as that opening story illustrated). We must also, as I shared in the last several weeks, learn the practices of speaking and living our truth, respectful differing, and faithful risk-taking so that the Spirit can lead us into deeper and deeper truths and practice as a community.

A while back, I had a sermon series all about Empathy, and we spent several weeks looking at all the different pieces that make up this virtue.  Yet, Quaker Rick Ellis when describing empathy from a Quaker perspective described it as “listening beyond words.”

He says,

Friends have developed explicit practices for fostering empathy, because even though humans have a capacity for empathy, that does not mean we necessarily pay attention to it. Quaker practices like “listening beyond words” combine with empathy to open the way for people to develop deep insights into each other. Empathetic interactions build connections between people at levels much deeper than rational judgments and accumulated information.

I think Ellias and the Native man in the opening story are getting at something very important. We are not that good at listening and by not listening we struggle at going deeper with our neighbors, friends, and family. 

Instead of connecting at a deeper level with each other, our focus ends up somewhere else, leaving us with “surface relationships.”  Some might say the world promotes “surface” and lacks real depth.

Our world even categorizes this in two ways, what they call either surface or deep culture.

Surface Culture is a term that refers to the cultural practices and discourses that are practiced publicly to create the appearance of something being more important than it actually is. Even though, it is essential because it has a significant impact on society. It influences how people think, feel, and behave.

We may give the label of Surface Culture to things like social media, gossip columns, and those wonderful political ads.  For that matter, even much of what we call “news” in our world, today, is just Surface Culture. Each of these often are creating an appearance of something being more important than it actually is.

And many churches and their theologies have embraced Surface Culture, as I hinted at last week, when what people of faith should probably be seeking is Deep Culture.

Deep Culture is a term defined as a system of values, beliefs, norms, and practices held in common by a group of people that serve to integrate them into a cohesive social entity. [This is exactly what this entire sermon series on Quaker Virtues is all about.]

The main characteristics of deep culture are that it is often unconscious and can be found in small groups. Deep culture can be found in the way people act and think about things. It becomes a way of life based on the idea that individuals are connected through deep, shared values. It is more than just an organizational culture or company values. Deep culture is a set of beliefs and behaviors in which people believe they can achieve their goals while positively impacting others and society as a whole. 

Folks, if you listen carefully, this means The Quaker Way is a Deep Culture. 

One of the main differences between surface and deep culture is the depth of listening involved. 

Kay Lindahl writing on the importance of listening goes even further and describes this deeper listening as a Spiritual Listening.  She says,

Spiritual listening is at the heart of all relationships. It is what we experience when we become a quiet, safe container into which the speaker is able to express his or her most genuine voice. There is a communion of souls. The way we listen to each other sets a tone for everything that follows. We often think that our speaking, the words we use, is the most important part of our communication. Yet it is the quality of our listening that has the greatest impact in any conversation.

Quaker writer Douglas Steere says:

“To listen another’s soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service one human being ever performs for another.”

Spiritual listening leads to new understanding as we connect to each other at the heart level and discover common ground and new possibilities. To listen without judgment, open, expectant, eager to hear, we cannot be thinking about our response, or what we are going to do next. We must learn to become a listening presence for what wants to emerge.

That is exactly what it means for us to be people who listen below the surface in Deep Culture.

Don’t get me wrong - I think we ALL struggle with listening on occasion.  Especially, for those married or who have a partner, all we need to do is ask them about how good we are at listening, or if you are not married ask a close friend, and I am sure we will quickly find that we all have some deficiency.  Some of that comes from a misunderstanding of what listening really entails. 

Listening is much more than simply hearing.

Hearing is about receiving information, while listening is about communication, and calls for closeness and depth.

Listening allows us to get things right, and not simply to be passive onlookers, users, or consumers.

Listening also means being able to share questions and doubts, to journey side by side, to banish all claims to absolute power and to put our abilities and gifts at the service of the common good.

To emphasize the importance of listening let me close with this story:

A man was going to a party where he would be meeting his wife’s coworkers from her new job for the first time. He felt anxious as the time for the party grew near, and wondered whether they would like him or not. He rehearsed various scenarios in his mind in which he tried in different ways to impress them. He grew more and more tense.

But on the way to the party, the man came up with a radically different approach, one which caused all of his anxiety to melt completely away. He decided that, instead of trying to impress anyone, he would spend the evening simply listening to them and summarizing what they had just said.

At the party, he spent the evening listening carefully to everyone, responding with phrases like, “I understand what you’re saying, you feel strongly that. . .” and “Let me see if I understand what you mean. . .” He also avoided voicing his own opinions, even though at times it meant biting his tongue to keep from doing so.

To his amazement, he discovered that no one noticed or remarked on the fact that he was just listening. Each person he talked to during the evening seemed content to be listened to without interruption.

On the way home, his wife (whom he had not talked to about the experiment) told him that a number of people had made a point of telling her what a remarkable person he was. The word “charismatic” was used by one person to describe him, while another said he was one of the most “articulate” people she had ever met.

Hmmm…imagine a world where people actually listen to one another, rather than just waiting for the other people to stop talking so they can give their opinion.

I sense listening is somewhat of a lost art form, today. But, if we, like the man in the story, began to embrace it more often in our relationships, in our families, in our work situations, we might just find the world changing for the better. I sense it would create more empathy – listening without words.  It would draw us deeper into one another’s lives and closer as humans and Friends.  But most of all, it would set a tone for everything that follows.

So, let’s make our scriptures for this morning our mantra to begin making a change in our world. 

Listen, open your ears, harness your desire to speak, and don’t get worked up into a rage so easily, my siblings and Friends.

Now, one of the best ways to begin practicing listening is by entering waiting worship, where we expectantly wait on God to speak to us.  And that means we must put ourselves in a position to listen to both the Divine and to our fellow Friends who are nudged to speak out of the silence.  To help us consider our own listening habits, let us ponder the following queries:

1.     What do I focus on or pay attention to when listening?

2.     Where do I find myself embracing Surface Culture and not entering Deep Culture?

3.     How might I practice listening, this week? 

3-10-24 - Make Every Effort – Community

Make Every Effort – Community

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

March 10, 2024

Good morning Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning we continue to look at Quaker Virtues, specifically the virtue of community.  The scriptures I have chosen are from Hebrews 10:24-25 from the New Revised Standard Version.    

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

I always find it ironic that when I get on a roll with a sermon series, I begin to see people making connections and starting to anticipate things that I may be going to say in future messages. I believe this to be a beautiful aspect of true community.

As Quakers, we encourage those who feel nudged by the Spirit to speak out of the silence in waiting worship. Often what I believe happens is the Spirit begins to weave the work I have done through the week on a message with the thoughts of those in the pews or watching from home.  This then allows Friends to expand, clarify, even at times to correct the things that I have been considering or experiencing throughout the week as I live within the community of First Friends.  This is something that many churches would frown upon and may even discourage within their communities.

Last Sunday, several of you spoke out of the silence and added great wisdom to the message and to our lives in general. Inwardly, I chuckled as so many spoke of the importance of community in the process of understanding our authenticity knowing that this week, I would be looking at this very subject.

From little children in a classroom to our partners or spouses, to groups within our Meeting, many identified the importance of the community in our process. Kent Farr even went as far as having us consider adding another query last week regarding the essential importance of community in dealing with our authenticity. 

So, this Sunday, as I had planned, I want to look at the Quaker virtue or S.P.I.C.E. of community.

When I worked in Campus Ministries in a college setting back in the early 2000’s, everyone seemed to be talking about community.  Every Christian book seemed to be about building community, ever worship song was about finding community, and every conference I attended was on the importance of community.  It was almost like they were anticipating something…hmmm…

Even though for most college students back then, small groups were their parents “Oldsmobile” of ministry programming, and they were trying hard to find new ways to build community while quickly getting lost in the growing world of technology. All while, finding themselves alone and lacking the very community that everyone was talking about.  Many visited my office talking about loneliness and isolation.

Now after a pandemic, a much more polarized world, and almost 20+ more years of technology’s influence – it isn’t just college students struggling with community – but all of us.  

Loneliness and isolation are at epidemic levels in our country and are now considered as factors in rising deaths rates.

Back then, I began wrestling with the idea of community but had not fully worked it out (and please understand I still have a long way to go).  

As many of my students, I thought building community was something that would come easy or maybe even naturally.  At least that is how sermons and teaching back then made it seem.

I even had an idealistic idea that community would somehow magically form around me and I would not have to do much work to create it or utilize it. 

I think even deep down, I believed community was optional and at any time, if it got difficult, I could simply opt out of it.  And on several occasions, I did. 

The reality is that what I have learned since that day is that many people think this way about community.  Maybe you have had similar thoughts. 

Now, I am sure if we, at First Friends, took a moment right now and each shared our ideas or definitions of community – we would have a wide range of understandings.  There would be some similarities, some common interests and goals, but probably many differences. 

For the last 20+ years, my exploration of the idea of community has evolved.  I admit that I’ve had a few misconceptions about what constitutes community - actually, I had more than I knew.

And as I began to study community in more death, I realized there were even more misconceptions. I had been taught to believe that community (especially in a faith setting) came best through people who agreed with me, who had similar interests as me, even thought, believed, and voted like me. 

It also had me believing that community had my best interests in mind.  The people in my community would always be looking out for me, I would always feel supported, and I would be comfortably content.  But that too was not always the case. 

Clearly in this way of thinking, community was all about me and my needs – and naively I thought everyone around me probably had the same interests and needs.

Folks, just that thought alone is really disturbing, especially since community is not so much about me as much as we.  

Overtime, I began to realize that not only did I have wrong perceptions of community, but even some of the churches I was part of had the wrong ideas of what constituted true community.  

One day in a conversation with the psychological director of my doctoral program, I began to share some of the challenges I was bumping up against with the struggle my students were bringing to me and my distorted views of community.

He in turn told me a story about his community.  He started by sharing the beauty in the diversity of the people that made up his community.  He told me of the challenges, the triumphs, even the losses of living in community. But something I will never forget is when he said, one of the most essential parts of community is learning to spend time with people who are not exactly like you.

He went on to say the best thing that could happen to communities would be more diversity of thought, culture, race, age, and sexuality.  He said, that is when growth really happens, and true community begins to form. 

Interesting…most of the community I was trying to build was all about people who looked like and sounded like me.    

I began to wonder what this means for the church universal that is made up largely of an aging boomer population – who are moving into retirement communities with absolutely no diversity?  Whole cities in places like Florida and Arizona are made up of people in their late 60’s and 70’s who are mostly white, vote for the same candidate, and live a rather homogenous life away from anyone different than them. And we should be watching carefully those studying these communities because the problems arising in them are starting to creep into the church. I sense one of the reasons the church is seeing less young people is because of this very phenomenon.  I could be wrong…but the similarities are despairing. 

As I started to really ponder my psychological director’s words, I realized very few people are exactly like me in this world.  When we are being authentically ourselves, we are also uniquely different.   

If we really thought about it, if everyone was like us, it would drive us nuts. Yet, too many churches and people of faith seem to want everyone to think, believe, act, vote, and even look the same. The artist in was beginning to havw an uprising. 

Just think about that for a moment.  Is that the beautiful diversity that makes up the Kingdom of God?  Even the National Institute of Health starts its definition of community with this wording,

“…a group of people with diverse characteristics who are linked by social ties…”

Let’s delve into this a little more. I have a feeling that it is likely that God doesn’t encourage fellowship with one another for the sole purpose of being with people who only think, believe, act, vote, or look like us. 

Just maybe, God has something for us to learn or be challenged by through community.

For instance, in Romans 12:4-5 it states,

4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

This shows how even though we are all part of the same body, we all have different roles or functions. We have each been given gifts that we are to use for unique purposes – this is part of being our authentic selves. Instead of thinking that everyone should do things the way we would, we are to appreciate the diversity that God has placed within the body.

Once I realized this beautiful aspect of community, I thought I was getting somewhere, but then I found Ephesians 4:2-3. Paul is talking to the Ephesians, again, about being united as a body (a theme that is essential in understanding community). He urges them to recognize each other’s individual callings. He also tells them to

“be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."

I don’t know about you, but I am really good at knowing when others need to make an effort to be humble or patient, as my wife pointed out in waiting worship last week. I can point out when someone should be better at bearing with me in love.

But what hit me when reading this passage was the command to “make every effort."

I may be completely justified in the fact that I do just enough, but have I done all I can to be united with my neighbors, family, and friends – especially those different than me?  This is tough.  

Perhaps the Bible encourages us to love one another and to be united because it helps us take the focus off ourselves and our own feeling and allows us to see others more completely – more authentically – without the masks, the biases, the expectations we have.     

Living in community with others means.   

We cannot control how other people respond to us or what they believe. 

We cannot make them be what we think they should be.

But we can do what has been asked of us.

And uncomfortably for us, Quakers who work hard to embrace integrity, have been asked to do a lot. We have been asked to make every effort to have a good attitude, no matter what the other person is doing, believing, voting…

We are to make every effort to love at all times. This love for others – whether or not they love us back – is part of our responsibility in encouraging fruitful community and relationships.   

Can I love someone who isn’t like me?  Or maybe I should ask first, can someone love my authentic self?  Maybe I am just as bad. 

Part of what community teaches us is to slowly and sometimes painfully begin to think about others, to forgive others, and to bear with one another through the good and bad. We don’t always have to agree, but that doesn’t mean we have to rid them from our lives, so it is easier for us to live.  But that is what many of us do, isn’t it?   

This means taking the focus off ourselves is about being part of community. It is another aspect of positioning ourselves in a humble and patient manner so we are able to be taught, transformed, and loved. 

Yet, too often we cocoon ourselves within community.

We use our desire for fellowship with other people as an excuse to ignore or refuse people we don’t want in our community.  This no longer is a community but rather a clique or a cult.  Let’s be honest, we have a growing number of cults in our country that sound and speak very religious, but are far from it.

Isn’t this the opposite of what we are supposed to be doing as a faith community?

Quaker Rex Ambler in his book, “The Quaker Way” has a chapter focused on Meeting Others.  By meeting together and opening up to one another in community, he says “we find strength and insight, and a basis for action” – but he also says “it means we take a responsibility for one another.”

As he closes out this chapter Rex specifically talks about worshipping together in community.  He says,

Our practice of coming together once a week to sit in silence [or Meeting for Worship] makes sense only if we have learned to do that during the week and have got to know the people we sit with in ordinary, everyday interactions. 

Being in community is a holistic experience that incorporates both a responsibility for one another and a desire to get to know one another in a more holistic way. 

Folks, that means being part of the First Friends community will be about taking risks.  And risks can be scary and often difficult or complicated.

Quaker Marty Walton in “The Meeting Experience: Practicing Quakerism in Community,” says,

“We cannot stay in safety, hidden behind walls of private thoughts, with aloof smiles on our faces…When we move beyond our protective barriers, lift up our shroud of privacy a bit, and begin to ask each other real questions and engage each other in honest searching, we inevitably discover how very different each of us is. We are confronted with experiences both delightful and confounding.”

That, I believe is exactly what Kent Farr was challenging us with last week in waiting worship.

It is also how farmer, essayist, and environmental activist, Wendell Berry summed up community.  Let me end with this, as it may be one of the best definitions of community I have read:

A community is not merely a condition of physical proximity, no matter how admirable the layout of the shopping center and the streets, no matter if we demolish the horizontal slums and replace them with vertical ones.  A community is the mental and spiritual condition of knowing that the place is shared, and that the people who share the place define and limit the possibilities of each other’s lives. It is the knowledge that people have of each other, their concern for each other, their trust in each other, the freedom with which they come and go among themselves.

As we ponder those words, let us now enter waiting worship.  Take a moment to consider the following queries:

1.     What is my idea of community and what are my misconceptions?

2.     Who do I find the easiest to exclude from my community? Why?

3.      How at First Friends am I moving beyond my protective barriers and opening myself up to real questions and honest answers with people different than me? 

3-3-24 - Trying to Live an Authentic Life

Trying to Live an Authentic Life

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

March 3, 2024

Good morning, Friends.  Today, we continue looking at a Quaker Values and the scripture I have chosen is from Psalm 51:4-6 from The Message Version.  

You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
    it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
    whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
    in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
    Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

As we continue looking at what I am categorizing as Quaker Virtues, I want us this week to follow the path from Truth last week to a virtue that many are talking about today on many levels. 

As I was reviewing seeking and telling the Truth last week, I stopped before reading this line,

“For Friends, having integrity means being authentic and having consistency between one's values and one's actions.”

Being Authentic has become a rather large topic in our world, today. For some, including Quakers, it is seen as a virtue or at least a foundation when discussing truth and integrity. 

The great theologian and TV shrink Dr. Phil McGraw once encouraged his viewers and readers,

“Be your authentic self. Your authentic self is who you are when you have no fear of judgment, or before the world starts pushing you around and telling you who you’re supposed to be. Your fictional self is who you are when you have a social mask on to please everyone else. Give yourself permission to be your authentic self.”

Not often can I pull off a Dr. Phil quote and say, I think he is on the right path.  But I agree that we often need to give ourselves permission to be our authentic selves.

To illustrate this, let me share with you a story. It is called, “The Emperor and the Seed” by an unknown author.

Once there was an emperor in the Far East who was growing old and knew it was coming time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or one of his own children, he decided to do something different.

He called all the young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It has come time for me to step down and to choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you." The children were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One seed. It is a very special seed. I want you to go home, plant the seed, water it and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring to me, and the one I choose will be the next emperor of the kingdom!"

There was one boy named Ling who was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the whole story. She helped him get a pot and some planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Ling kept going home and checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by. Still nothing.

By now others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she encouraged him to go, and to take his pot, and to be honest about what happened. Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace.

When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by all the other youths. They were beautiful, in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try."

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor. "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!"

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!"

When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds that would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed I gave you would not grow, you substituted another seed for it. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

In this story, the challenge was different than it appeared. Ling thought the challenge was about growing a plant, but really it was about honesty. Likewise, sometimes you think you know what a situation asks of you, but maybe you’re wrong. In that case, the best you can do is to just act true to who you are and hope for the best.

Well, this is called being your authentic self. 

What does it mean to be “authentic”? 

Psychologists, theologians, and educated people throughout time, have tried to come up with an agreeable definition, but reality is that it is not that simple.  Instead, most educators today, want to look not at defining the term as much as what are the core qualities of being an authentic person – and there are some qualities they can agree on. 

I find these qualities shape, fill out, even help create a more robust understanding of authenticity in our lives.

Most of this research has been done by Humanistic Psychologists, yet the characteristics speak volumes to people of faith.  Take for example the following qualities or characteristics they consider authentic and mature people possess.  These were compiled by Dr. Stephen Joseph, professor of psychology, health, and Social Care at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.  Authentic people…

1.     Have realistic perceptions of reality.

2.     Are accepting of themselves and of other people.

3.     Are thoughtful.

4.     Have a non-hostile sense of humor. 

5.     Are able to express their emotions freely and clearly.

6.     Are open to learning from their mistakes.

7.     Understand their motivations.

Do you notice how linked authenticity and personal awareness are?  That means if we want to be more our authentic selves then we must become more personally aware.  And that is going to take some self-examination. 

Every week, we provide queries for you to ponder.  Those queries are part of this self-examination.  Even if you only wrestled each week with seeking answers to those queries, you would at least be seeking a personal awareness. 

A couple weeks ago, many of you talked to me, contacted me, even stopped by to talk with me about patience.  Many in sharing with me were wrestling with their own answers to the queries.  They were becoming more personally aware of how patience or the lack of patience affected them. 

This is something that I believe makes Quakers unique.  The church I grew up in, frowned on asking questions, they did not want people to wrestle with their own lives, beliefs, and understandings.  They feared doubt, and thus made sure the church had an answer for every question that could come down the line.  But the reality was the church was not being authentic in how it dealt with questioning people.  

Let’s be really honest, authenticity is why many of you have wondered from the churches you grew up within?  Maybe it was the fog machines, big screens, dramatic lighting, or the religious art, the robes, the incense, or the stadium seating, café’s, and low-pressure participation, that all could be categorized as simple entertainment value. This stuff will not mask the lack of depth and community that create authentic churches and people.

This is why Quakers always stated that the church was not the building but the people. To be an authentic church or meeting, means to first be authentic people.

 And don’t get me wrong, we, Quakers, can get just as caught up in our traditions, our properties, our sacred cows, and then must reassess and pull ourselves back into a more authentic presentation. 

So, let me get off my soap box and return to those qualities and characteristics I was discussing earlier.

The same study by Humanistic Psychologists, not only gave us those qualities and characteristics of authentic people, it also gave us a list for inauthentic people.  Inauthentic people…

1.     Are self-deceptive and unrealistic in their perceptions of reality.

2.     Look to others for approval and to feel valued.

3.     Are judgmental of other people.

4.     Do not think things through clearly.

5.     Have a hostile sense of humor.

6.     Are unable to express their emotions freely and clearly.

7.     Are not open to learning from their mistakes.

8.     Do not understand their motivations.

Wow, I thought preaching about integrity was hard…but as we delve deeper and deeper, it gets harder and harder. I admit being more self-aware so I could become more authentic is not easy – it is much easier to put on a mask and avoid dealing with it.  But the reality is that over time it will eat away at you from the inside out. 

I appreciate what Dr. Stephen Joseph says,

“If behind what a person says and does is a defensive and self-deceptive approach to life, then no matter how passionate and committed they are to a cause, ultimately they are not being true to themselves.”

Last week, I slowly shared a list of queries for you to ponder during my sermon.  What if this week, we simply took those qualities and characteristics that came out of this study on authenticity and turned them into queries for us to ponder. 

·        Am I self-deceptive and unrealistic in my perceptions of reality?

·        Do I look at others for approval and to feel valued?

·        Am I judgmental of other people?

·        Do I think things through clearly? 

·        Do I have a hostile sense of humor?

·        Am I able to express my emotions freely and clearly?

·        Am I open to learning from my mistakes?

·        Do I understand what motivates me?

Folks, I will be the first to say that I have answered every one of these queries in the negative. And exploring them personally is not easy. But I believe these are things we all wrestle with.  

Part of being Quaker for me is to always be working on and trying to become better at being authentic and having consistency between my values and my actions, as I said at the beginning of this message. 

I sense the Psalmist in our scriptures for today, was at a place of self-awareness and crying out for God to help him continue to delve deeper.  Let his words be our prayer as we close out this message:

What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
    Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

May it be so!

Now, as we enter waiting worship, I encourage you to go back and look over those queries I shared and let this be a time of personal awareness, and opening ourselves up to God conceiving a new, true (authentic) life in us. 

2-25-24 - What Is My Truth?

What Is My Truth

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

February 18, 2024

Good morning, Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections. This morning we continue looking at Quaker virtues.  The scripture I have chosen is Matthew 5:33-37 from The Message.

“And don’t say anything you don’t mean. This counsel is embedded deep in our traditions. You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true. Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.

Over the last several weeks, we have explored Integrity, Patience, and last week Prudence.  All of which can be considered Quaker Virtues.  Today, I want us to look at another Quaker virtue, that being telling and seeking truth. 

A while back, the title of a blog post caught my attention. It read, “The World Needs Truth Tellers More than Ever — Will You Step Up?”

In it, Lon Shapiro says,

“I think it’s safe to say that truth tellers have done more to aid the evolution of our species than any king, conqueror or cult.”

He quotes people like Joseph Campbell, Rosa Parks, and several others who made their voices and lives heard by being “Truth Tellers.”

Obviously, the need for people who seek and tell the truth is evident from the big arenas like politics and media to the smallest, in our families around our own kitchen tables.

And even more these days, seeking and telling the truth seems to have become a gray area of interpretation and contention.  Yet, seeking and telling the truth is as old as time itself.  

If you go all-the-way-back for a moment to the opening story of the Bible, you will find an interesting dialogue between God and Adam and Eve.  In that story God tells Adam and Eve they are free to eat from every tree in the Garden of Eden but one.

And in a rather odd pronouncement, God says that one tree is his alone. If they eat from this forbidden tree, they will surely die.

As with all good stories that are written to teach us a lesson, Adam and Eve determine they could not live with God deciding the nature of what was good or bad.

No, they would rather choose good and bad for themselves. 

So, Adam and Eve become the first sophists.  Sophists were people who made good points about an issue — until you realize those points aren't entirely true, like a political candidate who twists an opponent's words or gives misleading facts during a speech.  

The story from Genesis goes on to show how Adam and Eve began twisting the truth to themselves about the tree and God.

They had to twist this by creating a new scenario – “God is holding out on us.”  And this thinking, quickly led to a downward spiral of lies which ultimately finds them naked and afraid. 

Sadly, this story of Adam and Eve, is a great metaphor for the “truth twisters” we have become and see so prevalent in our world, today.

Our scriptures for today were speaking to this truth twisting.  That last line said,  “Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.”

Another great story is “Lying Up a Storm” by Julia Cook.  It is a children’s story where a storm is brewing… Whenever Levi doesn’t like the truth, he kinda, sorta makes up other stuff to say.

One day his mother explains to him that telling lies will damage the trust of his friends and make him very sad. This is how it reads in the story. 

Whenever you tell a lie, your inside sun goes away.
Then a lying cloud forms, and glooms up your day.
Each time you tell a lie, another cloud starts to form,
and before you can stop it from happening, your insides start to storm.

I have a feeling we all have had storms brewing inside of us? 

I believe this is why the early Quakers were committed so strongly to seeking and telling the truth. They knew the effects of not telling the truth on themselves and those around them. Thus, truth makes up a major part of the Quaker testimony of integrity.  And Quakers didn’t just keep truth about personal integrity, instead they translated it into all areas of their lives – from politics and legislation to civil liberties, to education, to economics, even to workplace scenarios and business practices.

As well, the Early Quakers believed truth telling involved speaking in a way that does not exaggerate, minimize, deny, rationalize or manage the truth.  Wow, imagine if we took this seriously, today.  

Could it be the storms brewing in our lives are because this exaggeration, this minimization, this denial, this rationalization and managing of truth is what we are constantly surrounded with in our world?

German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer kind of warned us about this, when he said,

“Exaggeration of every kind is as essential to journalism as it is to dramatic art, for the object of journalism is to make events go as far as possible.” 

Think about it, this is the mindset that created 24-hour news and media sources – and it is what keeps people tuning in and even becoming addicted. I am sure there are some of you who leave Fox News, CNN, or MSNBC going all day in your home. I wonder how helpful that really is.

Because of this, our world has come to have an affinity for blowing things out of proportion, minimizing the truly important things, finding a way to rationalize things that cannot be rationalized, and managing the truth to be more acceptable. 

And that could be the news, that could be politics, or that could even be the church, but that is only if we buy into it.  And Quakers have always worked hard at not buying into it.

For example, a couple weeks ago, I was summoned to serve Jury Duty, and in preparation, I went back to review my Quaker response to swearing and telling the truth by looking at something Quaker Louis Cox wrote. He says,   

DO YOU SWEAR that the testimony you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?...

Early Quakers were known for their refusal to take such oaths in a court of law (often at the risk of fines and imprisonment).

Sometimes their stand was explained by reference to the Bible:

"But above all things, my brethren, do not swear, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath; but let your words be yes, yes, and no, no, lest you fall under condemnation. [James 5:12]

But these Friends were not just obeying written commandments. Oath-refusal and other distinctive practices came to be known as "testimonies" only because these actions were bearing witness to a deeper spiritual Truth.

 The Kingdom of God is not an ideal or hope projected into the future. It is emerging here and now through our actions and examples.

Again, this has me asking, what is my truth?

I did not have to go to jury duty, but if I would have gone, I would have objected to swearing an oath, and instead given an affirmation that I would tell the truth – let my yes be yes and my no be no.  Many are unaware that our judicial system allows for this affirmation because of Quakers. Did you know that even the president has the choice to swear or affirm? Only Francis Pierce has affirmed – but Herbert Hoover and Richard Nixon who were actual Quakers both chose to swear instead of affirm. 

Going a little further, Gray Cox in his Pendle Hill Pamphlet, Bearing Witness-Quaker Process and a Culture of Peace says the following:

...Quakers view truth as something that happens, it occurs...Truth is not a dead fact which is known: It is a living occurrence in which we participate....

The guiding concern of people bearing witness is to live rightly, in ways that are exemplary. Insofar as they have an end they aim at, it is perhaps most helpful to think of it as the aim of cultivating their souls and converting others.....

Quakers are convinced that genuine leadings all proceed from a common ground, spring from a unity which we seek and find...

In a world, that lacks a great deal of truth and the desire to uphold it, we are seeing a rise in anxiety, frustration, and misinformation. You may feel that we have no influence on the current state of our world, but honestly, that, too, is a lie we have told ourselves.

Just as the early Quakers, our voices and lives need to be heard and seen, pronouncing truth and integrity on a daily basis – and in ALL the areas of our lives.

As Cox said, we need to cultivate this in our own souls, first, and then allow it to convert those around us, so that we can find a common ground to work from.

I wonder what would happen if as Quakers we re-committed ourselves to work on our deficiencies in the areas of seeking and telling the truth? Consider the following:

·        What if we refused to twist truth in order to impress others?

·        What if we stopped exaggerating?

·        Or like I talked about last week, what if we stopped cheating on tests, taxes, insurance forms, etc…?

·        What if we kept promises and followed through?

·        What if we admitted we were wrong, and informed others of when we have lied to them?

·        What if we spoke truth in love?

·        What if we refused to flatter or dissemble?

·        What if we said what we meant and meant what we said?

·        What if we refused to slander another?

·        What if we refused to gossip or pass gossip and rumors?

That is a lot to ponder, and a good place to end for this week.  I want to leave us with a final quote from Lon Shapiro who I quoted at the beginning of this sermon,

It is up to us to aggregate and synthesize to develop a deeper understanding of the nature of the world…Sometimes, we may come up with a solution…Even if we don’t, the conversations spurred by this discovery create ripples that may eventually cause revolutions in society, technology and culture.

That is my hope and I hope it is yours as well.

As we enter waiting worship this morning, let’s start by taking some time to assess our honesty – or ask ourselves - what is my truth?  Maybe, think back over the past week, and ask yourself the following…

·        When have I stretched the truth, taken advantage of my privilege, broken a commitment, or gossiped about someone? What does that say about my truth?  

·        When is it hardest for me to tell the truth? When is it easiest for me to lie?  Is there a storm brewing inside me?

·        Who might I need to admit to that I have not been telling the truth? 

2-18-24 - Be a Prude!

Be a Prude!

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

February 18, 2024

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning our text is from Proverbs 2:6-15 and I am reading it from the The Message version:

And here’s why: God gives out Wisdom free,
    is plainspoken in Knowledge and Understanding.
He’s a rich mine of Common Sense for those who live well,
    a personal bodyguard to the candid and sincere.
He keeps his eye on all who live honestly,
    and pays special attention to his loyally committed ones.

So now you can pick out what’s true and fair,
    find all the good trails!
Lady Wisdom will be your close friend,
    and Brother Knowledge your pleasant companion.
Good Sense will scout ahead for danger,
    Insight will keep an eye out for you.
They’ll keep you from making wrong turns,
    or following the bad directions
Of those who are lost themselves
    and can’t tell a trail from a tumbleweed,
These losers who make a game of evil
    and throw parties to celebrate perversity,
Traveling paths that go nowhere,
    wandering in a maze of detours and dead ends.

The other day, I heard someone use a word that isn’t used very often in our day, and it really got me thinking.  The word they used was the word “prude.”  As in “Oh, come on don’t be a prude.” This phrase was used as a derogatory label for a person who seemingly was not forthcoming romantically over the Valentine’s holiday.  Much the opposite of the public romance of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. Two people we would never give the title, prude.

I find it interesting to research words that are not used that often anymore to get to the root of their meaning. Doing a little research, I quickly realized that to be a “prude” may not be that big of an insult. 

Being a prude means to be prudent, contentious, or careful.  And in some ways, it almost seems a natural progression from our talking about integrity and patience the last couple of Sundays.

Historically, Christians and Quakers have considered prudence a virtue, one that helps you think through things and act in ways that are right, good, and pleasing to God. 

As Quakers, we believe God gives us free will so we can choose to do what is good as the way opens and the Spirit leads.

Prudence tells us what is good, when to do it, and how to do it. Prudence helps us know and choose the right ways to reach a good end or goal. 

Take for an example a simple illustration. A student has the goal of getting an A on their next exam. Cheating would be a bad way to get the good grade. Instead, studying would be the right way to reach the goal. 

I use this example, because I just read that aided by technology, more students cheat in public schools than ever before. While only 20% of students in the 1940s admitted to cheating in school, this statistic has skyrocketed to 75% of today's high school student population according to the Educational Testing Service. 

And what I find even sadder is that many of their parents, today, feel that cheating is an acceptable way to get ahead, or win, or succeed, just as long as one does not get caught.  

I wonder if this is because of a lack of teaching prudence.

Folks, prudence can be applied in so many areas of our life. It could be budgeting wisely, thinking before speaking, taking time to plan ahead, or as simple as taking a deep breath and calming your emotions before responding to a friend.

The theologian/philosopher Thomas Aquinas, who lived in the 1200s, wrote many things about the virtue of prudence. He describes a few parts of prudence. Just like a house has many parts like walls, floors, windows, doors and a roof, prudence has many parts, as well. Knowing these different parts can help you when you must make a decision. Take for example the following parts:

Memory – We learn a lot from things that have happened in our past (or at least we should).  How many times have you said, “I am not going to make that mistake again? I learned my lesson.”  It can be as simple as learning not to touch a hot burner on a stove as a child, or as complex as not utilizing certain words or phrases with a family member when talking about politics. The knowledge of past events is stored in our memory. You can use your experiences to help you make prudent choices. 

Understanding – You must know what is right and wrong before you can choose what is right. Understanding helps you grasp the knowledge of right and wrong. As Quakers one of the most helpful ways of discerning is through gathering a clearness committee. Allowing others to question your understanding and share wisdom is a wonderful way to help build prudence in your personal life.  I love helping people gain a better understanding to make wise choices and live more fully in community. If you want to know more about clearness committees, talk to Beth or me, or someone on our Ministry and Council. 

Docility – The reality is that people are not born knowing everything. We must be taught. Docility is the willingness to be taught or to be teachable. 

Have you ever put a sponge in water? What happened? It soaked up the water, right? If someone is docile, he or she is ready to “soak up” knowledge and is always willing and ready to learn.

You can work on docility by listening to mentors and coaches, taking corrections well, or listening to and thinking about someone else’s ideas.

Many people say they are teachable, but in reality, they have closed their minds to new ideas, thoughts, and beliefs. Jesus was always wanting people to be open to new insights. He often said, “You have heard it said…BUT I say to you.”  That is Jesus’ way of saying, be docile, be teachable. I will be honest; I rarely trust someone who does not seem teachable.    

Foresight – Foresight is having a view of the future and thinking ahead. For example, if you are packing your bag for a weekend trip, it would be good to check the weather so you can pack appropriately. This is an example of foresight. When making decisions, it is important to think about the consequences of those decisions. Consider what might happen in the future if you act a certain way now. 

This is something I love about Quakers, we take the time to process everything upfront, so when we come to make the decision, we can make it with confidence and all in agreement. 

Circumspection – Circumspection is looking at all the facts and circumstances around a situation and thinking about them carefully when deciding what needs to be done.

This means it is important to take time to meditate, sit in silence, and to think things through before acting. 

We have become extremely impulsive people. Many don’t realize that impulsivity is a behavior pattern that starts in the brain and leads to us acting without thinking.  Thus, we blurt things out, we buy on a whim, we react without knowing the backstory. 

Caution – Caution helps you avoid doing wrong, and helps you to watch out for things that are keeping you from doing good.

I do not believe God just wants us to avoid doing bad things. Rather God is always encouraging us to do good things in this world.

Practicing caution can help you realize if you are not doing something you should be doing.

Too often today, we talk about taking risks and going with our gut, and that can be important as well, but it does not take much more to be cautious in our decision making.  

This all reminds me of this story told by a couple who was vacationing in Door
County,
Wisconsin.
As
a
final
activity
before
driving
home,
they
decided
to
photograph the red lighthouse at
the
end
of
the breakwater in
Algoma. Although the day
was
chilly
and
foggy, they decided to do it anyway.


As they walked along the breakwater, returning to
their car,
a young boy suddenly came out
of
the
fog, riding towards
them
on
his
bicycle. On
this
damp
and
chilly
day he
was
only
dressed
in
a
shirt
and jeans—no
jacket,
and
his
right arm
was
in
a
cast.

As
he
rushed
past
on
his
bike,
the
wife
thought
to
herself,
“That crazy
kid!
It’s
so
cold
and
windy; he’s
going
to
catch
his
death
of cold. I
hope
he
has
enough
sense
to
stop when he
gets
to
the
end
of
the
breakwater.”

Not long after, the boy came riding back past the couple. But instead
 of pedaling down
the center of
the breakwater,
he rode along the edge, above the deep mist‐shrouded water.
As
the
couple
walked
along,
the
wife
glanced
up
just
in
time
to
see
 the
boy
fall:
as
if
in
slow
motion, the
boy
and
his
bicycle
toppled into
the
cold
waters of
Lake
Michigan.


Her
husband
and
several
nearby
fishermen
managed
to
reach
the boy
and
drag
him
back
onto
the
breakwater,
where he
stood,
soaked
and
shivering. The
couple
offered
to
drive
him
home,
but he
pulled
away
from
them.
Running
down the
breakwater towards
the
shore, he
 was
 soon
 once
 more
 lost
 in
 the
 fog.


That
boy
and
his
conduct
 serve
as
a
good illustration
of
the
way many
 people
live, today – running in
a
fog,
casting
caution
to
the
wind
when
it
comes
to
their life and the lives of others,
barely
surviving
one
disaster
and
racing
on
to
the
next,
and
maybe onto the final disaster.


So, to keep us from running in a fog, or casting caution to the wind, let me suggest some queries that may help us begin to practice more prudence in our lives:

·        Who is a person I consider wise and how might I seek them for advice on how to make good decisions? Might I need to seek out a clearness committee to help me discern? 

·        Do I pause and think before I speak or act? Do I consider whether what I am going to do is right and good?

·        Do I learn from my own and other people’s decisions? What friend could I discuss the negative and positive consequences of making good and bad decisions?

·        Before making any decision, do I take a moment to meditate, reflect, sit in silence and listen for the Spirit’s nudging? 

So, as we ponder those queries and enter a time of patient and waiting worship, remember it ok to be a prude. Actually, with all the lying, all the cheating, all the fake news, all the reactions without thinking of the consequences, it might not be too bad of a time to be a prude.

2-11-24 - Embracing Compassion Through Patience

Embracing Compassion Through Patience

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

February 11, 2024

Good morning, friends and welcome to Light Reflections. This morning our scriptures are from John 14:5-11 from the New Revised Standard Version.  

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.

I want to begin my message this morning, by sharing a story a New York City taxi driver wrote:

I arrived at the address and honked the horn. After waiting a few minutes, I honked again. Since this was going to be my last ride of my shift, I thought about just driving away, but instead I put the car in park and walked up to the door and knocked.

'Just a minute', answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940's movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks, or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said.

I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm, and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing', I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother to be treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy, she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly…

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued in a soft voice. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.'

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now'. We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' She asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said.

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said. 'Thank you.'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light.

Behind me, a door shut, it was the sound of the closing of a life…

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.  We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

I love that story. Well, after talking about integrity last week, I found myself pondering another aspect of integrity which was illustrated beautifully in the Taxi Driver’s story – that being patience and its link to compassion.  

Dr. Judith Orloff of Psychology Today’s in an article titled “The Power of Patience” speaks of this link. She says,

Patience doesn’t mean passivity or resignation, but power. It’s an emotionally freeing practice of waiting, watching, and knowing when to act. I want to give patience a twenty-first-century makeover, so you’ll appreciate its worth. Patience has gotten a bad rap for the wrong reasons. Too many people, when you say, “Have patience,” it feels unreasonable and inhibiting, an unfair stalling of aspirations, some Victorian hang-up or hangover. Is this what you’re thinking?

Well, reconsider. I’m presenting patience as a form of compassion, a re-attuning to intuition, a way to emotionally redeem your center in a world filled with frustration.

I like what she is getting at. If we were to look at patience as a form of compassion, a re-attuning to intuition, a way to emotionally redeem one’s center, it would be beneficial, and I can see it immediately making a difference in our personal and corporate lives. And I don’t know about you, but what Dr. Orloff is talking about seems very much Quaker in orientation and process.

See, early Quakers discovered a third way to respond to, what they labeled, “the presence of darkness” within their own hearts and in the surrounding society.

They embraced what they called patient waiting, to help them be more compassionate to their neighbors, to help re-focus themselves on seeking after truth, and to ultimately center themselves before making decisions. This is why we have a time of waiting worship each Sunday during worship. Or if you attend our unprogrammed worship on Sunday, Monday, or Wednesday this is the center of the worship experience.

If you notice, Dr. Orloff’s makeover is simply taking us back to our Quaker roots.    In Barclay’s Apology, he describes two important aspects of Quaker waiting, by saying,

One type of waiting is the sense of being patient, listening to the Inward Guide in this case. The other type of waiting is an active verb, concerned with giving service to God and other people. 

Instead of getting caught up in “darkness,” frustration, and the externals pressures of this world, waiting in patience is what Dr. Orloff says, “draws us inward to a greater wisdom….”

It connects us to our Inward Guide, as Barclay said, and to how we are to respond and give service to the world around us.

Dr. Orloff concludes by saying,

“…patience doesn’t make you a doormat or unable to set boundaries with people…Rather, it lets you intuit the situations to get a larger more loving view to determine right action.”

Just like we heard in the taxi driver’s story at the beginning of my sermon.

Folks, patience is what helps us love and act in ways that are beneficial to our community. 

Let’s be honest, the reality is that most of us are wrestling in our busy lives and world with our impatience and its negative effects on that needed love and action that Dr. Orloff is speaking about.  

Let’s take a moment to ponder some of this as it relates to impatience:

·        In what sort of situations do you find yourself most impatient?

·        Why are you impatient, and how do you deal with your impatience?

·        What groups, people, organizations, etc. cause you to be impatient?  

[Pause and reflect]

When we start to address the “darkness” around us, the frustration that seems to grip us, the external pressures that we, our work, our families, the news, our world put on us, we begin to notice the impatience that is or has been growing. 

We begin to notice the lack of compassion we have for our neighbors and their situations (as well as compassion for ourselves).  We begin to have “short fuses” and become irritated by little things.   

We notice that we are no longer as intuitive and willing to try and reason or understand or work to see what is actually going on (or take time to understand the back story).  Instead we are quick to make assumptions and think our view is the right and only way.

And then as part of our struggle and impatience, we may even go as far as losing control of our emotions.  Some may go inward in a negative way and become depressed emotionally while others may become outwardly expressive emotionally. There are many ways we express our struggle.

If you noticed in today’s scripture, we are given a picture of the disciples’ impatience with Jesus. 

Thomas is frustrated because he doesn’t know where Jesus is going.  And isn’t sure he knows the way?

Philip wants to see fully or clearly – and only when he does will he be satisfied. 

Now, these two disciples I think we can relate to. Thomas and Philip remind me of the children in the back seat asking their parent driving,

“Are we there yet?” “How much longer?” “Do we need a map?” “Are we lost?” “How much further?” “Are we going to run out of gas?”

 And Jesus is simply saying, “Trust me.” 

And then over the years, the conversation continues to develop into the parents saying to the child, “Be aware, watch, notice your surroundings – check the street signs, know the neighborhoods you are in, someday soon you will be driving.” The parent is trying to bestow on the child “the way,” “the truth” and “the life.”  

Jesus is being the patient example and teacher. He is teaching the disciples to follow his way, to be truth, and to live life to the fullest - all while asking them to be patient.

Yet Jesus goes even one step further in saying, if you can’t believe me in this, let the works speak for themselves.  Let what I have shown you and done among you speak for itself.    

In the book, The Jesus Way, Eugene Peterson says,

“A Christian congregation, the church in your neighborhood, has always been the primary location for getting this way and truth and life of Jesus believed and embodied.”  

If Peterson is right, what might this mean for you and me and First Friends?   

Just think about that for a moment.  Are we willing to be patient and slow down so we can embody the way, the truth, and the life among our neighbors, our families, our world?  Like the taxi driver’s story at the beginning of my message.

To close, I would like to leave you with this thought from my friends John Pattison and Chris Smith in their book, Slow Church.  They say,

“The local church is the crucible in which we are forged as the patient people of God… Just as marriage vows serve as a covenant bond that holds a couple together in difficult times, our commitment to our faith community is essential if we are to learn patience and practice stability.  Patience can hold us together when other forces conspire to rip us asunder.”

That last quote should be written everywhere as a reminder for us as we continue this journey of life. “Patience can hold us together when other forces conspire to rip us asunder.”

So now as we intentionally embrace some patient or waiting worship, take a moment to return to those three queries I shared earlier:  

·        In what sort of situations do I find myself most impatient?

·        Why am I impatient, and how do I deal with my impatience?

·        What groups, people, organizations, etc. cause me to be impatient? 

2-4-24 - Bringing Back Integrity

Bringing Back Integrity

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

February 4, 2024

Good morning, Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning at the Meetinghouse we are celebrating Scout Sunday, and the impact that Scouting has had on our young people and society.  The scripture I have chosen is from Ephesians 4:20-32 from the Message version. 

But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.

Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

Scout Sunday always brings back good memories for me. I remember going to my friend, Andy’s basement in New Haven, Indiana, where his dad had a workshop full of fascinating things for a grade school boy to experience and learn at Cub Scouts each week.

It was in that basement where I learned not only how to hammer a nail properly but also more importantly how to be a decent human being and a good citizen of our county.

I remember the excitement and anticipation of participating in the annual Pine Wood Derby, which happened to take place in our church basement. Our scout leader, Mr. Schumm (Andy’s dad) was a gentle soul who had a lot of patience with our adventurous exuberance. God bless that man.

Since I am still friends on Facebook with Andy, every once and a while I see photos of Mr. Schumm still influencing his family and grandkids. I was lucky to have a good role model, a person of integrity, and a good example to influence my younger years. But that is the beauty of scouting at its best. 

I agree with Tom Beeman, CEO of Lancaster General who said the following about scouting in 2009,

"Scouting prepares an individual to live a just and wholesome life, with integrity, as a member of civil society…The living out of these values in a virtuous way leads to a life of integrity, which forms character. I like to define integrity as saying what you mean and meaning what you say. Someone who lives a life of integrity is a person whose spoken words are integrated with the way they act."

It is clear that integrity is a founding and underlying principle of scouting.  And sadly in many ways, scouting is one of the only places that integrity is taught in our world today, other than in the church.

Many consider integrity to be lost in the public sector or in society, and most especially in our government (no matter your political preferences). Yet, as it is defined, 

“[Public] integrity is a cornerstone of a system of sound public governance. It assures citizens that the government is working in their interest, not just for the select few, and is vital for the economic prosperity and well-being of society as a whole.

I find it ironic that statistics show that Ten of the 80 male senators in the current U.S. Congress are Eagle Scouts. At 12.5 percent, that’s higher than most professions. It’s two times higher than the percentage of Boy Scouts who become Eagle Scouts.

And not to leave out the women.

Seventy-two percent of female U.S. senators are Girl Scout alums. Fifty-eight percent of women serving in the U.S. House of Representatives are Girl Scout alums. Five of nine current female governors are Girl Scout alums.

So just maybe it is time to send them all back to be scout leaders or at least to review what should have been instilled in them at a young age.

Oh….and if you were wondering about Presidents: Donald Trump was never a member of the scouts, but Joe Biden, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Richard Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy (who was the first President to be a scout as a youth) were all scouts.

From early on, Quakers have seen integrity as an integral part of both society and faith. Thus, we included it within our testimonies or S.P.I.C.E.S.

To help one learn more about the Testimonies, the Quaker organization, American Friends Service Committee in conjunction with the San Francisco Friends School put together a wonderful resource on the Quaker Testimonies or S.P.I.C.E.S, which is on their website to utilize and download.

I often reference and share it with individuals wanting to learn more about our Quaker values and how they influence and are practiced among Friends. 

Under the title Integrity: Consistency in Word and Deed it describes a Quaker view of integrity. Listen to what it says:  

The need to deal honestly with all others and with oneself has long been a foundational belief among Friends, summarized by the old injunction: “Let your yea be yea and your nay be nay.” For Friends, having integrity means being authentic and having consistency between one’s values and one’s actions. Lack of integrity separates us from our own soul, from the Light within, and from our community.

Quakers try to live according to the deepest truth they know, which they believe comes from God. This means speaking the truth to all, including people in positions of power. Friends did not take oaths when appearing in a court of law, rejecting the idea that there is one standard of truth for daily living and another for the court….

We “speak truth to power” – and to each other – even when it is difficult, and our message may be unpopular.  We deal honestly and fairly with colleagues and partners.  We take responsibility for our actions and their results.  We fulfill our commitments, and we give credit to others for their contributions.

While acting on our deepest beliefs and values, we are also open to new ideas, new solutions, and new paths. We know that our understanding at any moment is incomplete, at best an approximation of the truth that may be improved by new insights. 

Again, I cannot hear this without thinking about my scout experience.  Much of what I learned in scouts was very Quaker in its roots.

·        Speaking Truth

·        Deal honestly and fairly with others.

·        Fulfill your commitments.

·        Give credit to other for their contributions.

·        Explore new ideas, new solutions, new paths, new insights.

Something I found interesting is that the Scouts are beginning to see the importance of mindfulness in their programs and its effects on building quality relationships and seeing change in the world. 

Luis A. Faliciano, the Scouts BSA Chair, wrote that he is incorporating mindfulness into his teachings and practice by focusing on four main areas. These areas are a great place for us to start as well.

1.     Prioritize Relationships. Be intentional and set a priority in building relationships and get to know the people you are interacting with.

2.     Visualize positive interactions: Being mindful is a journey that will take some practice. Before jumping in, take a moment and picture what will be a successful outcome and visualize in your mind what little actions can be impactful to achieving them.

3.     Create micro-moments of connection: When heading into a meeting or interaction with someone take a moment to remember that you want to be intentional about creating a genuine bond with others. Greet everyone warmly and be present in the moment.

4.     Reflect: After every meaningful interaction take a moment to think how that made you feel. Ask yourself: Was I effectively connecting with the people I met? Do I feel more motivated?

These are a great place to start for those who want to really work on engaging their own integrity in our circles of influence. 

Along these same lines and in response to this lack of integrity seen around us in our world, today, Psychology Today recently spent some time focusing on integrity.  In many ways they have wrapped the ideas of integrity seen in the Scouts, among Friends, and in psychology together, and developed 5 ways to help us live with integrity. 

Consider the below queries for you to reflect on and work through in the coming weeks and months.  As you do this for yourself, take time to reflect on the world and culture around you, and see where you can “Speak Truth to Power” and live lives of integrity in hopes of changing this world for the better.  Along with each of the five ways, I have added a query for us to ponder.

1.     Self-reflection: Spend time reflecting on your values and beliefs to better understand what is important to you. By identifying your core values, you can make more informed decisions that align with your principles.

Ask yourself: When this week will I take some time to self-reflect on my core values?

2.     Accountability: Take responsibility for your actions, both successes and failures. Own up to it when you make a mistake and learn from the experience. Demonstrating accountability increases trust and credibility with others, strengthening your integrity.

Ask yourself: Who do I need to admit to that I made a mistake?

3.     Consistency: Strive to be consistent in your words and actions. Ensure that your behavior aligns with your values and principles, even when no one is watching. Consistency is critical to building a solid foundation of integrity.

Ask yourself: Where am I not being consistent in my life?

4.     Honesty and transparency: Be honest and transparent in your communication with others. Share your thoughts and feelings openly and be willing to listen and consider different perspectives. Practicing honesty and transparency helps cultivate trust and fosters strong relationships.

Ask yourself: With whom have I not been honest or transparent? And why?

5.     Ethical decision-making: When faced with difficult decisions, consider your choices' ethical implications and potential consequences. Seek guidance from trusted friends, family, or mentors to determine the best action.

Ask yourself: Who might I need to consult this week for help in making a difficult decision?

As we ponder those 5 ways to live with integrity and ask of ourselves those queries, may we find a path forward for growing the integrity of our lives and communities. Let’s take this time.

1-28-24 - The Love That We Call God

 The Love That We Call God

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

January 28, 2024

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning the scripture I have chosen is from 1 John 4:7-8 from the New Revised Standard Version.  

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Probably, over 75 percent of the weddings I have officiated in my 28 years of professional ministry have found the couple choosing 1 Corinthians 13 the famous love chapter for their ceremony.  It is beautiful and almost poetic, and at a basic level is clearly about love between people, but I sense the Apostle Paul when he wrote it was not thinking about giving the message at a couple’s wedding.

Rather, Paul is writing to a community in Corinth that has been engaged in, and even worse, locked in conflict over a whole slew of issues. They were extremely polarized on many of these issues and disagreed on just about everything. In many ways you could say they were not too different than the condition of America, currently.

The last thing that would help the people of Corinth would be a love poem that could be used in their wedding or in an intimate moment between lovers.

In reality, what the Apostle Paul gave them was a piece of Ancient Jewish wisdom mixed with a dash of Ancient Greek wisdom about what, in Greek, is labeled, “agape.”

We are quick to translate the word “agape” simply as love. But the word love in English is insufficient in and of itself to carry the full meaning of “agape”.  

In Greek, the English word love can be translated in multiple ways:

·        Eros (or intimate love) which has to do with the romance and passion between lovers.

·        Phila (or deep friendship) which refers to the affection between friends, or the ethics that foster harmony between people. Phila is considered necessary to foster peace among people. Thus, Quaker William Penn named his city Phila-delphia (the city of brotherly love).  

·        Storge (or parental love) which refers to the affection of parents and children, or empathy of the strong for the weak, or the healthy for the sick, or even the love of an enemy, it is an affection or kindness based on the other’s need.

·        Ludus (or playful love) describes the situation of having a crush and acting on it, or the affection between young lovers.

·        Pragma (or enduring love) is a love that has aged, matured and is about making compromises to help the relationship work overtime, also showing patience and tolerance.

·        Philautia (or love of self) is the idea that if you like yourself and feel secure in yourself, you will have plenty of love to give others (as is reflected in the Buddhist-inspired concept of “self-compassion”).

So, there you have it, there are multiple different kinds of love before you even get to the kind of love that the Apostle Paul is talking about.

Agape, the type of love most spoken about in the Bible is a kind of unconditional love; the kind of love that is not concerned with the lover’s needs, or wants, or status, but only concerned with the needs of the other.

One definition says that agape is a kind of love that seeks the best for the other without regard to one’s own standing in the relationship. In other words, agape is a love that expects nothing in return. Agape is a love that is beyond emotion. 

Agape is beyond emotion because it has become compassion, or empathy. Agape is the kind of love that we only catch glimmers of in this life. Agape must be embodied in order to be.

Agape is embodied compassion, embodied empathy, embodied love.

Agape is beyond description, impossible to fully define and yet we would all recognize agape when we experience it. Agape is a dream; a dream embodied and enacted.

And this brings us back to waiting worship the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, Wolff shared a quote by Bishop Michael Curry (if you remember Bishop Curry officiated the Royal Wedding of Megan Markle and Prince Harry and actually talked about this love in his message – and oh the irony of that, in how I started this message).

Then last week in waiting worship, Megan Alderman was moved to repeat this same quote. And here is that quote:

“If it's not about love, it's not about God.”

And that is exactly what I believe the Apostle Paul was trying to get at by focusing on Agape Love.

Folks, Agape is the LOVE that we call God.

Let that sink in for a moment. 

·        It’s beyond emotion.

·        It must be embodied compassion, embodied empathy, embodied love.

·        It’s beyond description and must be experienced.

·        It is a dream (this is why I believe Dr. King’s Dream endures because he was not just talking about the love between people, but his dream was about Agape love. He was actually talking about God!

And that is because, Agape is the LOVE that we call God embodied and enacted in the world.

Folks, Agape is the LOVE that we, Quakers, see when we recognize that of God in our neighbor.

Agape encompasses eros, philia, storge, ludas, pragma, philautia and all the emotions that go along with these loves and is more than the sum of these parts.

Agape is Beyond the Beyond, for Agape is God.

God is LOVE.

When I am working out at the gym during the week, I often listen to audio books and I enjoy biographies of interesting people. The last couple weeks I have been reading the biography titled, “Karma” by the 80’s pop icon, Boy George.  About half way through his biography, Boy George briefly pauses and says this,

“Jesus loves you, loves me, loves us all.

God is only love and love is God explained.”

I paused my workout for a moment to rewind and listen to that again.  This is a person who was ridiculed, abused, and rejected publicly by his own church.  But after 60 years of searching comes to the realization that “God is only love and love is God explained.” 

This is almost exactly what the Apostle John comes to understand in our text for today.

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.

I had a professor who taught us that instead of replacing the word “love” in 1 Corinthians 13, with marriage, my wife or husband, etc. It should be replaced with the word God. 

            God is patient

            God is kind

            God is not jealous

            God does not brag

            God is not arrogant

            God does not take into account a wrong suffered

            God does not rejoice in unrighteousness

            God rejoices with the truth

            God bears all things

            God hopes all things

            God endures all things

            God never fails!

And here is the kicker folks, when we, Quakers, say that we see that of God in our neighbor, it should be because we see these attributes embodied in their lives. 

That of God in my neighbor is patient

That of God in my neighbor is kind

That of God in my neighbor is not jealous

            That of God in my neighbor does not brag

            That of God in my neighbor is not arrogant

            That of God in my neighbor does not take into account a wrong suffered

            That of God in my neighbor does not rejoice in unrighteousness

            That of God in my neighbor rejoices with the truth

            That of God in my neighbor bears all things

            That of God in my neighbor hopes all things

            That of God in my neighbor endures all things

            That of God in my neighbor never fails!

When I was working on my Master’s Degree at Wheaton College, I was asked to be a presenter at the Christian Higher Education Conference in Chicago. For the first time I would not only be speaking among my peers, in attendance would actually be some of my own professors from my undergrad and graduate programs. I opened up my session, by talking about the work of

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. He wrote that,

“Love is the very physical structure of the universe.”

Teilhard believed that at the very heart, at the core of all reality was God who is Love, the source of all that is, the core of everything is LOVE.

Last week in Seeking Friends we talked about the importance of continuing to evolve in our theology, our understanding of our world, how we need to progress and move away from the structures that hinder us as a people, finally moving us to embrace who we are becoming. 

Progressive Christian Theologian and author, Michael Morwood said that, “after 13.8 billion years of evolution, the divine is at work in the universe, coming into expression in us.”  

Just maybe us Quakers were on the cutting edge and before our time in thinking that there was that of God in every person.   

If we are created in the image of God and there is that of God within us, then Love is what we were made for because love is who we are.

Is it any wonder then that love becomes known when we see ourselves in our neighbor?

The embodiment of LOVE is achieved when, we who are made of LOVE, recognize ourselves in our neighbor, because LOVE is not something that we do, LOVE is who we are.

And as it states in Paul’s love chapter…

LOVE bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things, LOVE never ends. Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face.

When we recognize ourselves in our neighbors, we are the embodiment of love. Now we know only in part, then we will know fully, even as we have been fully known. When we recognize ourselves in the other, faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is LOVE.

I want to close by taking us back to Bishop Michael Curry’s Royal Wedding message, where he challenged the millions watching that day to imagine a world where Love is the way.  He said,

Imagine our homes and families where love is the way. Imagine neighborhoods and communities where love is the way.

Imagine governments and nations where love is the way. Imagine business and commerce where this love is the way.

Imagine this tired old world where love is the way. When love is the way - unselfish, sacrificial, redemptive.

When love is the way, then no child will go to bed hungry in this world ever again.

When love is the way, we will let justice roll down like a mighty stream and righteousness like an ever-flowing brook.

When love is the way, poverty will become history. When love is the way, the earth will be a sanctuary.

When love is the way, we will lay down our swords and shields, down by the riverside, to study war no more.

When love is the way, there's plenty good room - plenty good room - for all of God's children.

Because when love is the way, we actually treat each other, well... like we are actually family.

When love is the way, we know that God is the source of us all, and we are brothers and sisters, children of God.

My brothers and sisters, that's a new heaven, a new earth, a new world, a new human family.

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

1.     How might I embody compassion, empathy, and love more in my life?

2.     Do we see ourselves in our neighbor? Do we see God?

3.     Where do I see love being the way in our world, today?

1-21-24 - The Light of Our Love

The Light of Our Love

Indianapolis First Friends

Pastor Bob Henry

January 21, 2024

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

 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

Last Sunday, I found it interesting that Kevin Francis opened our Meeting for Worship by sharing a favorite quote from Dr. King and then during waiting worship our organist Wolff Von Roos, shared the exact same quote out of the silence. 

Sometimes we say, that is the Spirit moving in our midst or even coincidence, but as the day continued several other people, I believe worthy to follow on social media, decided to share that same quote. And on Monday the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday, this same quote appeared in the service commemorating Dr. King at Cross and Crown. 

Even though later in the day, Wolff warned and challenged us with the following post on Facebook,

“May the MLK quote you post today align with the words and actions you choose over the next 364 days,”

I sense there was something deeper going on, that so many found this quote so alluring. 

The quote is very simple, but also loaded with a deeper meaning.  And clearly it is speaking to people in the present moment, thus so many people quoting it. 

So, do you remember what Dr. King quote was shared?

It was from one of King’s “Love Your Enemies” sermons in Strength to Love, a volume of his most well-known homilies from 1963. Kevin and Wolff both quoted the second half, but the longer quote is this,

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

As I thought about the reason so many people were sharing this quote, I realized many of us are experiencing darkness in our world on so many levels. Hate speech is rising and continues to incite violence and intolerance, and social media has only made it easier to spread the hate. A lot of this darkness is wrapped in hate specifically toward our neighbors or those different than us. But I also believe many of us are trying hard to turn once again to the Light and seek ways to love those around us better. 

So, what is the deeper meaning of this quote for us, today?

Reading on philosiblog, I found this explanation:

[Speaking of this quote by King it states] “This is a fundamental truth of the universe, and the corresponding relationship in the human heart. It starts out stating the obvious. Darkness is a lack of light. More darkness cannot make it less dark, which is something only bringing light can accomplish.

Similarly, the quote tells us that hate cannot drive hate from your heart or the hearts of others. The only thing which can do that, according to the quote, is love. While the analogy breaks down a little with hate not being exactly equal to the absence of love, the premise is spot on.

In the end, hate will continue if left unopposed. The question is how to best oppose it. The quote states what I believe is one of the best and simplest methods. While no method is fool-proof or without risk, it is the best and most effective method I have seen or experienced.”

Embracing the Light of Love is essential in a world of hateful darkness.

Here is a story from Matma Sehgal, co-founder of the Joy Story Foundation, that I believe beautifully illustrates this reality, as well I think you will find it very Quaker in nature.

There were two very close friends who symbolized these two scenarios of darkness and light aptly: the sun and the cave.

The sun, we all know, signifies light. The darkness of night fades with the first ray of light. Isn’t it wonderful to see how it takes only a single ray of light to illuminate the surroundings?

The cave, on the other hand, denotes total darkness and probably is unaware of the phenomenon called light.

One day, the sun and the cave got into a conversation. The sun said it didn’t know what darkness meant and had trouble understanding how it looked.

The cave confessed it didn’t equally understand what light meant.

So, in order to make each other understand the two expressions, they decided to switch places.

The cave went up to the sun and was overwhelmed with the brightness of the shining natural light. But, at the same time, the cave became morose at the kind of condition she lived in. So, she invited the sun to come to her abode to see the condition she was in.

The sun went down to the cave and saw no difference. Everything was illuminated with its light and that is why the sun could not see any darkness in the cave. The cave, too, was astonished to see how all the darkness was gone on the arrival of her friend.

Matma Sehgal says, this story explains a simple truth that the enlightened ones take their light wherever they go and illuminate the entire atmosphere with their positivity and brightness. They can never be pushed to darkness, because they carry their light on their shoulders. 

On the other hand, someone full of negativity, fear, insecurities, doubt, [and yes, hatred,] unknowingly becomes a cave, which sees no light. It’s a hell within and no matter how much knowledge one accumulates, one remains hollow and is surrounded by complete darkness.

Therefore, it is very crucial that we keep ourselves illuminated by burning the light within. By realizing we have everything ― all the light within ― we don’t have to fear the darkness. If we get to know the light within and are illuminated with its brightness, like the sun, then the darkness of the cave would never matter.

Despite being in the worst situations, we will still be able to find our light or blessings in things around us and we will be carrying our heaven within us. Darkness and the situations people bring in, would vanish and all that we will see is light.

It is thus nothing but a matter of clear perspective in life. Life sometimes throws us into many dark scenarios, but it is for us to keep the light within shining, so that it removes the darkness and gloom of our life and always keeps us bright and shiny.

Thus, a person who learns to find the light within will always shine like the sun and the darkness of the cave will be a stranger. So, let’s see the light within and let us be guided by it to brighten our life and the lives of those stuck in caves around us.

Even though this is a rudimentary illustration, I think it is exactly what not only King was trying to say, but also John in his gospel for this morning were trying to say,

…people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light [thus, they end up living in a cave], so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light [and shine like the sun], so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

So, looking back at King’s quote, if you’re going to try to drive out hate, you need to bring the Light of Love. It won’t always be pleasant, but it’s the truth. Bringing the light of love doesn’t mean you believe as they do, or even that you like them. It simply means that you consider the human bond to be stronger than their hate.

As I read last week from Dr. King’s sermon from Detroit, if we match them hate for hate, the world will not be a better place for our effort. The reality is that the little satisfaction we gain will be temporary at best and will eventually be to the detriment of everyone.

That’s neither a good plan, nor is it much of a legacy for our children to inherit, a world filled with more hate than ever. And I think this is exactly why this quote was on so many hearts this week. The darkness is growing and the call to be the Light of Love is growing stronger and stronger. Are we going to be like the sun on stuck in our cave?    

I found it interesting that Philosoblog says that most hatred is based on inaccurate information, or on stories told about injustices of old.  Our world today, loves to perpetuate inaccurate information and tell stories that makes us look good – while others continue to suffer. 

When reality is, that our hate can only be kept alive if the recipients of the hate act according to the script. This is why we often see hate as brainwashing and creating cookie-cutter beliefs. What ultimately creates us vs. them mentalities that enforce and breed hatred. 

So, the most disruptive thing we can do to the script is to show them light, love and compassion, and blow the narrative apart.

The query of the day then is, are we willing to try?

As we contemplate that query, let me close with a brief Punjabi folktale from the prologue of the book, “The Light We Give” by Simran Jeet Singh:

There is an old tale about when the sun was first setting. As her distance narrowed toward the horizon, the light on earth slowly diminished.  This made way for darkness to creep over the land. The people were afraid that when the sun finally set, darkness would be permanent. “What will happen to us?” they said.

Far, far across the land in a smaller hut, a little lantern lifted its wick. It said, “I challenge the darkness. In my small corner, I will not let the darkness itself settle around me.” With this example many other little lanterns in other small huts lifted their wicks to the darkness.  And the people watched in amazement as so many little lanterns illuminated the earth, preventing the mask of darkness from taking over. 

The lantern in... [the] parable did not seek to end darkness entirely. It was humble enough to recognize that this was not a reasonable objective, and instead it focused on its own small corner. By doing its part, the lantern’s flicker of light inspired those around it to do the same.  It modeled a way forward that could be emulated, collectivized, and scaled. As other lanterns followed, it became apparent that the little lantern’s humble action effected meaningful change.

This is our calling to be the Light - right where we are - to end the darkness in our world and inspire those around us to do the same. 

Now, as we enter waiting worship, consider some of the queries we have been pondering already this morning:

1.     Am I willing to blow the narrative of hate apart by sharing the light of my love?

2.     Who around me is stuck in a “cave” and might need to experience the Light, today?

3.     How am I lighting my lamp in my small corner of the world, and inspiring others to do the same?