4-21-24 - Our Place – Earth Sunday

Our Place – Earth Sunday

Indianapolis First Friends

Pastor Bob Henry

April 21, 2024

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections on this Earth Sunday.  Our scripture text for today is Psalm 65 from the Message version.

Silence is praise to you,
    Zion-dwelling God,
And also obedience.
    You hear the prayer in it all.

We all arrive at your doorstep sooner
    or later, loaded with guilt,
Our sins too much for us—
    but you get rid of them once and for all.
Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest
    at home in your place!
We expect our fill of good things
    in your house, your heavenly manse.
All your salvation wonders
    are on display in your trophy room.
Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer,
    Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser,
Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash,
    of mobs in noisy riot—
Far and wide they’ll come to a stop,
    they’ll stare in awe, in wonder.
Dawn and dusk take turns
    calling, “Come and worship.”

Oh, visit the earth,
    ask her to join the dance!
Deck her out in spring showers,
    fill the God-River with living water.
Paint the wheat fields golden.
    Creation was made for this!
Drench the plowed fields,
    soak the dirt clods
With rainfall as harrow and rake
    bring her to blossom and fruit.
Snow-crown the peaks with splendor,
    scatter rose petals down your paths,
All through the wild meadows, rose petals.
    Set the hills to dancing,
Dress the canyon walls with live sheep,
    a drape of flax across the valleys.
Let them shout, and shout, and shout!
    Oh, oh, let them sing!

I want to begin this Earth Sunday message with leading us in a spiritual exercise and asking some queries to focus our attention.  Since I have talked about St. Benedict’s Rules the last couple weeks, I thought this morning I would borrow some thoughts from Ignatian Spirituality.  If you are not familiar with Ignatius of Antioch (who lived 35-107AD) – he was considered one of the Early Church Fathers, a disciple of the Apostle John, one of the first Bishops of the Church, who ended up a martyr for the faith.

Often when Quakers have sought to return to the “faith of the apostles” (as our history notes) they find great commonality and connection with Ignatius’ profound words in his writings on, what he labels, “Spiritual Exercises.” This is because his work is foundational in the mystical tradition – a tradition that Quakers find themselves categorized in often. 

Again, it was Quaker Richard Foster through his Renovaré curriculum that introduced me to Ignatius. Richard Foster taught (and I believe heavily borrowed from Ignatius) that there are three great books that guide our lives, 1) the book of scripture, 2) the book of experience, and 3) the book of nature. 

As well, Ignatius was one of the first theologians to connect our spiritual exercises with ecology and creation. So, it seems natural or fitting to utilize his work this morning on Earth Sunday.  

As most Ignatian Exercises begin, I would like for us to begin this morning with taking a deep breath.  (Notice how your whole body relaxes as you breathe in and exhale.) 

Take another deep breath.  (This time notice that the air coming into your lungs through your nose is free and plentiful: there is more than enough air for everyone.

Finally, take another deep breath.  The atoms of air that you breathe in and out are a shared gift – shared both with other humans and with the creatures and plants of the Earth.

This air constitutes a radical physical connectedness with all other living beings. 

Because of our intricate interconnectedness with each other in and through the natural world, what has been called environmentalism – concern for that which is around us becomes ecological awareness. 

Environmental Studies professor, Trileigh Tucker speaking on this says,

“The word ‘ecology’ comes from two Greek roots: oikos meaning ‘house’ and logos, meaning ‘reason’ or ‘discourse’.  When we shift from speaking of the environment (that which is around us but does not include us) to speaking of ecology, then, we are thinking in a new way: not about a distant object, but rather about the network of relationships within which we live: our own house, our home.

Or as we say this morning – EARTH. 

To help you connect with your experience of this place – earth, I want to help you make that connection this morning through another simple Ignatian exercise. 

Take a moment to allow your mind to travel to the first natural place (or place in nature) to which you felt connected as a child, or another natural place to which you’ve felt a strong connection.  (You may need to close your eyes to really travel back to this place.)

Imagine you’re in that place again this morning. 

What do you notice with your senses?

What does it look like?

What does it smell like?

What does it feel like?

What does it sound like?

Maybe what do you taste there?

Is there something particular in that place – a tree or a stream or an animal – to which you have a special attachment? 

How do you feel as you return there?

What feelings does it invoke?

What good memories are associated with this place?

The reason I wanted you to think about these things is because much of our connectedness in this world is understood and driven by landscapes or what this morning I will call, place. 

Ignatius believed that our psychology and spirituality are intimately connected with place.  Also, we have a physical connection to our geography as well as the psychological and spiritual. 

Yet, as I talked about at the end of worship last week, many people today feel misplaced – and no longer comfortable in their changing surroundings.  Some would go as far as saying they lack a sense of place because they no longer know their neighbors.  This is where we connect these thoughts to the last two Sundays on Hospitality.

Ask yourself:  Do you know the neighbors that live on either side of you?

How far down the street do you have to go before you do not know them at all? 

Who, if you needed help, would be the neighbor you would call on? 

If someone in your neighborhood needed help, would they call on you?

I just wrote about the relationship I have with one my neighbors who I called on to help me in my As Way Opens article in our Friend to Friend newsletter this week. Go check it out if you haven’t.

In reality, we in our world today, do what the authors of “The New Parrish” call “Living above Place” which is “the tendency to develop structures that keep cause-and-effect relationships far apart in space and time where we cannot have firsthand experience of them.” 

It is what keeps our relationships at surface level.

What happens when a society, like ours, lives above place for long enough is that we begin to live a cocooned way of life, unaware of others and how we affect each other. 

You can see this happening firsthand with the way we create online communities and only associate with people that support our own views.  It is what is dividing us politically as a country and creating fear-based organizations, biased media, and country club religions. 

And I believe “Living Above Place” is not only talking about our human neighbors but also those that we may not even consider neighbors - for instance our neighbors of water, energy, food. 

Again, ask yourselves: Do you know where your water, energy, food comes from? 

What kind of relationship and first-hand experience do you have with them?

We must admit that we have a very intimate, survival-based relationships with these basic essential needs, but many people cannot identify from where they come, because again we have cocooned ourselves from knowing. 

What if we did not know where our life partners, spouses, or closest friends came from? (Honestly, they probably wouldn’t have a prominent place in our lives.)

To know that my wife comes from North of Detroit, MI, that she grew up on a farm, that her German family raised cattle, that she had two sisters who helped her work that farm is rather important to my understanding of her, today – and knowing where our water, energy, food come from is vitally important as well. 

Ignatius says that becoming aware of this background knowledge is essential to us “living in the flesh” – a major aspect of the virtue of hospitality we have been talking about the last couple weeks. 

We must admit that we are creatures of the flesh – that we are dwellers in a specific place, and that we express that of God’s creation in our own beings. 

Knowing our place is key to understanding our incarnated lives and what God is doing among us and through us in our neighborhood and world.

In their book, “Slow Church” my friends John Pattison and Chris Smith point this out saying,

“Cultivation of our communities involves attentiveness not only to the rhythms of our specific places but also to the day-to-day sorts of choices we make and the sort of rhythmic order we impose on those places. As our roots grow deeper in a place, we can’t help but want to see that place thrive. Seeking the flourishing of our places not only involves caring for them – keeping them clean, planting gardens, living lightly on the land – but also caring for the people who live here with us, of course.”

To cultivate our communities, we will first need to examine our places and those we engage with in that space.  Ignatius encouraged this as part of his spiritual exercises because he knew that the natural world and our human co-habitants affect us psychologically, physically, and spiritually.  In Exercise 60 and 160 of his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius asks,

“Going through all creatures, how have they left me in life and preserved me in it…the heavens, sun, moon, stars and elements, fruits, birds, fishes and animals.”

“…the various persons: and first those on the surface of the earth, in such variety, in dress as in actions: some white and others black: some in peace and others in war: some weeping and others laughing, some well, others ill, some being born and others dying, etc...”

When we start to see the way all of creation takes care of, preserves, and sustains us, then we must ask ourselves how we in-turn are taking care of all of creation – animals, plants, our neighbors of all walks of life, beliefs, cultures, etc...

Because, to cut out any of these would be detrimental to our own growth. This is a connection to creation relationship that must be acknowledged and continually worked through.

Every Earth Sunday, I feel it is essential to quote from modern day farmer-prophet, Wendell Berry. He wrote about what we are talking about this morning in his essay, “Christianity and the Survival of Creation” which can be found in his book, “The Art of the Commonplace.” Berry says this,

“We will discover that for these reasons our destruction of nature is not just bad stewardship, or stupid economics, or a betrayal of family responsibility; it is the most horrid blasphemy. It is flinging God’s gifts into His face, as if they were of no worth beyond that assigned to them by our destruction of them…We have no entitlement from the Bible to exterminate or permanently destroy or hold in contempt anything on the earth or in the heavens above it or in the waters beneath it. We have the right to use the gifts of nature but not to ruin or waste them…The Bible leaves no doubt at all about the sanctity of the act of world making, or the world that was made, or of creaturely or bodily life in this world. We are holy creatures living among other holy creatures in a world that is holy.” 

Let me repeat that final line: We are holy creatures living among other holy creatures in a world that is holy.”  Do we believe that?

This reminds me of a poem by Quaker Laurent A. Parks Daloz, a Peace Corps Volunteer, educator, and environmental activist.  He writes,

Stop for moment beside a young cedar to listen

 And breathe in the life swarming around you.

A soft breeze brushes your cheek;

You can feel the silence.

For a thrumming instant you are one with it –

At such moments, we don’t simply believe,

We know that we are woven into the mat of interdependent life.

This is not sacred belief;

It is sacred knowledge.

We know in our bones that we are an intimate part of all life,

Not simply what surrounds us in the present,

But of all life in all time.

The oxygen we breathe,

The nourishment from the plants beside us,

The elements beneath our feet –

All come to us from the most distant past

And will endure in some form into the unimaginable future..

We are ineluctably a part of all space and time.

So, the first thing, we are called to do on this Earth Sunday is to become aware of our PLACE and the sacredness of it. We need to take time to allow ourselves to get out of our cocoons and to descend from “living above place” to living in the present moment with our neighbors in which we have been given as gift – this place we call the earth.    

To help us ponder more this week, I have included some detailed queries from, one of my favorite Quaker books, “Practicing Peace” by Catherine Whitmire for us to ponder.

·        What have I learned from listening to God in the earth, rocks, trees, water, and animals?  How has this learning affected or changed my life?

·        In what ways does my daily life exemplify, reflect, or belie my respect for the oneness of Creation and my care for the environment?

·        Am I willing to change the way I live and make sacrifices in my lifestyle in order to preserve the earth, air, and water for future generations? What changes am I willing to make now?

4-14-24 - Seeing with Hospitable Eyes (Part 2)

Seeing with Hospitable Eyes (Part 2)

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

April 14, 2024

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections. The scripture I have chosen for today is from Luke 14:12-24 in the New Revised Standard Version.

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

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

Last week, I went back to the 5th century to talk about some of the roots of modern hospitality found in the Benedictine monasteries.  This morning, as we look at the second part of hospitality, I want to go all the way back to the first instance of hospitality seen in the Scriptures.

In the book of Genesis (chapter 18 verses 4 to 5) we get this story about Abraham receiving an unexpected blessing. Sitting at the entrance to his tent one day, resting in the shade of the great trees of Mamre, Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He hurried toward these strangers and greeted them as honored guests.

“Let a little water be brought,” he said, encouraging them to rest with him, “and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way.”

Abraham asked his wife, Sarah, to bake bread for the strangers, and he personally selected a tender calf from his herd for his servants to prepare for the guest to eat. As they enjoyed the special meal together, the strangers spoke.

They brought a word from God: within the next year, they said, Sarah would bear a child, a son.

What I find most interesting about this first display of hospitality is that in welcoming complete strangers, Abraham learned something about God, and about God’s plan for him. In these strangers were that of God as we Quakers would say.

“This first formative story of the biblical tradition on hospitality is unambiguously positive about welcoming strangers,” Christine Pohl writes in Making Room. “It connects hospitality with the presence of God, with promise, and with blessing.” 

This was only the beginning for hospitality.  It would become a very important and serious part of the spiritual life – so much that the Hebrew people developed codes and rules for hospitality that would go above and beyond what we would even consider, today.  

Currently, in our world hospitality might mean welcoming and being polite, but it has also become about being at ease with people and sensing an amount of safety.  But that was not always the case in our Abrahamic religious history. Hospitality in Biblical times grew to look a bit different than what we have found acceptable in America, today.

And this was mainly due to hospitality being offered to complete strangers.

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

“People who appeared from the unknown might bear gifts or might be enemies.  Because travel was a dangerous venture, codes of hospitality were strict. If a sworn enemy showed up at your doorsteps asking for food and shelter, you were bound to supply his request, along with protection and safe passage as long as he was on your land.  All sorts of people had to travel at times through “enemy territory” which meant the hospitality to strangers was a matter of mutual survival.  It was a kind of social covenant, an implied commitment to transcend human differences in order to meet common human needs.”

Wow! I think it is time for us to reinstate this “social covenant” in our day and age. It makes me wonder how the early Abrahamic faiths would have viewed the refugees on our borders.  

Thompson continues, she says:  

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

If we as Quakers truly embraced the theology of “That of God in everyone we meet,” then each encounter with even a complete stranger is an opportunity to meet and receive holy presence. This has happened to me on so many occasions. 

One of the encounters I still remember like it was yesterday, was when I was a young child.  My mother and I were traveling across Fort Wayne when our tire went flat.  My mom pulled off the road into a vacant lot, but before we even got out of the car to access the damage.  Seemingly out of nowhere, a big, leather-wearing, bearded man with lots of tattoos of naked women on his arms (I remember that because as a child I was intrigued and a bit worried) had gotten off his Harley and was standing beside our car.  He told my mom to pop the trunk and he would help her change out the flat. We didn’t even get out of the car.  He took care of it all, asked for nothing in return, and told us to have a good day.  And then he seemed to disappear as quickly as he appeared.  We considered him our Hell’s Angel.

In reality, he was a complete stranger, but he was also a real person who understood hospitality.

That was the beginning of the end for judging people by their outward appearances. I have had people tell me that you can know someone just by looking at them, boy has that not worked out on so many occasions.  Instead of judging people by looking at their outward appearance and often writing them off, maybe we should start with having “hospitable eyes.”

I am pretty sure I have shared this before, but before coming to First Friends, I had the opportunity for a silent retreat at the Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon – just down the road from where we lived in Silverton. On my last day there, I had spent some time in the library and was on my way out and decided to grab a quick drink of water out of the drinking fountain.  Just above the fountain was a beautiful sign made with colorful mosaic tiles.  Ironically after my sermon last week, on it was written the Rule of St. Benedict #53 – Receive all as Christ.

Receive all as Christ. 

Receive all as a holy presence. 

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

As I studied this more, I noticed this theme popping up more often. Mother Teresa said,

“Today, if we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other–that man, that woman, that child is my brother or my sister. If everyone could see the image of God in his neighbor, do you think we would still need tanks and generals?” 

Even Mr. Rogers said,

When we look for what's best in the person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does, so in appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something truly sacred.

You see, when we start to receive people differently and see with hospitable eyes that of God in them, then we are evoked to create new places of belonging and sharing.  

I believe one of the biggest challenges within churches and Quaker meetings today, is that they too often have stopped creating new opportunities for belonging, sharing, and seeing.

They continue to do the same thing over and over hoping for different results. I love all the ways we have been creating opportunities here at First Friends to help people find a place to belong, share, and see one another. 

We start early on with New Attender Dinners for people beginning the journey with us. Then come Affirmation Classes, Threshing Together gatherings at community eateries, Serving our community at the Food Pantry, Sing-alongs, Women’s Retreats, Oak Leaf Meetings for Reading, small groups, Seasoned Friends, children’s ministries and VBS, Grief Gatherings, Unprogrammed Worship opportunities on three different days, a community garden and meditational woods to celebrate creation, and that is only a few of the great ways we are creating opportunities for belonging, sharing and seeing one another.

As Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove said last week, slowing down and spending time with people for the purpose of developing community, friendships, and deeper relationships is essential to hospitality.

Marjorie Thompson went a little further, she says this about the essence of hospitality. 

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

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

In our scripture text for this morning, before Jesus shared his parable, he decided to say a couple things to his host.  He says in verse 12,

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

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

Why not?  Because when you behave in this way, it means that you are looking for a selfish gain in some way.  

Instead, Jesus tells the man in verses 13-14,

“…invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you.”

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

Why should you invite them?

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

Very few give in this way, in a spirit of unselfish love.  But this is how we are to respond, this is the true essence and nature of hospitality – it is a concrete expression of our unselfish love for our neighbor. Let me repeat that – it is a concrete expression of our unselfish love for our neighbor.

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

Interestingly the biblical meaning of justice is simply conveyed as “right relationships” with one another. 

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

Take a moment to really think about this…I believe this is exactly what Eric Baker was getting at last week in what he shared out of the silence. 

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

Who are the people who cannot repay us?

Who are the people who are neglected by the mainstream of culture?

Where do they live and spend their time?  Why are they neglected? 

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

·        someone who feels alone,

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

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

·        someone struggling to keep their marriage together and afraid to admit they are struggling. Or someone whose marriage ended, and they feel lost and alone.

·        someone suffering from depression or anxiety or any other mental health disorder. 

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

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

·        Someone who is scared or wishes they could be stronger instead of living in fear.

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

Author Barbara Brown Taylor said it this way when looking at scripture:

“You shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Those most likely to befriend strangers, in other words, are those who have been strangers themselves. The best way to grow empathy for those who are lost is to know what it means to be lost yourself.”

·        We all want to be welcomed.

·        We all want to belong. 

·        We all want to be full participants. 

·        We all want to be needed. 

·        We all want to be delighted. 

·        We all want to be loved.

·        We all want to be in right relationships.

·        We all want to be seen and known.

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

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

So, whether at Meeting for Worship, at your work meeting, with your yoga class, or wherever you are called to be hospitable this week, remember to have hospitable eyes, receive all as Christ, help people to feel that they belong and are appreciated, and remember that we are all strangers seeking to be known. 

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

1.   Who are the strangers in my midst? How am I a stranger to others?

2.   How might I engage, interact, learn, and spiritually grow with those around me?

3.   How at First Friends are we creating new places of belonging, places of sharing, of peace and of kindness, places where no one needs to defend themselves; places where each one is loved and accepted with one’s own fragility, abilities, and disabilities?

4-7-24 - Hospitality: The Craft of Opening Ourselves to See Our Neighbor

Hospitality: The Craft of Opening Ourselves to See Our Neighbor

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

April 7, 2024

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections. The scripture text I have chosen for today is Romans 12:9-18 from the New Revised Standard Version.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.  Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.  If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

For the next several weeks, I want to return to looking at more of the Quaker virtues we were discussing before Easter. This week, I want to look at hospitality, which is a word with a deep spiritual history. If you take a moment and investigate its history, you would immediately be introduced to the monasteries that show up around the 5th century. Strangers in need would come there for care. In fact, the first primitive hospitals began in monasteries.

Hospital, hospice, hospitable, hospitality—all come from the same root word, meaning generous, caring, and sustaining.

Probably, one of the most famous of these early monasteries was that of St. Benedict. Benedict created a book of rules to live by, called The Rule of Benedict, which is used still today by many monasteries and faith communities.

Ironically, I was first introduced to the Rule of Benedict by no other than Quaker author, Richard Foster. Actually, he passed out copies of the Rule books at a Renovaré conference that Sue and I attended back in late 90’s (I still have my copy). At that time, I was a bit more “rule” oriented myself – especially as an Anglican Priest, but Foster had a way of making the Rules seem life-giving rather than life-depleting or sequestering.

This was the beginning of a several year journey that had me delving deeper into, not only my own spiritual formation, but also to my spiritual engagement with the world and people around me. 

For many years I struggled with the formation of a disciplined life in community. Then in one of those rare moments of insight, I stopped into a bookstore in an airport where I had some time to kill before my departure.  In that little bookstore as I perused the books on the shelves, I came across a book that caught my attention. As I went to pull it out, another much smaller book came with it.  It fell to the floor.  As I bent to pick it up, I read the title, “The Wisdom of Stability: Rooting Faith in a Mobile Culture” by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. What an intriguing title, I thought.  

At the time I had never heard of Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove or this book. By this point, I had totally reshelved the book I had originally grabbed and had begun to read “The Wisdom of Stability” right there in the aisle.  I was quickly drawn in by how Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove encouraged people of faith, like you and me, to:

1.      Root ourselves more deliberately in the place where we live and worship.

2.      Engage the people we are with and among.

3.      Slow down and participate in simpler rhythms of life, and

4.      Live in a way that speaks to the deeper meanings of the human heart.

I think, at that time, my hectic life and even more hectic practice of the Christian faith was immediately challenged by these ideas. Slowing, rooting, and engaging deeper meaning were not things I could quickly implement into my journey. 

I was still working under the principle that we were to wear ourselves out for God until we literally died. How ironic when one of the 10 original commandments were to “remember the sabbath” and make sure to rest.  

I stopped at that point, bought the book, jumped on my plane, and read the entire book on my flight home.   

What I learned was that knowing and rooting ourselves in place is where we start, and when we take the next steps, it becomes about the importance of our interaction with neighbors and community.  What happened to it just being about me, I thought? 

My friend, John Pattison calls these next steps having a “fidelity to people” – a faithfulness to neighbors and community that is supported by a continuing loyalty and support. 

Up to this time, much of Christianity, or for that matter faith in general, was all about ME and doing something about MY sin. It was so myopic and down-right selfish that it had little room for others. 

But Wilson-Hartgrove was asking me to engage people I was with and among to understand God and faith better – instead of getting them saved or to attend my church.

Ultimately in this journey, I would be led to embrace the Quaker understanding of seeing that of God in all people - especially my neighbor.  

This myopic nature that I struggled with has hurt the Christian church in America and taken us away from communicating effectively and living, learning from, and seeing God in our neighbors.

This “fidelity to people” as my friend John put it has sadly become rare in the church and even society as we become more alienated, polarized, isolated, and individualistic.

Today, many simply want people to fit into their religious, political, socio-economic, even racial categories to keep it simple and homogenous.

We are not looking for “that of God” as much as we are looking for “that of us” in our neighbors. Let me repeat that.

We are not looking for “that of God” as much as we are looking for “that of us” in our neighbors.

Both individually and corporately we are seeing less of each other and thus don’t know how to communicate or live with one another – and we are missing out on seeing God alive and active around us in our neighbors’ lives.

I strongly believe that where we live can affect this, but also how we see ourselves as part of where we live has an even greater effect. We need to be asking ourselves again…

What’s our purpose in this place?  Is life simply about or for us, individually – or are we called to something greater, something that entails working alongside and with our neighbors and community?

Our scriptures for this morning in the New Revised Standard Version are labeled “The Marks of a True Christian” or what we could say are the marks of a true Quaker, a true Friend, a true neighbor, or simply a true human being… Let me highlight some of those attributes again and notice how many deals directly with how we interact with those around us.

• Loving one another with mutual affection.

• Outdoing one another in showing honor.

• Not lagging in zeal.

• Rejoicing in hope.

• Patient in suffering.

• Extending hospitality to strangers.

• Blessing those who persecute you.

• Rejoicing and weeping with those who rejoice and weep.

• Living in harmony with one another.

• Associating with the lowly.

• Not claiming you are wiser than you are.

• Not repaying evil for evil – vengeance.

• Taking thought for what is noble.

• Living peaceably with all.

Clearly our faith is not an individualist experience – it must be communal.

These attributes are what set early Christians apart from the rest of the world. This has become known today as “radical hospitality.”  Radical meaning - out of the ordinary or even revolutionary and hospitality meaning, as I said earlier, generous, caring, and sustaining. Did you hear that?

Out of the ordinary generosity or Revolutionary caring and sustaining.

Johnathan Wilson Hartgrove actually labeled these attributes as “the craft of life with God.” I love that description.

We are becoming more and more familiar with the concept of “craft” in our society today. Everywhere you frequent these days is offering craft food or craft beverages. The Etsy website is a marketplace for craft. Even the Smithsonian in a recent article stated that “The State of American Craft Has Never Been Stronger.”

But in applying the idea of craft to hospitality and life with God and one another, you are faced with the very definition of craft itself - just listen to this definition:

Craft emanates from community and lineage; much like it would have historically through processes and practices, passed on from one individual to another….it’s one of the most democratic art forms, practiced by people of all ages and socio-economic and racial backgrounds. This distinction affords craft the opportunity to instigate critical conversation and has the potential to be life-changing.

Wow, craft is a powerful word to use in light of what we are talking about.

So, what does Johnathan Wilson Hartgrove mean when he says, “the craft of life with God”?

To answer that, Johnathan Wilson-Hartgrove, also was very interested in the Rule of St. Benedict, going as far as to create a contemporary paraphrase of the book.

In “The Wisdom of Stability” Wilson-Hartgrove begins by translating St. Benedict this way, 

“In the craft of life with God, we need tools to work with.  Most of all keep this tool close at hand: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might…and love your neighbor as yourself.  And never let these get buried too deep in the tool box.”

He goes on to say,

“…while the scriptures give us words of instruction to describe a life with God, we learn that by walking it in the company of others. Like the master carpenter who shows an apprentice his tools and then stands beside him as he learns to use them, Benedict introduces tools for life with God to the disciple who is going to stay put in community, learning the craft from others. Apart from life together, these tools are as useless as a hammer might be to the son of a carpenter who makes his living at a desk job. But in the context of a community, their relevance is crystal clear.  These are the tools that make it possible for people to live together in the way of Jesus.”

So, what were some of those tools that Benedict said were essential for the craft of life with God. Here are what Wilson-Hartgrove points out. 

He starts with some basics from the Ten Commandments and then gets more specific:

• Do not kill, commit adultery, give false report, don’t even do to someone else what you wouldn’t want done to yourself.

• Leave your own will behind so you can follow Christ’s example.

• Love fasting

• Use your extra time and resources to assist the poor, clothe the naked, visit the sick.

• If someone is in trouble – help them. If sad – comfort them.

• Don’t lash out in anger or nurse a grudge against someone who’s wronged you.

• Greet someone with Peace - and mean it!

• Make promises that you can keep. Tell the truth, be honest with yourself and others.

• Don’t fight like other people fight – returning evil for evil.

• Suffer patiently, refusing to pass another’s violence on to someone else.

• Love your enemies.

• If you get cussed out, don’t strike back with your own assault of words. Find a way to bless them, instead.  

• Endure persecution for the sake of justice.

• Don’t be addicted to your own self-image or to anything else that promises cheap fulfillment or an easy escape from problems.

• Beware of too much eating or too much sleeping. Watch out for laziness.

• Don’t spend your time complaining or talking bad about other people.

• Make amends when you have done harm to others.

• Never forget you are going to die.

• Listen to the wisdom of those who have gone before you.

• Devote yourself to prayer.

• Confess your sins.

• Resolve to leave your addictions and protective mechanisms behind.

• Don’t give into your twisted desires.

• Listen to the leadership of your community (if they are trustworthy).

• Work on becoming a saint – so that one day your actions will speak for themselves.

• Treasure chastity.

• Don’t harbor hatred or jealousy, and don’t let envy drive a single action.

• Don’t get into arguing and turn your back on arrogance.

• Respect the wise and love the inexperienced in community.

• Never lose hope in God’ mercy.

I find this list rather convicting in the world in which we live currently.  Jonathan says,

“Our twisted desires, selfish impulses, defense mechanisms, and bad habits are not simply failure to “hit the mark” that humans aim for…” rather “It is a sickness that infects communities, destroying the fabric of life itself.”

I think this speaks to the condition of America, right now. There is a sickness that is infecting our communities and destroying the fabric of life. And we must be better people, better neighbors, better F/friends to stop the spread of that sickness.

I will say it again… We are not looking for “that of God” as much as we are looking for “that of us” in our neighbors. And when we attempt living out these essentials – we open the door to crafting a life with God through our own life and the lives of our neighbors. 

If we are going to bring hope to our lives and those around us, we must start by dedicating ourselves to seeing and living with the people in our communities daily.

We need to get off our screens and go have coffee or lunch with someone.  We need to go on road trips and engage other communities and cultures. We need to step out of our comfort zones and open the door to people who may be much different than us.

I believe as we rail on the news outlets, as we are disappointed in our leaders, as we struggle to understand our neighbors and the crazy world we live in, we are being heralded to take up the “craft of life with God.”

Only by changing ourselves, by getting our “hands dirty,” (in the humus of humanity, as I said last week), and embracing the needed skills, are we able to utilize the craft of life with God to transform our relationships, our neighborhoods, and ultimately our world.

Take a moment this morning in waiting worship to consider those relationships that need crafted. Those neighborhoods that need crafted. Those workplaces that need crafted. Those learning environments that need crafted. And then think about our place right here at First Friends. What do we need to craft in our midst?  

Am I ready for the doors to open? If not, what will prepare me?

What essentials of the craft do I need to hone? What tools might I need?

Am I willing to take the step of seeking that of God in ALL my neighbors?

As a charge this morning I would like to close with a beautiful poem by Lindasusan Ulrich called “Open Up the Doors.”  May this be our call to action this week!

Open up the doors
Push on looming wooden arches embroidered with ironwork
Brace shoulders against the weight of history unmoved
Slough off the musty smell of unused joy and stored up sorrow
Knock rust off the hinges if you have to
And let your breath precede you inside.

Open the doors more
Make room for a shaft of sunlight to cross the threshold
Give the dust mites something to dance about
Peek through a single slice of possibility
And name even the half-hidden truths you see.

Open the doors wider still
Pour yourself through the gap
Strut or sneak or sidle, as suits you best
Cleanse whatever scrapes catch your skin
And bind up the wounds that keep you from entering whole.

Open the doors as far as they will go
Draw on the strength of the stones beneath you
Ground yourself in a firm sense of who you are
Stand as a beacon welcoming the next seeker
And shine far beyond the lintel and sill.

Open all that you are
Heighten and deepen your connections to the world around you
Broaden your definition of neighbor
Grow into the largest target for grace that you can muster
And pray to become a gateway for even greater love and compassion.

Open up the doors, my friends,
Lest we keep the stranger out
And condemn ourselves to prisons of our own making.

Amen! Now, let us enter a time of waiting worship. Consider some of the following queries that I shared in my message as you enter the silence.

1.    What’s my purpose in this place? Is life simply about me, individually – or am I called to something greater, something that entails working alongside and with my neighbors and community?

2.    Am I ready for the doors to open? If not, what will prepare me?

3.    What essentials of the craft do I need to hone? What tools might I need?

4.    Am I willing to take the step of seeking that of God in ALL my neighbors?

3-31-24 - Easter - The Gardener

The Gardener

Indianapolis First Friends

Pastor Bob Henry

March 31, 2024

John 20:11-18 (NRSV)

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).  Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.

I was reading an article by theologian and author Brian Zahnd about our Easter text of Mary meeting Jesus in the garden. He points out that there are many metaphors for Jesus that we enjoy using and sometimes even abusing. Brian clarifies that,

Jesus is NOT a conductor punching tickets for a train ride to heaven. Christian hope is not so much about getting from earth to heaven, as it is about getting heaven to earth.

Jesus is NOT a lawyer to get us out of a legal jam with his angry dad. God is not mad at sinners. Jesus told Mary to tell his disciples that his Father was their Father too!

Jesus is NOT a banker making loans of his surplus righteousness. Modern people love economic metaphors…but they are terrible! Economic metaphors invariably produce bad theology.

[Rather] Jesus IS a gardener! … A gardener’s work is earthy and intimate. Gardeners have their hands in the humus. (We are humans from the humus.) Conductors and lawyers and bankers are concerned with abstract and impersonal things like tickets, laws, and money. But gardeners handle living things with living hands. Jesus is not afraid to get his hands dirty in the humus of humanity. 

To delve deeper into the metaphor of the Gardener, we must go back to that first Easter morning. You heard it read in the scriptures for this morning.  The place was the Garden at Golgotha.  Mary Magdalene had come to the tomb.  She leans down into the opening of the dark tomb and sees it empty and begins to weep.  One of the texts says that what looked like two angels tried to console her.  As she explains her reasoning for weeping she turns and sees a figure through her tear-filled eyes. 

Now, there are many theories about why Mary did not recognize Jesus, but I am going to go with two simple physical ones.  First, Mary is crying her eyes out (weeping heavily) for her beloved friend who was gone – executed, hung naked before her very eyes on a cross.  I don’t think we take into consideration the horror and emotional anxiety seeing this would cause.

We in our day have been numbed by mass shootings and open violence weekly in our news, movies, and video games. Yet at some point, most of us can relate. At some time, we too have cried so hard over the tragic loss of someone very close. 

I am sure we can assess that Mary Magdalene was full of anxiety and overwhelmed by the circumstances and outright fear of the Roman authorities. She also probably had very little sleep and was deeply concerned for her safety.

Science shows that this type of anxiety and stress can make one quicker to cry and often uncontrollably. Yet also it shows the personal effects of losing a close dear friend or family member. Jesus and Mary were very close, and this loss hit her very hard.

As anyone who has cried uncontrollably knows, through heavy tears it is hard to see anything. It distorts our view of the world around us.   

Also, it was sunrise on that first Easter morning, tombs were set facing the East in Jerusalem – as it was a symbol of hope of a resurrection with the sun’s rising – a new day dawning.  As Mary would emerge from that dark tomb she would have been blinded by the light of dawn breaking forth.  

So as Mary turns to address the figure outside the tomb in the garden all she probably saw was a black outline or a shadowed figure.

And let’s be honest, who else would be in the garden that early in the morning addressing her?  It had to have been the gardener, she thought.   

Scriptures say Mary “supposed he was the gardener”.  Weeping, she explains that she is seeking the body of Jesus.  Then “Jesus says to her, “Mary”. From just the sound of his voice saying her name, Mary immediately recognizes that it is Jesus and in that moment everything changes. 

Like Brian Zhand, I believe it is very fitting that Jesus would be mistaken by Mary as the Gardener outside the tomb. Some may disagree and just say, oh it is coincidence.  But I believe to picture and see Jesus as the Gardener very much agrees with one of the metaphors and themes of the entire Bible – that being the importance of gardens. 

Let me give you a quick overview:  In the book of Genesis, we are introduced to the Creator placing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where one of the first tasks was to be stewards/caretakers of the garden. It says in Genesis 2:15,

“The Lord God took Adam and put him in the garden of Eden to till and to keep it.”

That garden was not just for Adam and Eve, the story tells us it was also where God was found. God actually was known to walk in that Garden with Adam and Eve and had a relationship with them there.

I always remember those signs that I thought were rather cliché or cheesy that read, “One is closer to God in a Garden, than anywhere on Earth.”

Hmmm…maybe there was something deeper in those signs.  

As one who has grown to appreciate gardening, I have found spending time in my garden an important way to connect to my Inner Light and bask in the beauty of creation.  It also is like therapy for me – pulling weeds, pruning, planting, and watering all give new life to the spaces that surround me – and for that matter, to me as well. It is as Brian Zhand said, “This is because a gardener’s work is earthy and intimate. Gardeners have their hands in the humus…[and] gardeners handle living things with living hands.

Even though Adam and Eve in the creation story chose a different path than what God intended which led them out of that beautiful original garden, God promised he would never abandoned his creation.

Instead, God sent people to be light-bearers, people like the patriarchs and matriarchs of our faith, the prophets we talked about this past year, faithful kings and judges of justice to teach, admonish, correct and gather the people of Israel, encourage them, and ultimately send them out into the world to be hope and beauty and bring peace to everyone.  This is played out over and over throughout the First or Old Testament – there is so much more there than just a wrathful God if we are willing to look.    

And then as the New Testament opens, we are introduced to Jesus, the next in this long line of individuals who God has sent to try to point to a better way.  Jesus is raised in Nazareth and begins his ministry of doing good, healing and teaching, gathering a new community of disciples that he too would send into the world to be hope and beauty and bring peace. 

But before we get to that sending…We must not miss the end of his public ministry, what this week leading to Easter has been all about. Here Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem the place where he was rejected, suffered, and died at the hands of the Roman Empire who did not want his way of peace but rather wanted power and control.

Since Jesus walked this earth 2000 some years ago, people have joined Jesus on remembering his journey to Jerusalem. Some faith traditions have journeyed to the cross by taking the actual Via Dolorosa in the old part of Jerusalem - following what is believed to be the actual way Jesus journeyed to the cross.

Others have marked specific events leading up to Jesus’ death to pause and remember: The triumphal entry into Jerusalem (which we celebrated last week and ironically also started in a garden - the Mount of Olives), the clearing of the temple, the Seder Meal or Last Supper with his disciples, and then the biggest turn of events – which goes down in another garden at the base of the Mount of Olives – the Garden of Gethsemane.

As the gospel of John explains, “After the discourse, Jesus went out with the disciples across the Kidron Valley.  There was a garden there, and he and his disciples entered it.  John adds that it was familiar, “because Jesus had often met there with his disciples”.  In this garden, not only had Jesus been preparing and teaching his disciples, but now Jesus would show us his human vulnerability and fear. He would pray in great agony, and courageously commit himself to do his Father’s will of laying down his life for others.

Later that evening again in this garden, the soldiers would come, Judas would betray Jesus, and they would arrest Jesus to be ushered off to imprisonment and put on trial.

As I said at the beginning of this message, on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion there is another garden. After Jesus is condemned to death he proceeds in agony to carry his cross on the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha.  John again notes, “In the place where he had been crucified, there was a garden.” Golgotha, the actually place of Jesus’ death is a garden place. Very interesting.

And the story doesn’t end there. Jesus is taken down from the cross and buried in a borrowed tomb, actually in that garden. 

Three days later, Jesus begins to appear to his friends.  He meets Mary and she confuses him for the gardener – which catching us up to our text for this morning.   

As is evident by the gardens we have looked at, the garden throughout scripture is the place where God has been revealed and new life has begun!   

We can understand this – gardens are to be places of new and recurrent life, where plants, flowers, shrubs, vegetables come to life - Spring Time after Spring Time. Just as I said in AS Way Opens last week.

It’s like when you were a kid and you planted seeds for the first time, it was an exciting day when you started to see life bursting forth out of the paper cups in the window soon to be planted in the garden box or back yard to fully flourish in the soil!             

And the gardener is one who oversees and does their part to ensure the cycle of life reoccurs. The gardener has their hands in the humus. The gardener plants and prunes, digs, fertilizes and waters so that trees and plants can bear fruit and beauty in abundance. This is what Jesus did and continues to do in our lives.

So just as the creation story states, God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, so now Jesus walks with Mary in the gardens of Golgotha as the gardener.

I remember learning in 8th grade in my Christians school another name for Jesus and that is “The New Adam.”  Here Jesus is the new Adam seen as the gardener in a new garden of hope.  Pretty cool metaphors, if you ask me.

Jesus shares this hope with Mary.  He instructs her, “Do not cling to me…rather go to my brothers and tell them I am going to my father and your father, to my God and your God”.  Mary, a woman, would be the first person in which Jesus would send to share his message of hope.  She is sent to bear fruit and beauty to her world beginning with those closest to Jesus who were hiding in fear of the Roman authorities.  I can’t even imagine Mary’s enthusiasm as she went to share this good news.  

And folks, it didn’t stop on that first Easter morning with Mary, no, the work of Jesus the gardener continues today through us. Walking with our God in this world, we too, like Mary are sent to bear good fruit and bring hope and peace.  We are called to blossom, and color, and bring fragrance to our world of darkness and death.  We are being sent with a message of hope and peace to our American Empire that is clearly at war with itself.  

This is what it means to be resurrection people.

There is one last garden described in scripture.

In the 21st chapter of John’s vision or revelation at the end of the Bible, John describes heaven in wildly symbolic and metaphorical ways. 

He calls heaven the New Jerusalem – a city with mighty walls and ornate gates.  And in that city is a LIGHT or lamp which represents the work of Christ. And then lastly he speaks of a Garden, with a river of life-giving water…which flowed down the middle of the streets.” On either side of the river grew the trees of life”.  This was to show that God, from the beginning to the end, was about bringing life and light, and beauty into our world. 

We are part of that beauty, folks.  We are part of that NEW LIFE.  Resurrection means to give something that once had life – NEW LIFE. 

This is what happens in gardens, especially here in Indiana.  We plant seeds or small plants, and then they grow, some give beauty through buds and flowers and brightly colored leaves, some give off seeds and give the opportunity for new life, some die and go into the ground, and in several months give new life again.  The garden is the perfect example of resurrection.

No wonder gardens are throughout scripture.  No wonder the story says it all began in a garden and will end in a garden. 

Mary was called by the Gardener that first Easter morning to be life to those around her in that Garden of death.  And that is what we are called to this Easter morning.  You and I are called to blossom, to flower, to bear fruit, to bring beauty and joy and peace to a world who is often dead or almost there.

 That is living out a work that is earthy and intimate, and that is getting our hands dirty in the humus of humanity. That…is living the resurrection.

Now as we enter a time of waiting worship, let us take a moment to ponder the following queries,

·        How am I living the resurrection with those around me?

·        In what ways am I blossoming, bearing fruit, and giving beauty and peace to my world this Easter?

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.