10-5-25 - Beloved Community Through the Eyes of Integrity

Beloved Community Through the Eyes of Integrity

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

October 5, 2025

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections. Today, at the Meetinghouse we are celebrating World Quaker Day! Next Sunday, after Meeting for Worship we will be having a letter-writing campaign to make our voices heard in ending the death penalty in Indiana. I hope you will join us.   Today, I am continuing my message series, Beloved Community Through the Eyes of Integrity.  The scripture I have chosen to support my message is from Proverbs 11:3 from the New Revised Standard Version.

The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

This morning, I want to begin by sharing a couple different stories. The first is from one of my favorite TV Shows. Yes, you might be surprised that a Quaker minister would be fond of the classic. T.V. show M*A*S*H.  At one time during my childhood, I owned a M*A*S*H t-shirt, camo-shorts, Kaki green socks and boots. I remember watching re-runs of the show every day after school, and still remember watching the farewell episode the day after my birthday in 1983 - I was 10 years old and in 4th grade.  I guess since I struggled with Indiana history at the time, the Korean War was easier to grasp through humor and syndication.  

Actor William Christopher was best known for playing the Catholic Priest, Father Mulcahy, on M*A*S*H.  Christopher sadly passed away on the last day of 2016.  In the book, Craddock Stories, it tells about the episode, “Nurse Doctor” which was written by Jim Strain.  In the episode Father Mulcahy becomes attracted to one of the nurses in the unit.  The feeling is mutual, and Father Mulcahy is sorely tempted to break his vow of chastity.  The episode is about the struggle within Father Mulcahy to decide what to do.  In the end he keeps his religious vows and stays true to his promise to God. 

Strain had a difficult time selling this episode. The creators of the show loved the drama created by Father Mulcahy’s internal struggle, but they hated the ending.  They asked him to change it to “make it more realistic.” 

He asked them what would make it more realistic, and they responded, “He goes for the nurse!  He disavows the priesthood!  Don’t you understand what people want?” 

Strain refused to change the script and the show finally relented and purchased it as it was written. (And you can watch it on Hulu today)

If you watch popular entertainment, listen to music, or watch the news you will likely conclude that Strain’s trouble selling a story about someone staying true to their values, in spite of temptation, is not an isolated incident.  Our American culture and the media often seem intent on only showing us the negative side of human nature. 

However, those of us living in the real world know that not everyone lies, cheats, and steals. People from all walks of life have their integrity tested every day and most of them make the difficult but correct choices.    

The problem is not that these examples don’t exist, but that we so rarely hear about them. 

Since I was a tennis player in high school and college, and love to watch a good match of tennis on T.V. every once and a while. I still remember in May of 2005 American professional tennis player Andy Roddick playing Fernando Verdasco, of Spain, in the round of 16 at the Italia Masters tennis tournament in Rome, Italy.  Roddick happened to be the number one seed in the tournament and a heavy favorite to win the match and advance. 

Roddick, one of the top players in the world, was at the top of his game.  Indeed, just one month later he would make it to the finals at Wimbledon before losing to Roger Federer.

Roddick dominated as expected and had triple match point when something extremely unusual happened. Roddick couldn’t return Verdasco’s hard second serve but the linesman called the serve out and awarded Roddick the point and the match.

With the crowd cheering Verdasco ran to the net to shake Roddick’s hand and congratulate him on his victory. However, Roddick knew something that the linesman, the umpire, the cheering crowd, and Verdasco himself didn’t know.  The serve had not been out, but had hit on the line, making it in. 

Roddick could have kept this information to himself and accepted the victory.  Indeed, honor calls are not expected in tennis.  Instead, he informed the umpire that the ball had been in and offered to show him the mark on the clay where the ball had hit to prove his point.  The umpire reversed the call and awarded the point to Verdasco. 

Having been given a second chance Verdasco made the most of it.  He came back to win the game, the set, and the match giving him a highly improbable victory, especially considering not long before he had been standing at the net ready to concede.

Sportswriter Frank DeFord estimates Roddick’s honesty cost him at least “tens of thousands of dollars;” perhaps much more if he had gone on to win the tournament.  Integrity was clearly more important to Roddick than either winning or money.  Andy Roddick lost a tennis match that day but won something much more important, and in the process set a great example of sportsmanship for competitors everywhere.

I picked these two examples both because they were rare examples of integrity in our world today and because they were about subjects that I enjoyed in my own life. 

Many of us, may have a hard time doing what Jim Strain or Andy Roddick did because too often we struggle with integrity in a variety of ways. 

You may feel pressured by others at work, in relationships, or in social situations to act against your values. For example, a supervisor may ask you to overlook an unethical practice, or a friend may encourage you to mislead someone.

We have been taught this pressure or temptation from a young age. Remember the cartoons with the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other – that was almost always about the character – Tom and Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Huckleberry Hound, Rocky and Bullwinkle – having a crisis of integrity.  

Integrity is a struggle when you experience inner divisions between what you know is right and what you want to do. This pull of temptation can cause you to act out of self-interest, even if it contradicts your values.

As well, some of us are conflict avoiders or people who simply want to "keep the peace" (please note this is different than the peace we talked about last week).

This can lead us to be dishonest or withhold the truth. Choosing safety over integrity in a tough conversation can cause internal distress.  We might even initially recognize a misstep we made or said, but then hide or deny it to keep it from others. This "disintegration" of our thoughts, feelings, and actions creates a lack of wholeness in us.

Some people struggle when they mistakenly believe that having integrity means being perfect and never making a mistake. However, integrity is a process that involves owning and learning from your missteps, not hiding them. 

Let me take a moment to remind us of the attributes of integrity that are key for us as Quakers. 

• Honesty and truthfulness: Being truthful in words and actions, with no pretense or deception.

• Consistency: Having a consistent, unwavering, and uncompromising adherence to one's moral and ethical principles.

• Wholeness or completeness: Having a "whole" character where external actions align with internal values, even when no one is watching.

• Accountability: Taking responsibility for one's actions, errors, and inactions.

• Ethical conduct: Guiding decisions and behavior according to a strong moral framework. 

Some consider integrity the umbrella of all the other S.P.I.C.E.S.

Simplicity, Peace, Community, Equality, and Stewardship must have integrity as their foundation. 

And that means that integrity is also foundational to achieving the Beloved Community.

Dr. King emphasized that the means used to create change must be as just and loving as the desired outcomes.

This means that when we are called upon to be activists, leaders, and even informed citizens, we should respond with integrity and use ethical and nonviolent methods to promote justice, rather than resorting to hypocrisy or abuse of power.  There is enough hypocrisy and abuse of power in our world, today. 

At the last Prayer Action that Stuart Mora organized in Greenwood, I saw activists, leaders, and informed citizens responding with integrity and using ethical and nonviolent means to fight the injustices and abuses of power that are facing us here in Indiana.  There was love being shared, music being sung, people supporting one another from a variety of different backgrounds, much different than what we were standing up against – ICE raids and deportation, proposed for-profit detention camps where inmates have no rights being erected, and people of color in our communities being discriminated against. 

If we are working to build and support a beloved community here in Indiana than it must be built on integrity, which I believe fosters trust among its members.

I was just talking to someone the other day and I said, Do you know your neighbors? And they said, “I don’t trust my neighbors.” 

If we cannot get to know and trust our neighbors – or we are unwilling to try – we cannot build the Beloved Community.  Too often we spend time judging our neighbors from the comfort of our own homes, but not really knowing what they actually think or believe.

Someone else recently told me that they don’t trust their neighbors because of how they voted. Are there no commonalities that we have with our neighbors when they voted different than us? Are we simply willing to isolate ourselves from others to hold our opinions? 

I rarely talk politics with my neighbors, but what I do is listen to them, I’m there for them when struggling, and I’m willing to help them out when they need it. It sometimes confuses them when they find out the things I believe and why.  And yes, I am willing to tell them if they ask – just as I would with any of you.   

Folks, it is easier to resolve conflicts peacefully, affirm differences, and work collaboratively on difficult issues, when we trust, are honest, and accountable to each other. 

Here is where it gets a bit more complicated.  I believe accountability also must be for past and present injustices. This is necessary for healing, reconciliation, and building a more just future. We cannot simply wipe away the history of what we did to the First Nations People, the African people, the Asian people, those with Aids, the elderly, the LGBTQIA…and the list could go on.  We must at the least acknowledge what has happened, and that it was just as much a part of our history even if we were not alive. 

How many people know Quaker Friend, Lucy Duncan?  Lucy is the co-founder of reparationWorks (a great organization), Duncan often speaks on integrity in the context of racial justice. For Duncan, integrity involves confronting difficult histories and metabolizing the pain of reckoning with past wrongs to find a path toward healing and reparation.

As Lucy emphasizes, we may need to build completely new systems that are just and equitable, rather than simply patching up old, broken ones. The attribute of integrity guides this process, ensuring that new policies and practices are built on a solid foundation of moral principles and ethical decisions – not hypocrisy and abusive power.

Now, more than ever we are being called to live our values in this nation.  As Quakers we are being called to live from our S.P.I.C.E.S. or Testimonies – these are our values that I believe both strengthen our communities, while also helping instill a foundation of moral character that is so lacking in our culture and world, today. 

So, what are some challenges in applying integrity in the journey toward Beloved Community?

I have already talked about navigating conflicting values, resisting pressures to compromise, and confronting systemic injustices. 

I also believe the effort to build a just and equitable society is going to requires courage, consistency, and a willingness to confront hypocrisy, both in institutions and within oneself. And that also means right here at First Friends. 

Folks, we live in a world today, where speaking out against injustice or unethical behavior often carries risks, including career damage, social exclusion, or even personal danger. The same can be true amidst a religious community.

Yet, the journey toward the Beloved Community requires courage to challenge the status quo, even when facing significant consequences. Our Quaker ancestors have a lot to say about this. 

Actually, our history is one story after another of Friends working hard to build the Beloved Community for their time and for our future – and their work is a call to us to continue what they started.  Just go read the stories of Friends:

John Woolman – who refused to use products made by enslaved people and became a vital voice that carried Quaker sentiment toward abolition. 

Anthony Benezet – a Quaker schoolteacher who wrote pamphlets and argued for the innate equality of all people and a nonviolent end to slavery.

Margarett Fell – who was a powerful advocate for women's roles in spiritual leadership.

Gordon Hirabayashi – who defied the military curfew and exclusion orders that led to the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII.

Mary and John Tinker – who challenged their school in 1965 by wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War. The resulting Supreme Court case, Tinker v. Des Moines, became a landmark decision protecting student speech rights. 

William Tuke – who founded the York Retreat asylum – which pioneered humane methods of treatment for the mentally ill and became a model for psychological care.

And maybe someday, our children and grandchildren will read of

Carol Donahue and Brad Jackson – whose work with Changing Footprints not only put shoes on people’s feet but gave them confidence to succeed in life.

Nancy Scott – whose work with refugee families in Indianapolis saved both lives and families from their war-torn past.

Corrine Imboden – who brought awareness to food insecurities in Indiana through Bread for the World helping change legislation and getting food on the tables of those most in need.

Jeff Goens and Jody English – who would not back down until the Governor of Indiana heard the demands of Quakers to finally end the Death Penalty in Indiana.    

Stuart Mora – who organized truth-filled prayer actions that stopped the creation of detainee camps which lacked rights of the people being held, helped refocus efforts on building affordable housing, and saved people from being wrongly deported from the United States.

Folks, I believe we will leave those legacies of helping build the Beloved Community and so much more right here in Indianapolis and through our Beloved Community here at First Friends.

One of the things I notice with all these people – past and present, is that they did not and are not allowing hypocrisy or power to go to their heads, and instead they found ways or are finding ways to inspire their communities and towns, and even world to come together for the benefit of all. 

So, how can you and I live our daily lives in a way that is building the beloved community through the eyes of integrity? 

The 350year-old Amesbury Quaker Meeting in Massachusetts has had a long time to think about this. They also have a wonderful set of what they call “Integrity Guidelines” on their website for those trying to build the Beloved Community through being people of integrity.

I think these are practical and just what we should consider to help us live into our integrity in our world, today:

·      make sure one’s words and actions flow from one’s beliefs

• speak the truth, even when it is difficult

• pay people fair wages for their work

• say difficult things with grace and tact

• receive difficult sayings gracefully

• guard one’s reputation for honesty, fairness, and fidelity

• take responsibility for one’s actions and the results

• fulfill one’s commitments

• take care of items entrusted to one

• be open to ideas of others but not be too easily swayed

• confront lapses in integrity in oneself and in others

• give credit to others for their contributions

• assess people and situations fairly and accurately

• avoid spending beyond one’s means

Now, as we enter a time of waiting worship, let’s pause and consider our own integrity.  To help us center down, I have provided a few queries for us to ponder.

1.      Where do I struggle with integrity in my life?

2.      Do I trust my neighbors? Do they trust me?

3.      Where am I helping to challenge the status quo in my world?  

9-28-25 - Beloved Community Through the Eyes of Peace

Beloved Community Through the Eyes of Peace

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

September 28, 2025

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning we continue our series on Beloved Community Through the Eyes of the S.P.I.C.E.S.  The scripture I have chosen to support my message for today is from Romans 12:17-18 from the New Revised Standard Version.

 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.

In 2008, I traveled to Los Angeles for a Campus Ministry Conference.  We were staying at the retreat center of the Crystal Cathedral. Luckily I arrived safely, but somehow my bags were left on the tarmac in Detroit (and I never even flew through Detroit). I did not see my bags again until the day before I left (and they came covered in salt since it was still winter in Detroit).   

Upon arrival we were informed of a college in Tennessee that, the night before, had a tornado touchdown on a full campus of students.  It was a horrific story and led us all to pause and hold this college and their students in our prayers. For that time of prayer, I randomly selected a group of people sitting around me. After we prayed, we were to continue to share what was currently causing us to have a lack of peace in our lives. For me it probably was that I had no clothing except what I was wearing.

In my prayer group happened to be Terry McGonigal, a fellow veteran campus minister. I had not met Terry before, but as we talked that night, I became really interested in something he was studying and writing about.  I had mentioned that I was working on my doctorate in Leadership and Spiritual Formation, but that my focus was on how ministers could prepare for conflict. He found this fascinating and decided to share his studies with me. 

Terry had written a significant work titled, “If You Only Knew What Would Bring Peace: Shalom Theology as the Biblical Foundation for Diversity.”  Having just purchased my first smart phone, Terry said, “Let me just send you the document.” I didn’t open it until I returned to Indiana, but as we talked that night, I was intrigued by his use of the term Shalom Theology.  In all my studies, I had never heard of Shalom Theology.  Terry said, “The biblical theme of peace is foundational to the Bible.” 

He pointed out to me that “peace” and its cognates appear 550 times in the Bible.  I learned quickly that peace or shalom was not a byproduct or an evolving concept with the Divine, rather it is a required condition that stabilizes order, relationships, stewardship, beauty and rhythm in our universe. 

Terry also introduced me that night to Theologian Cornelus Platinga, who emphasized this type of peace in his book, “Engaging God’s World” saying,

“The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Old Testament prophets call shalom.  We call it “peace,” but it means far more than mere peace of mind or cease-fire among enemies. (As a matter of fact, the areas over which two armies declare a cease-fire may be acres of smoldering ruin.) In the Bible shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness, and delight – a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, all under the arch of God’s love. Shalom, in other words, is the way things are supposed to be.”

After returning to Indiana, I opened the document Terry had shared with me and began my own study of Shalom Theology. Quickly, I found that the connecting thread that flows throughout scripture is the Divine’s desire for his people to have this universal shalom or peace.  It moved me so much that I ended up including this thinking in the opening chapter of my doctoral dissertation.   

It wasn’t long before I was realizing the deep connection with Shalom Theology and the Beloved Community. Because when we get right down to it the Beloved Community is the tangible expression of shalom in the world. It is a people actively working to bring about God’s dream of love, wholeness, and justice for all people.

This is why when we talk about building the Beloved Community within a Quaker context, it is hard not to first talk about our Quaker Peace Testimony.  

In the United Kingdom’s articulation of the Peace Testimony they explain the following:

“…Friends' peace testimony is not a creed, in the sense of a statement of belief true for all time. Nor is it a code of behavior, a set of rules to which all Quakers individually and corporately must adhere.

On the simplest level, 'testimony' means 'bearing witness'; and Friends' long history of witness to peace can be found in public statements and personal reflections, in their refusal to bear arms in times of civil and international conflict, in acts of prophetic confrontation and quiet, reconciling diplomacy.

But these are merely outward and visible signs of inward conviction. This conviction springs from a living Spirit, mediated through the human experience of those trying to understand and follow its leadings. It grows afresh in every life, in every worshipping group, in every generation.

At the heart of this conviction is Friends' experience that there is something of God - the seed of God - in all people. Quakers believe that more can be accomplished by appealing to this capacity for love and goodness, in ourselves and in others, than can be hoped for by threatening punishment or retaliation if people act badly.

This is not to ignore the existence of evil. It is to recognize that there is no effective way to combat evil with weapons which harm or kill those through whom evil is working. We must turn instead, in the words of early Friends, to the 'weapons of the spirit', allowing God to reach out through us to that of God in those with whom we are in conflict. 'Spiritual weapons' - love, truth slaying, nonviolence, imagination, laughter - are weapons that heal and don't destroy.

When one studies the idea of the Beloved Community today, you cannot go far in your study until you are faced with the concept of non-violence. Many consider it the pathway to building the beloved community and to ultimately finding peace. 

For people who believed in the Beloved Community like Dr. King, Gandhi, Howard Thurman, Bayard Rustin, Desmond Tutu, Thomas Merton, Thich Nhat Hahn, or their contemporaries Bell Hooks, Elizabeth A. Johnson, Adam Russell Taylor, Joy James, and so many more, nonviolence is not a passive approach but an active and courageous force for change. Gandhi called it Satyagraha or Soul Force.  They believe that the only way to achieve redemption and reconciliation is through nonviolent means. Dr. King himself even asserted that “the aftermath of nonviolence is the creation of the beloved community.”   

It also means that the conflicts of our lives and world are resolved peacefully. The Beloved Community does not mean the absence of conflict (which some define as “peace”) but rather that disputes are resolved peacefully and nonviolently.

Too much of our world today is about retribution and punishment.  And along with that comes a growing amount of hate for our adversaries or enemies.

Unlike these violent movements and people, which only seek to defeat their opponents, the purpose of a non-violent approach is to win friendships and understanding.  It is about seeking to redeem people and reconcile with them, not to harm or destroy them for the betterment of our entire community.

For many years, I have placed prominently on the wall in my office, the Principles of Non-Violence as they relate to living a lifestyle that builds the beloved community. Let me read through them as a reminder for us again this morning.

1.      Nonviolence is a Way of Life for Courageous People – spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. 

2.      Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.

3.      Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, or evil, NOT people.

4.      Nonviolence holds that unearned, voluntary suffering for a just cause can educate and transform people and societies.

5.      Nonviolence chooses LOVE instead of HATE.

6.      Nonviolence believes that the Universe is on the Side of Justice.  

As a Quaker, I often get push back by people who think violence only involves bullets and bombs.  But folks, we live in a world where violence meets us at every level of our lives.  For example, Luis Gallardo of the World Happiness Foundation point out that, 

Violence manifests in at least “30 levels” or forms across personal, societal, and global dimensions.

There is the blatant violence of war, armed conflict, and terrorism that grabs headlines, but also the quieter yet pervasive violence of daily life – domestic abuse in homes, bullying in schools, crime in communities, and hate speech and discrimination that wound the spirit.

Beyond direct physical harm, there are psychological and emotional forms of violence – trauma, intimidation, coercion – which leave unseen scars.

We also face structural violence: entrenched systems of poverty, inequality, and oppression that deny people their basic needs and rights. When a child goes hungry in a world of plenty or a group is marginalized due to race, gender, or belief, that is a form of violence by society’s structure.

Even our relationship with nature has been marked by violence – the destruction of ecosystems and harm to other species can be seen as violence against our planet and future generations.

In short, violence exists not only as bombs and bullets, but as anything that inflicts harm, domination, or injustice. 

Ponder that for a moment. Where are you seeing violence in and around your life?  What can you and I do about it. 

When looking at the Beloved Community through the Eyes of Peace, I think there are several things we can do.  

1.      Speak up for peace whenever you have the opportunity.

Spark conversations off and online about the urgent need for understanding, non-violence, and even disarmament.

Use your voice and words to challenge hate and champion peace.

2.      Educate yourself about peace.

Knowledge is power, and by sharing what we learn with friends, family, and communities, we empower ourselves and others to contribute to a more peaceful future.

3.      Say no to violence in your life.

Change starts with us. Strive to resolve differences and conflicts at home, work and in your communities peacefully through dialogue and compassion. Treat others with respect, practice empathy and promote understanding.

4.      Practice Understanding and Solidarity

More unites us than divides us; people everywhere have similar dreams for peace and prosperity. We need to support people or organizations that promote dialogue, understanding and reconciliation.

5.      Report Bullying and Harassment

No one should be bullied or suffer any forms of harassment on the basis of gender, race, creed, nationality, sexual orientation, or many other parameters.

6.      Protest Inequality and Discrimination

Inequality and discrimination often breed resentment and mistrust, sowing the seeds of misunderstanding and conflict in every society. Above all, make respect for the rights of others part of how you live.

7.      Embrace Inclusion and Diversity

Examine how you think about different groups of people, and question assumptions and stereotypes. Consider joining a group, online or in a community, that brings people together across faiths, ethnicities, gender identities or other categories to better understand each other. Be more open to learning from others and changing how you think. 

8.      Support Peace Advocates

This is so easy among Quakers.  If they are a Quaker organization one of their key principles will be non-violence and peace.

9.      Follow Reliable News Sources

Confused about what to believe and whom to trust? You are not alone. The volume of incorrect information has exploded. Sharpen your skills to detect who may or may not be telling the truth. Are you getting facts from a reputable news organization? Or from texts or emails that arrive unsolicited? How much evidence backs up what they say? What’s missing and why? Are diverse perspectives apparent – or is everyone saying the same thing? Cultivate your skepticism and your intuition. If something feels off, investigate more.

10. Post with care on Social Media

Next time you want to like or share a social media post, pause for a moment. Will doing so cause any kind of harm to anyone? If you are feeling angry about an issue, wait 24 hours to see if you still want to post about it. While social media brings people together, it can also drive hate and division, influenced by algorithms that reward people for having the same extreme views.

This morning as we enter a time of waiting worship, I ask that we start by centering down into a peaceful silence.  Allow your hearts to rest from the violence that the world around you inflicts on your daily.  Then take some time to ponder the following queries:

·      Do I believe that the Divine’s plan is for us to live in peace?

·      Where am I seeing “violence” in and around my life, family, community, nation, world? 

·      When looking at the Beloved Community through the Eyes of Peace, what on that list of 10 things can I start working on, today? 

9-21-25 - Beloved Community Through the Eyes of Simplicity

Beloved Community Through the Eyes of Simplicity

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

September 21, 2025

Good morning. Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning, we continue our series on Beloved Community Through the Eyes of the S.P.I.C.E.S+ and focus on our first spice – Simplicity. The scripture I have chosen to support my message is from Matthew 6:31-34 from the New Revised Standard Version.

Therefore, do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’  For it is the gentiles who seek all these things, and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

A few years ago, I came across the following words from Quaker Author, Richard Foster,

Simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle. Both are necessary. 

The inward reality of simplicity is beautifully encapsulated in Matthew chapter 6, especially Jesus’s concluding words that we are to ​“seek first the kingdom of God” and the righteousness of this kingdom, and all that is needed for life will be added to us. This laser-beam focus on a ​“with-God life” in God’s kingdom is the inward reality of simplicity. As Jesus reminds us, when our eye is single, our whole body will be full of light. 

Many have come to understand the term “Kingdom of God” as synonymous with the Beloved Community. Even Dr. King and his contemporaries would make this connection. I like to reword our scripture for today - the Bob Henry translation reads,

“But look first for the Beloved Community around you and the right living that God has modeled for us through Jesus’ life, and then you and your neighbors will truly be blessed.”

But what are we looking for when we “look first for the Beloved Community”?

The core of the Beloved Community and the Kingdom of God is considered agape love, a redemptive goodwill toward ALL people (like I spoke about last week), this even includes our enemies, and it seeks to build and preserve community. 

Agape love is considered the highest form of love because it embodies selflessness, sacrifice, and unconditional care for others. 

But agape love must begin by embracing a simplicity within our own human spirit.  As Richard Forster emphasized in that quote I began with,

“Simplicity is an inward reality that results in an outward lifestyle.”

I would go as far as saying we each must go through some type of “inner transformation” to simplify our lives and move from our self-interests to a greater capacity for compassion and goodwill to our neighbors and community. 

When we begin to embrace a simpler approach to life our “human spirit” shifts away from ourselves, our needs, our worries, our obsessions, and frees us to see, to love, and to have compassion for those around us, as well as, for ourselves.

Often you and I get so wrapped up in our work or our passions, that we neglect those around us and miss our opportunities to share agape love with our neighbors. 

I remember one time; I was in a hurry and needing to pick up a couple items at the grocery store on my way to an event. As I was heading into the store, I saw a person in my community that was often very needy, and I knew I did not have the time to talk with them. 

Immediately, I went into ninja mode and slipped into the store, grabbed everything I needed making sure not to go down any aisle that would have me engaging this person. I ran through the self-check-out and headed out the door in relief that I did not run into the person. 

When I arrived at my car, I put my bags in the back seat and started the car.  But right as I was getting ready to leave, my phone rang. I answered it and got caught up in the conversation while sitting in the parking lot of the grocery store with my car running. 

That is when a knock at my window startled me. It was the person I tried to avoid in the store. They asked me to roll down my window.  I motioned that I was on a call, hoping they would realize and move on, but instead the person gestured that they would wait and continued to stand right outside my car window. 

Finally, I ended the call and put my window down. I now was late for my event, and my conversation with the person would take another 45 minutes. As we were talking, I realized that the conversation with this person was way more important than my event or even my desire to hurry. They shared with me that they had just lost a loved one in their family and that they were grieving. We shared tears in the parking lot, gave hugs, and as we parted, the person said,

“I am so glad I ran into you, today, it was just what I needed.”

As I drove off, I felt absolutely horrible – my needs and schedule almost got in the way of me being there for this person.  It could have been much simpler, but I tried hard to get in the way of what the Divine had planned. 

When we take a moment to reflect on our own needs, busyness, worries, and obsessions, we allow ourselves to inwardly transform and simplify our lives, and this offers us a greater capacity for compassion for those around us.

But it is not only our personal lives that get in the way.  Simplicity involves also acknowledging that sometimes our material possessions and our selfish greed can fuel division within community. By reducing our focus on acquiring possessions or “keeping up with the Jones (or maybe the Kardashians, today)” we can prioritize spending time building meaningful relationships, engaging in shared experiences, and strengthening the fabric of our Beloved Community.

Computer scientist, Avinash Saravanan spoke to this in an article titled, “Keeping Up with the Joneses: The Loss of American Individuality,” saying,

After one’s death, you will not be remembered for your personal possessions, but rather the impact you have left behind to allow for your legacy to last well after your death. For example, I do not know what Mahatma Gandhi or Abraham Lincoln owned. Nor do I or the rest of the modern world particularly care since it was their actions and the result of those actions that defined how they would be remembered. The materialistic nature of Keeping Up with the Joneses represents a deep misunderstanding of what our priorities should be, and when expanded to the national scale, this is of huge concern.

He goes on to make another point about social media that I want to include in these thoughts on simplicity. He says,

Social media seems to be acting as an extension of the issues. Instead of just comparing yourself to your inner circle, you are now comparing yourself with strangers on the internet who may or may not be similar to you. One thing people seem to ignore is that a profile or what one shows online is completely up to them and, as a result, you are comparing yourself to a fake version of that stranger. If you spend more of your time on social media, the chain of comparisons only increases.

Our possessions and our engagement with social media both can isolate us from participating fully in the Beloved Community.  They can complicate our lives, remove us from reality, immobilize us from taking action, or simply keep us from having compassion for those around us. 

Simplifying one’s life today may mean taking a moment to stop scrolling the Amazon deals and refusing to order that latest gadget, or maybe it means turning off the 24 hours news channel that is constantly on in your home or the feed on your phone, or incessantly scrolling through your social media feeds when something bad happens in the world and looking for an opportunity to tell that person your disagree with, just how you feel.

I guarantee, none of these things will help us seek the Kingdom of God in the present or build the Beloved Community in our midst. 

As well, most of the time more possessions clutter and complicate our lives.  Recently, due to having people come into town for my 30 years in ministry celebration, Sue and I did a deep clean of our home.  We took a day or two for each room in our home and decluttered, deep cleaned, and opened up space.

 I would by no means consider us hoarders, but I realized that we may be “stuffers” – meaning “out of sight out of mind.” But I have realized all that really does is delay the cleaning and decluttering.

Personally, I have found a clean workspace, a decluttered space, a more open space, allows me to relax and become more comfortable, and even be more willing to invite others into those spaces. 

The same is true for my life, when I take time to clean out my mind of the clutter, the mean and judgmental thoughts, the constant news stream, the noise of the word, my “monkey mind” (as I call it,) quiets down and I am able to engage deeper conversations with my neighbors, I begin to have creative thoughts and ideas again, I find nature engaging again, and I can once again see the good in the world around me.  

This may only take an afternoon or 10 minutes at the start of your day. It may be improved through meditation or prayer or simply sitting in silence.  I know when my world is spinning out of control and I am losing my connection with the Beloved Community around me, I get in the car and drive, sometime listening to my favorite music and other times, to help reset me, I turn off the radio and focus on what I see outside the windows.  

It is then that I notice my neighborhood again.

I notice the people in my neighborhood again.

I see the improvements and the places that are being neglected, and I want to make a difference.  

This helps me recognize and be more aware of the Beloved Community around me with all its beauty and its places that need work. 

This awareness then leads me to want to address the systems of injustice in my community.  Simplicity can help us deconstruct exploitative economic systems that create disparities and thus support the vision of a beloved community with more humane policies. 

Several years ago, I had lunch with a Black man who lived close to the Meetinghouse and he shared with me how in his neighborhood off of 54th street he was seeing his people slowly removed from the community so houses could be flipped, and neighborhoods could be transformed.  He encouraged me to drive through his neighborhood every so often to see the changes for myself.  

As I listened to his story, he shared how a dominant group outside the community unfairly extracted wealth, labor, and resources from his community for its own benefit, creating unequal power dynamics and economic imbalances.  Families, communities, churches were torn apart to make way for what was considered beautification and a better city – one person described it as “Making Indianapolis Great Again.”  

Maybe if our eyes were open and we were listening to the pain that our community was enduring and experiencing, we would realize why gun violence and crime has increased in Indianapolis.  When we strip people of their livelihood and community connections and close their places of worship for our own benefit – we destroy economic, cultural, and familial systems that supported health and safety – leaving people as victims to survive however they are able. That is not building the Beloved Community or the Kingdom of God.  It is selfish and greatly lacks compassion.

And for those of us who live in the suburbs the same is true for Home Owners Associations and gated communities who isolate and create “us versus them” or “we are better than you” mentalities. This will only continue to keep us from engaging each other on a more equal level.   

So, to wrap up these thoughts up, let me give us a couple ways to see Beloved Community through the eyes of Simplicity.

The first is through shared values:

This means focusing on people and relationships over material wealth, possessions, or power. The goal of simplicity is to create a life focused on what is important, and the Beloved Community is defined by an "all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood." When we shift our focus from what we have, to who we have – the doors begin to open and the table become set for beloved community to flourish.

Second, simplicity is a tool for community building:

Adopting simplicity into our daily lives can create the space for building a Beloved Community by reducing competition for material goods, fostering appreciation for shared resources, and creating more time and energy for meaningful relationships and social justice work.  When we aren’t trying to “keep up with the Jones”, we open up space in our lives and free ourselves to see, care for, and have compassion for the world around us. 

And thirdly, we can work to build a more equitable world:

Obviously, this overlaps with a couple of our upcoming Quaker S.P.I.C.E.S. – Equality and Stewardship, but simplicity advocates for using resources wisely and avoiding waste. This mindset directly aligns with the Beloved Community's vision where poverty, hunger, and homelessness are not tolerated, and resources are distributed more equitably. 

In the book of Acts, chapter 2, we get a glimpse of what this Beloved Community or the Kingdom of God looked like, it says,

All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. 

As you and I look first for the Beloved Community around us and the right living that God has modeled for us through Jesus’ life and ministry, may we sense our participation in this Beloved Community as a blessing to both our neighbors and us, because All are being seen, heard, and cared for.

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

1.      In what ways do I struggle with simplicity?

2.      What in my life, might I need to change to be more impactful in the Beloved Community?

3.       Where are “us versus them” or “we are better than you” mentalities prevalent in my life and community? And how might I begin to change them?

9-14-25 - The Crack that Let in the Light

The Crack that Let in the Light

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

September 14, 2025

Good morning Friends and welcome to Light Reflections. This morning at the Meetinghouse we are actually celebrating my 30 years of ministry. So today, keeping with the current series, I will be sharing a little of the process I personally have taken over the last 30 years to embrace the Beloved Community in my ministry.  The scripture I have chosen in from Galatians 3:28 from the Message.

In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal.    

A little over 30 years ago, if someone sat me down over lunch at Concordia University in Chicago, the school I was preparing to graduate from at the time and said, Bob, in 30 years

·      you will be a Quaker Minister living in Indianapolis, Indiana,

·      you will have a Doctorate in Leadership and Spiritual Formation,

·      you will have lived in 5 states (Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Florida, and Oregon),

·      you will have served 15 churches or meetings, ministries, religious organizations, and a university.

·      you will have three amazing grown children – the last of which will hopefully graduate from Indiana University this Spring,

·      you will have been married for 30 years to Sue your best friend, partner in life, and grand adventurer,

·      you will have lived through Y2K, a pandemic, and two denominational/Yearly Meeting splits,

·      you will become an Anglican Priest for a period,

·      your parents will be doing well and living just across town from you (and your uncle will finally get married),

·      your political views, theological views, even your views about life and sexuality will radically change,

·      you will still love Star Wars, the Muppets, and going to Disney World just as much as when you were a kid,

·      you will return to vinyl records as your choice for listening to music,

·      a piece of your art will appear on the cover of a magazine,

·      on your days off you will enjoy frequenting thrift stores, reading, gardening, and painting,

·      even though everyone you know seems to have a tattoo, you will not have one.

·      And what will sustain you in all of this is your work on building a Beloved Community of friends and loved ones that span those 30 years.”

If that is what I was told back then, I would have simply laughed and shook my head in disagreement.  Come on…vinyl records, really?

My first paid ministry position was a part-time gig at Trinity Lutheran Church in Roselle, Illinois while I was in college. At the time, they were what would be considered a mega-church – 5000+ members.  I was hired to oversee the Jr. High Sunday Program called “Overtime” which appropriately met in the gymnasium.  I organized programming for 150 seventh and eighth graders and about 50 high schoolers that were to be my small group leaders. Our guest speakers included Chicago Bears players and Christian Rock Artists.  We had a live band, and about 25 small groups that filled the gymnasium.

My 20hour work week was filled with logistics, organizing, and setup. Looking back that group of youth were bigger than many of the churches or meetings I would go on to serve in my 30 years of ministry. 

Steve Armbrust, the Director of Christian Education at the church was not just my supervisor, but he was also my friend. I loved spending time with Steve. We not only shared an office, but we shared our lives. Steve trusted me, believed in me, and knew just how to create spaces for me to excel. Just what I needed at this forming stage of life.

As well, Steve taught me that ministry was not just about “the show” but more about relationships and the community in which we served. Steve always made sure my 20 hours included time to go with him to visit people and network with the locals. We did everything from putting on a celebration for a woman who turned 100 years old in the community, to visiting with the owners of a local printing shop, a thrift store, and multiple eateries, as well as the families and youth. Trinity had a school which made it easier to interact with the kids and parents, and after classes let out, we went and visited with the teachers to check in on them. Ironically, Sue and I would both do our student teaching at Trinity. This visiting was not on our job descriptions but was very much part of Steve’s philosophy of ministry.

Steve always would emphasize to me that ministry involved EVERYONE, not just those, who on paper, we were to serve. We needed all generations – young and old, businesspeople, shop owners, retired folks, women and men, fellow colleagues and partners. EVERYONE!   

Well, over the next several years, this focus to involve everyone in ministry began to work on me.  Steve created a “crack in my life” that I believe let the Light in.  I would wrestle with this in new ways as I continued my journey in ministry. 

Sue and I had already been struggling for some time with the non-acceptance of women in leadership in the church, but soon there would be others that clearly were not involved.

Let me tell you a few stories – some you may have heard and some that I have not shared until today – like this story.   

During my internship in Oviedo, Florida back in 1995, a man no one had ever seen before joined us for worship. He proceeded to walk up the middle aisle and sit in the second row, right in front of the pulpit. Now, this was a Lutheran church, and most people filled the back of the sanctuary way before the front (much like First Friends). Most Sundays, the first 3-8 rows were usually empty leaving a huge gulf between the congregation and those serving up front. Not this week, this man had “broke the unspoken rules” and everyone was whispering about his boldness. That would only be the beginning of their whispers and stares. 

During the sermon, as our pastor was preaching, the man began to raise his hands and exclaim, “Amen!” Many sitting around Sue and me were in shock. This was not a typical response in a Lutheran church. You could even see the pastor was a bit rattled. The man continued to be excited about every word our pastor preached (and to be honest his sermons rarely garnered any response, especially this type). Whispers turned into frustrated looks and even an usher walked down the middle aisle hoping to give the guy the idea that he was out of place. The man did not care. He continued responding out loud through the entire message. 

After the service, most people avoided the man, but somehow, he cornered our pastor who always greeted people in the back after the service. As he was leaving, I heard the pastor say to him, “You stop by the office sometime this week and we can talk.”  At that moment, I was proud of our pastor stepping up and inviting him to meet, since he had become the center of all the conversations in the narthex, at the table for donuts and coffee, and, yes, even the proverbial parking lot. 

On Monday, I arrived to work as usual, saw that the pastor was in his office and I sat down to begin my day.  Soon I heard an unrecognizable voice in the waiting area talking to one of our secretaries. It was the man from Sunday, and he had come to talk with the pastor. The secretary said she would let the pastor know he was here to see him.  That is when things changed dramatically.

I watched as the pastor slipped out his office door through the conference room and out the back of the building. My office window had a good view of him taking off in his golf cart.  Where is he going, I thought. Just then the secretary said, “I’m sorry, but the pastor is not here.” What? Did something just come up? Was there an emergency at home? I was perplexed. I heard the man leave discouraged. I went out and asked the secretary what had transpired. She wasn’t sure, but all she knew was the pastor was clear that he did not want to meet with this man.

As an intern, I probably didn’t ask enough questions, but when our pastor returned in about 30 minutes, I became even more confused. He frantically entered and asked for cleaning supplies. Then proceeded to wipe down the entire lobby and waiting area, especially the places that the man may have touched or sat. I had never seen anyone so determined to clean a waiting room.

Later in a conversation with one of our secretaries, I found out that the man had told the pastor he had AIDS. The pastor’s phobia was so great that he feared he could get AIDS by touching any place the man had touched. By this time science had proven this untrue. No matter, it freaked our pastor out so much that he jumped on his golf cart and went home to avoid any interaction. 

Was this a ministry to everyone? All I could recall was Jesus interacting with the lepers.

The crack that let the light in continued to open in my life.

A year later, I was in Atlanta, Georgia as a representative from our district for our National Youth Gathering.  Now, I was helping plan and organize an event for 40,000 youth. Part of our planning offered me a chance to see some sights in Atlanta.  The first day I visited the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. That, in itself, was inspiring, but the following day I arrived back at the bus terminal and decided to go to the King Center.  Please understand, at this time, I knew nothing about the plight of Black people in our country (much like most of the people in my denomination at the time), and all I knew about Dr. King was that he was assassinated.  As I entered the bus, I noticed the bus was empty (go figure).  The bus driver asked me if I was going to the King Center as if I may have jumped on the wrong bus.  I said yes, he closed the doors and said, “Pick any seat.”  On the way across Atlanta the bus driver (a black man from the city) told me about the community he loved and how it had changed over the years. 

Upon arrival, I thanked the man for the ride and approached the main building at the King Center.  I had no idea how my life would change as I entered through those doors. I was greeted by a very nice lady who welcomed me. I gave her my ticket and asked her where I should begin. She escorted me to a door and said, “start here”.  Looking at the size of the museum, I assumed it would take me about 15-20 minutes max and I was concerned about what I would do with the rest of my 2-3 hours.

Well, almost three hours later, I left the museum utterly broken and in tears. What had I just experienced?  What had we done to Black people in America?  What had the church done?  In that museum, (as I mentioned last week) I was introduced to a new terminology – The Beloved Community.  How in the world, with all that Black people have been put through in our country, from Slavery and racial violence to neglect and even the lack of acknowledgement as human beings, are we working to include everyone?  No wonder my sheltered life and churches were filled by people as white as me. I don’t think they knew the whole story.  Was this a Beloved Community?

On the very walls of the King Center I read,

Beloved Community is an achievable global society where injustice and discrimination cease, and love, justice, and peace prevail for all people

All people – EVERYONE!  Again, the crack let in the Light.

A few years later when I was working at Huntington University, I often met with the Dean of our University, Norrie Friesen.  Norrie is a Mennonite and has a heart for ALL people – everyone!  One day over lunch at Subway, he encouraged me to read the book, “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” by Dee Brown.  I made the mistake of taking the book with me on a family get away to Wisconsin.  I read the book in one setting and became very angry about how the so-called Christians treated Native peoples.  Was this ALL people – everyone? One of my good Friends in this meeting is a Native American. The Crack let in the Light once again.  

A year later, we entered a year of studying diversity at Huntington University.  At times it was an uphill struggle.  I remember a very serious conversation that was interrupted when an older woman on our staff exclaimed, “But Jesus was white.”  Most of that year we spent our time looking at diversity from only a black and white perspective. 

That is until Sue and I helped lead an Urban Plunge to Chicago where we spent time in Boystown – one of the Midwest’s largest LGBTQIA+ communities.  We were working with a local ministry to the community, who challenged us with an immersion experience.  We were paired up and sent out to spend time in the community.  We were to find a local eatery, bar, nightclub, and spend a couple of hours in that one place, talk to the people, the workers, and get a feel for the community. 

That night, since all the students were paired up, Sue and I had the chance to experience this together and talk about what we were experiencing and feeling.  As the students were joining conga lines at Drag Queen parties, or participating in gay karaoke, Sue and I found a quiet restaurant. We ordered some food and wondered what the night would bring.  A nervous man entered the restaurant and was seated right next to us. Then another person joined him. Their conversation was about his desire to transition.  Through tears, he talked about the fear and pain he endured, and how all he wanted was to be accepted as who he felt he was inside. Our hearts were broken for this man and again the crack grew bigger to let in the light.

I returned to Huntington with questions about looking at diversity from a broader perspective and worked to have better conversations about the LGBTQIA+ community.   Because again, I believed all people meant EVERYONE. 

Around this same time, I had begun working on my doctorate in Oregon.  We were assigned both a spiritual director and psychological counselor for our program.  In one of my meetings with the counselor I asked about the church and the LGBTQIA+ community.  And he said something I was not expecting.  He said, “Bob, have you ever heard of the Beloved Community?”  Surprised, “I said, well yes!”  He then said,

“I believe the Beloved Community is what the church is longing to become. When ALL PEOPLE are included and part of the conversation we get to see a greater expression of the Divine in our midst.” 

He went on saying,

“The church needs LGBTQIA+ folks, we need people of all cultures and races, we need people of all economic situations, we need diversity to see a better picture of God.  That’s what I believe is the Beloved Community.” 

Most people don’t know that my doctoral dissertation was on how in ministry we prepare for conflict. If you haven’t realized this already, most conflict happens among people. Often people in community.  Sometimes by people who do not want to be in community with other people.  Sometimes among people who call themselves a church or even a meeting.

I did not know when writing my dissertation that I would be entering an era in ministry that would be defined by conflict. I watched and took action as my yearly meeting (along with many others across the country) divided over same-sex marriage and biblical authority. I literally watched friends who had “come-out” to Sue and me because we were safe people, be tortured by people who called themselves “Christians” – some in my own Meeting.  And then in the coming months I watched my country become deeply polarized over politics, race, gender roles, wealth, and who had the “right” answers. Some people Sue and I loved and cared about (even family) literally stopped talking to us or communicating because of our views, choices, or beliefs. People even wanted us out of the church for wanting to love ALL people.  

Sometimes this makes it really difficult to accept ALL people – everyone, doesn’t it?   

As we see in the news daily, conflict can easily evolve into anger, resentment, and sadly violence. People get torn apart and families divided – sometimes in just trying to be who they are.  

It is often in these times that I return to scripture for some hope. I find myself returning often to 1 Corinthians 12:13-24, but I need to hear it through Eugene Peterson’s The Message translation to understand how the Beloved Community is seen within the pages of scripture.  Just listen to these words:

The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.

I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, transparent and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

For 30 years now, I have been learning to imagine and work to build a Beloved Community, the Body of Christ in the present moment, in each of the places I have served.

I believe among Quakers, because of our testimonies of Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship, I have seen the Beloved Community, the body of Christ in the Present moment, come to fruition in very powerful and effective ways. But folks, there is still work to do. 

Women’s voices need to be heard more than ever, today.  We must continue to acknowledge and work to change our ugly history with people – those with Aids, First Nations People, People of Color, LGBTQIA+ people, the elderly and the young…or for that matter, ANY person that is discriminated against or treated unjustly.

I plan to join you, as we did last Sunday night with Stuart in Greenwood to make our voices heard for our immigrant families, neighbors, and friends, to continue taking action for the Beloved Community wherever people are not being included, accepted, and finding a safe place to be fully a part of the body!  

This is what I have realized is key to our growth and survival as both a religious body and citizens of this country – and to me, those things are no different.

To close my thoughts, I have mentioned before the group of guys (a truly Beloved Community) that I met with every other week for almost two years at Huntington University who wrestled with me on some of these very topics.  Early on we were studying the book, “Turning to One Another” by Margaret Wheatley.  And we came across these words:

“It is no longer enough to simply say that relationships are important. A good part of effective work is knowing exactly who is in each box on such a chart. As former American Red Cross President Elizabeth Dole put it, “When the river is rising and it’s 2:00 a.m., that’s not the time to start a relationship.”  The relationship has to be there first. “If you don’t have the web or fabric of good, trusting relationships, you can’t suddenly pick up the phone and say, ‘I need you.’ Relationships are not only primary but are the only way we can operate now.”

And I would say this is just as true for building the Beloved Community.  If we are not building a community of trusting relationships for ALL PEOPLE, we are not going to be prepared for when the phone rings and someone says, “I need you.”  I sense there are many out there crying out, “I need you” right now, and it is still falling on deaf ears.  Let this be a crack in your life that lets the Light in this day.  Will you commit to building this web, this fabric of good, this Beloved Community so we can continue to answer those calls?  

Now, as we enter waiting worship.  Let us take a moment to center down and then ponder the following queries:

·      Who do I struggle including in ALL people – everyone?  Or what part of the “body” am I rejecting?

·      What relationships do I need to work on to be ready to answer the call that says, “I need you?”

09-07-25 - Beloved Community: Through the Eyes of the Spices+

Beloved Community: Through the Eyes of the Spices+

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

September 7, 2025

Good morning Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning at the meetinghouse it is Kick-Off Sunday. That means we are starting our fall programming, and I am starting this new sermon series on “Beloved Community: Through the Eyes of the Spices+.”  The scripture I have chosen for this first message is from Romans 12:14-18 from the New Revised Standard Version.  

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 arrogant, 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. 

As I began working on this series on Beloved Community Through the Eyes of the S.P.I.C.E.S.+ a couple of months ago, I realized not everyone may know what we are talking about when we say the Beloved Community. 

I personally wasn’t introduced to the Beloved Community until my late 20’s and as I have studied it, I have come to learn, I knew very little about it back then. It has taken 30 more years of study, conversation, and experience to come to my current understand and its implications for those of us on the Quaker Way.

Many associate the term, “Beloved Community” with the Civil Rights Movement, and often people attribute it to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., yet the concept was first coined by philosopher Josiah Royce in the early 20th century.

Josiah Royce, was a Harvard Professor who spoke of the Beloved Community in his 1913 book, “The Problem of Christianity.”  Here is a bit of what he said in that book,

What is practically necessary is this: Let your (religion) be the practical acknowledgement of the Spirit of the Universal and Beloved Community... Since the office of religion is to aim towards the creation on earth of the Beloved Community, the future task of religion is the task of inventing and applying the arts which shall win men over to unity, and which shall overcome their original hatefulness by the gracious love, not of mere individuals, but of communities. Now such arts are still to be discovered. Judge every social device, every proposed reform, every national and local enterprise, by the one test: 

Does this help towards the coming of the universal community? If you have a church, judge your own church by this standard; and if your church does not yet fully meet this standard, aid towards reforming your church accordingly.

Josiah Royce described the Beloved Community as a union based on mutual love, unlike a natural social group characterized by rules, conflict, and rebellion.  

This makes Royce's Beloved Community an ideal universal community unified by shared love and loyalty, rather than external structures. (hmmm…..that sounds a bit Quaker-like). Royce viewed this community as the core of Christianity and even went as far as to call it the source of salvation. That may be a bit confusing, but too often, we in the church in America, only see salvation as Jesus dying on a cross so we can get to heaven, but that is not all salvation has meant throughout the Bible or even early Christianity. It is not always a future hope, but often a present reality.

Jesus himself, in Matthew 10:42 equates salvation to being kind and giving someone a cold cup of water. He says,   

“and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple – truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”

In Greek the word used is soteria – which is the same word used for salvation in many other places in the Bible. Salvation in the Bible can mean a lot of things, it can be deliverance or even preservation. So, within the Beloved Community, care for those in our midst is essential or key to preserve each other through love and compassion.   

This isn’t that far off from Jesus who summarizes the commandments of God by saying,

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

So, when the philosophy student, Martin Luther King Jr., comes across Josiah Joyce’s concept of Beloved Community he is drawn to that same challenge for the churches and communities of his day.

In “Facing the Challenge of a New Age” from 1956, Dr. King wrote this,

“But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of a beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this kind of understanding good will, that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles.” 

That is a beautiful vision and full of hope for us still today.

On our family’s last trip a few years ago to the King Center in Atlanta, GA (a place I would highly recommend you spend some time), we were given a tour by one of my former students at Huntington University, whose fiancé at that time was working at the King Center. He led our family through The Freedom Hall Museum and then out into the courtyard where Martin and Coretta Scott King are entombed.  Down at the end of the water feature where you get a good view of their tombs on display, you also can see a wall leading over to an eternal flame with words about the Beloved Community written on it.

Many do not know that Coretta Scott King became a champion for creating Beloved Community. Some scholars even think her work on the Beloved Community expanded her husband’s work greatly, giving it more definition and substance after his passing.  Like her husband before her, Corretta became a student and champion of Josiah Joyce’s philosophy – but found a new way to interpret it for her day. 

Corretta pointed out that for Royce, the Beloved Community was defined by five key characteristics:

·      peaceful conflict resolution,

·      recognition of the interdependence of humanity,

·      compassion as an animating force,

·      cooperative action against injustice,

·      and the use of just means to achieve just ends.

Corretta also explored Royce’s five signal attributes central to the Beloved Community. All five hold profound relevance for us today and I think you will see how well they are going to be seen through the eyes of our Quaker S.P.I.C.E.S.:

1) Achievability through Shared Desire: The Beloved Community is built on the universal human aspiration for peace, happiness, and safety. It is a realistic vision, attainable through collective effort and moral courage.

2) Nonviolent Conflict Resolution: Conflicts are inevitable, but the Beloved Community addresses them without hostility, ill will, or resentment. This approach transforms adversaries into collaborators.

3) Recognition of Interdependence: The Beloved Community values the inherent worth of all living beings and ecosystems, fostering a sense of global responsibility.

4) Compassion-Driven Policies: In this society, kindness and love motivate actions, guiding efforts to end systemic issues like hunger, prejudice, and environmental degradation.

5) Just Means for Just Ends: The process of creating change must mirror the desired outcome, ensuring that compassion and goodwill underpin every action.

Coretta summarized and reinterpreted much of what Joyce and her husband taught about the Beloved Community and wanted those words not only remembered but lived out.

She did not want it to be just a flat utopian ideal (which many had thought Joyce’s ideas had become), but rather a practical and achievable vision for addressing the interconnected crises of our communities and ultimately our world as Dr. King envisioned.  

So, as you leave the graves of Correta and Martin at the King Center, you cannot miss the wall with Coretta’s summary of the Beloved Community. It reads,

The Beloved Community is a realistic vision of an achievable society, one in which problems and conflict exist, but are resolved peacefully and without bitterness.  In the Beloved Community, caring and compassion drive political policies that support the worldwide elimination of poverty and hunger and all forms of bigotry and violence.  The Beloved Community is a state of heart and mind a spirit of hope and goodwill that transcends all boundaries and barriers and embraces all creation.  At its core, the Beloved Community is an engine of reconciliation.  This way of living seems a long way from the kind of word we have now, but I do believe it is a goal that can be accomplished through courage and determination, and through education and training, if enough people are willing to make the necessary commitment.

I remember my family stopping to read that word-for-word and I snapped a photo to remember it and to try to live it out.  Those words made a deep impression on my soul. So much, that as I began my doctoral work I was moved to study not only the philosophies that shaped Dr. King, but also the realistic implications they presented.

What surprised me in my study was the intersection that arose between the Beloved Community and the Quaker Way. 

People like Howard Thurman and Bayard Rustin who were both shaped heavily by the Quaker Way had the ear of Dr. King and together they articulated complementary ideas of the Beloved Community that gave wings to a practical approach – not just a philosophy.

What came to the surface were some topics that we as Quakers have come to appreciate and promote. Concepts like

·      Finding simple and common approaches to conflicts and tapping into spiritual essentials,   

·      Seeking Peace, non-violence, and even pacifism instead of violence,

·      Upholding integrity through moral principles and acting with moral authority,

·      Emphasizing a community of love over violence and division,

·      Embracing equality and the inherent worth of every individual, and

·      Responsible management of shared resources and collective responsibility.

Otherwise known as our Testimonies or S.P.I.C.E.S. (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, and Stewardship.)

In the weeks leading to the Holiday season at First Friends, we will be exploring the Beloved Community: Through the Eyes of the S.P.I.C.E.S.  As well, I am adding a couple additional SPICES: Justice and Truth, Empowerment, and Gratitude, which I believe are essential for building the Beloved Community, today.  I look forward this to series and our interactions over the next several months.

For now, let us center down and enter a time of waiting worship. Here are some queries for us to ponder.

·      Where do I see the Beloved Community in my midst? What can I offer?

·      What is the hardest part for me in building the Beloved Community? What or who may help me with this?

·      How may we together build a safer, more peaceful, and nurturing Beloved Community at First Friends?

8-31-25 - The Art and Incarnation of Protest

The Art and Incarnation of Protest

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

August 31, 2025

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections.  This morning I am concluding my series on Creativity.  The scripture I have chosen for this message is from John 1:14, from The Message,  

The Word became flesh and blood,
    and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
    the one-of-a-kind glory,
    like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
    true from start to finish.

I had a professor once who opened his class by saying, “This afternoon we are talking about incarnation.” He then said, “Most of you have theologies, dogmas, beliefs, about incarnation in light of Jesus, but I want to look at it in light of us.”  He then gave some definitions of incarnation that helped us see what he was talking about from a slightly different perspective than we were all prepared for.  He began by defining incarnation this way:

Incarnation is about that which is divine becoming real in what is natural, banal, human, or secular. 

Then he continued with another query for us to ponder: What is the Divine? He went on to say this:

I think the divine is the virtues that bind us together as one in loving, peaceful, just, sustainable, and harmonious community where all are respected and cared for as equals. 

It is seeing reality not from the position of self (me vs. you) or tribe (us vs. them) or specie (humanity vs. the rest of creation), but as one (we or all of us as family — including all species and creation). 

The divine therefore is not a being external to us, but both within and between us. There are ancient words in Greek and other languages that convey this within/between nature of incarnation for which we have no English equivalent. 

By this understanding the divine is incarnated whenever we individually and collectively live by virtues like compassion, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, peace and nonviolence, caring and responsible stewardship, egalitarian justice for all, generosity, beneficence, magnanimity, etc. 

When these virtues live in us, it changes both our perspective and behavior. When we see and treat all reality as one, where we work for the good of all things (rather than from a position of competing interests and self-centeredness), then the divine has been incarnated… 

To me this sounded very Quaker, I was attending a Quaker Seminary at the time, so that made sense. But for us Quakers, we explain “incarnational living” as a way of life that finds the divine Spirit, or the "Light," made manifest and visible through the actions and existence of ordinary people in their daily lives.  What I find interesting is that it is not a theological concept separated from daily experience but a lived reality that erases the dividing line between the sacred and the secular. 

Jesus was one (and probably one of the best) examples of this incarnational life. But when we study it in more depth, I believe Jesus embraced an incarnational life to be first and foremost an example for you and me (not to be debated for centuries in theological huddles). 

We are the ones whom he says his Spirit resides within. 

We are the ones that he says will do even greater things than he did. 

We are the ones that must understand this incarnational life to fully understand our place in our world. 

So, what does this all have to do with our creativity and art?

At our recent Western Yearly Meeting Annual Sessions at Quaker Haven, I was asked to help facilitate a workshop with a representative from Friends Committee on National Legislation on “Advocacy and Art.”  FCNL had been focusing for several years on what Advocacy and the Arts looked like, but in our workshop, we were lightening up the conversation by both talking about creative advocacy and utilizing our talents and artful skills to make our point. 

I was asked to bring several of the signs that I have made to hold up at rallies or protests at the State House as examples.  As well, everyone who came to this workshop was offered a plethora of art supplies, blank signs, and discussion starts to artistically make their own signs for their meetings, homes, neighborhoods, and local rallies and protests. 

As the FCNL representative shared about the condition of things going on in Washington, our country currently, and what all was happening globally, we transitioned to talking about where she saw hope.  She was quick to point out the hope was sitting in that very room, and she said each of us brings a unique voice, our own creative spirit, and ultimately hope to our situations.  And we need to be advocating for that hope and sharing it in creative ways. 

After talking we spent the rest of the workshop letting our creativity flow and sharing where we saw those signs or other creative expressions bringing awareness and really making a difference in our communities. 

Now, what brought all these thoughts on incarnation and sharing in creative ways together was a blogpost I ran across in 2023 as I was preparing for the Christmas season. I dropped it in a file on my computer only to come across it again this week. 

The blogpost was by Ryan Bonfiglio and it dealt with a very sensitive topic for our world still today – Palestine and the Israeli West Bank.

I want to read Ryan’s words as I believe they get to the intersection of both our incarnation and our artful, creative expressions of hope. He says this,

Within a mile of the traditional site of Jesus’ birth stands a massive 30-foot-tall concrete wall that was built to separate Israel from the Palestinian controlled West Bank. Whether understood as a necessary security measure or an instrument of racial segregation, the Israeli West Bank barrier stands as an unsettling symbol of the discord, violence, and sectarianism that is tearing apart this region today.

But there is more to this wall than hate.

On the Bethlehem side, the wall’s concrete slabs double as a canvas for protest art. From end to end, the wall is graffitied with images and words that are equal parts provocative and prophetic. Some images hold a mirror up to the reality of everyday life, bearing witness to the trauma and grief that accompanies a walled-in-city. Other images dare to visualize a world transformed and healed. Still others seem to function as an invocation to prayer.

He goes on to say,

My favorite image is that of a woman in the orange silhouette. From her outstretched arms flutter doves, traditional symbols of peace. Behind her one can discern not only the outline of the town but what appears to be an eye that surveils the activities of the woman – and seemingly all who pause to gaze upon her. Who is this woman? Does she represent lady wisdom, who in Proverbs 8 speaks words of peace and righteousness at the crossroads of the town? Or are we to imagine her as the embodied Spirit of God that descends upon the disciples in Acts 2? Or do we see in her the outlines of teenage Mary, who yearns for a more peaceful world for her newborn son?

In the midst of interminable conflict, the wall in Bethlehem has become a public art installation. The creation of professional artists and lay people alike, this protest art is varied in substance and style. Image is layered upon image on what has come to be a living, evolving canvas that bespeaks what is otherwise unimaginable in that place: hope.

What if we began thinking of the Incarnation as a form of divine protest art? The Word made flesh, much like the art on the Israeli West Bank barrier, was intended to form social consciousness and bear witness to where healing is needed. Protest art is not meant only to be admired for its aesthetics. It is meant to mobilize responses of peace building and conflict transformation.

So, it is with the Incarnation. That the Word became flesh is not just an interesting fact of history to ponder or sing about during Advent. It’s a call to action. This is evident in the way in which reports of Jesus’ birth immediately cause magi and shepherds to drop what they are doing and flock to Bethlehem to see with their own eyes the installation of God in flesh.

Further, protest art is, at its core, democratized art. Rather than being the work of a single famous artist, the images on the wall in Bethlehem are the work of the people – quite literally, a “liturgy.” Protest art is dynamic and responsive to evolving realities. It has the capacity to inspire hope even when (or especially when) such hope is beyond imagination. Perhaps this is exactly how we are to understand the song of the heavenly host who responds to the image of the Incarnation with the words, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom God favors”.

That Jesus was born in a place like Bethlehem is not insignificant. For all we know, God could have had Jesus born in a far more significant or “holy” city, such as Rome, Jerusalem, Nineveh, or Alexandria. Each of these places would have been perfect…if the point of the incarnation was to tether the Gospel to political influence, power, wealth, or cultural cachet.

But that’s not our story.

God risked proximity with humanity in a place that was deeply broken. As it turns out, the Bethlehem of the 1st c. CE was not all that different from the Bethlehem of today. It, too, was a place in which poverty, political strife, sectarianism, and violence abounded. The Word became flesh in this sort of place as an expression of protest against the ugly realities that tear apart our world, then and now.

Much like the image of the woman described above, the Incarnation is not only meant to grab our attention; it’s meant to unsettle us, to compel us to puncture the pretense that everything is as it should be, to bear witness to the possibility of hope and healing. This has always been the function of protest art, whether human or divine.

Folks, what if you and I began thinking of our incarnation as a form of divine protest art? 

As my professor said, “…the divine is incarnated whenever we individually and collectively live by virtues like compassion, kindness, forgiveness, mercy, peace and nonviolence, caring and responsible stewardship, egalitarian justice for all, generosity, beneficence, magnanimity, etc.”

In our world today, just trying to live those virtues means embracing a protest mindset. Our lives must become a real-time, visual representative, and expression of these virtues.  Whether that means we hold a sign we made, sing a song, write a speech, bake some bread, crunch some numbers or raise some money, paint a mural, or as I like to do paint a painting.

The painting I brought with me today is one that speaks to everything I have talked about in this sermon.  The title of the piece is Incarnation: The Word Became Flesh.  I was asked by my last meeting’s fellowship committee to create a painting that would be a focal point for our Christmas season.  I am sure this was not what they were probably thinking. 

At the time, our Yearly Meeting in the Northwest was in the midst of a battle over same-sex marriage and I and our Meeting was trying hard to stay in the conversation and not get removed. We had several people in our Meeting who identified as LGBTQIA+ and I wanted them to know they were seen and heard through this piece of art. 

It was my way of protesting through art but also having those see who needed some hope.  I never explained the deeper meaning of this painting out loud to my Meeting, but in private conversations I shared the deeper meaning of love for all and hope for the world.  And today it helps me remember those words I shared earlier from my professor,

When these virtues live in us, it changes both our perspective and behavior. When we see and treat all reality as one, where we work for the good of all things (rather than from a position of competing interests and self-centeredness), then the divine has been incarnated… 

Now, as we enter a time of waiting worship, will you ponder with me the following queries:

·      Where do I recognize the Divine becoming real in the natural, banal, human, and secular?

·      Where do I struggle with treating all realities as one and work for the good of all things within my community?

·      What would it look like if I began thinking of my incarnation as a form of Divine protest art?

8-24-25 - Failure and a Paradigm of Growth

Failure and a Paradigm of Growth

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

August 24, 2025

Hebrews 12:1 (The Voice)

So, since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us.

Growing up, I was taught at a very early age, that our sin could be defined as “missing the mark” (Anyone hear that definition before?) which signifies failing to meet God’s standards of holiness and righteousness.  

I remember many illustrations of arrows not hitting their targets being presented to me during this era of my life. This also implied that if I missed the mark, I failed.  And if I found myself missing a lot, then I was categorized as a failure in God’s eyes and in my neighbors.  

That is a lot to take in and wrestle with when you are young, insecure, and finding yourself categorizing much of what you are doing, thinking, feeling as sin at this age.

About the same time as this theology was being engrained into my young mind, I was introduced to a very different “theologian” – this one did not talk much about God or dogma, but rather with paint brush in his hand he said, “We don’t make mistakes; we just have happy accidents.”  Yes, you know I am talking about Bob Ross.  My grandfather learned many of his artistic methods from Bob Ross, but also many of his personal “theologies,” like “happy little accidents” and he passed those on to me.  

This all reminds me of a time when I was asked by Sam’s 2nd grade teacher to come in on my day off to “live-paint” for his class.  They were studying Georgia O’Keefe and she asked if I would paint a large flower.  I was put in a room down the hallway from their class, and I spent the entire day painting this one giant painting. Every hour the children would be allowed to come and see my progress and ask me any questions they had.  In the room where I was painting, I had set up my easel and I had an enlarged photo of the iris I was painting.  The kids would come and look at the original and then look at my interpretation of it. 

At one point in the afternoon, I noticed a boy in the class who had not said much but was staring intently back and forth from painting to the photo and back.  He finally raised his hand and exclaimed, “I see a problem.”  I asked him to come up and show me.  He said, “You failed to make it look exactly like the photo” then pointed out a place where I had changed the painting slightly.  I removed a petal of the iris to give the painting a bit more depth and balance. He did not like this and said I had failed to make it look the same. 

I then had an interesting conversation with this set of very observant and creative 2nd graders.  I asked them if I really did fail? Some said I did, others said, no that is how you see it, and others, that is your interpretation of the flower.  They found other differences in the background and on the petals, and even in the colors as we discussed. 

What I reverted back to teaching in that moment was what I had learned from Bob Ross. He addressed failure by reframing it as an opportunity for growth and learning.  I then quoted them his most famous saying, “We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents…As long as you’re learning, you’re not failing.”  Bob Ross encouraged his viewers to embrace these “accidents,” learn from them, and work with whatever happens on the canvas, transforming the fear of failure into a fun and positive experience.

Not long after this experience, I began to ponder how much we are taught about failure in life and the church, and how creativity seems to recategorize it and make it less about failure and more about opportunity.  There is a website I have really been draw to recently called, “Hevria.” 

The title of the page, Hevria, comes from combining two Hebrew words – hevre (group of friends) and bria (creation).  Thus, it is a home, a community, a space for creative Jewish people of the world.  I thought how it really should be Quaker, as it literally means a group of “Creative Friends.” But we will give this one to our Jewish Friends (for now).

As I was perusing this sight one day, I came across a very interesting post titled, “There is No Failure in Spiritual Creativity.”  That, in itself, caught my attention, but some of what this article proposed really spoke to what I am trying to convey this morning.  The article begins with this opening,

The blank screen. Staring at me right now.

Every letter I type, though, darkens it. Focuses it. Turns pure potential into startling limitation, but also into life.

That’s the scary part for so much of us.  Why destroy the white paper, the blank screen, the untouched canvas?  They’re so perfect, so beautiful in its blank potential. The black we throw on them could just as easily destroy them as bring them to life.

In fact, it’s in life that all the danger exists. God created the world multiple times, each time deciding to scrub it out and start over.  Only in this iteration deciding to stick with us, stick with it to the end.

If God can’t create without messing up, how can we hope to? 

That query stopped me in my tracks.

If God can’t create without messing up, how can we hope to? 

What? Did the Divine Creator mess up? 

Did they have happy little accidents? 

Did they fail? 

As I started to look at this more in depth, I began looking at the book of Genesis.  Adam was not even in the garden 24 hours before he failed, made a mistake, sinned – whatever you want to call it.  God resets creation and starts again outside the garden.  Then comes Cain killing Abel. and God again must reset things. And then there comes the time of Noah, and once again God is resetting their creation.  

Let’s return to that query – If God can’t create without messing up, how can we hope to?

Early Jews, Kabbalists, and Chassidim, all had a different way of viewing this.  They don’t see anything as a mistake when seen from God’s perspective. 

Everything that happens is part of a paradigm of growth or evolution, not of two-dimensions, failure-and-success or rising and falling.

In the article, Elad Nehorai says,

Some might say, the ones who point at us foolish believers, that it would be only a deranged God who would create a world that had to be scrubbed clean a few times. That the world is a sick place, that it was never worth creating, that anywhere that the Holocaust can happen, where there are starving people, rape, genocide, plagues, and so much more, God could not exist. God wouldn’t fail.

But interestingly he goes on…

We hear the same argument for why we shouldn’t create.  Often from the religious people themselves.  Often from ourselves.  Saying, “You put words on paper, you write on that screen, you paint on that canvas, and you’ll inevitably fail in some way.  Why create when you could let the perfect potential exist?  You’ll only hurt people.”

The angry people who point at the believers, the believers who point at the creators, they’re all speaking truth, but from the wrong paradigm.  They see every horrible thing, and every negative reality, through the paradigm of failure and success.

Stop for a moment here.  I sat with these thoughts for quite some time and continue to ponder them in light of what we have been talking about the last several weeks:

What paradigm are you and I looking through? 

What paradigm is our country, our state, our media, our neighbors and communities, our schools, even our Meeting looking through?

Are we looking at every horrible, negative thing and simply embracing a paradigm of failure and success?

When we embrace this paradigm we neglect our creative spirits- and that means we no longer connect or see from the Divine’s perspective.  Look at it this way, when we look from above, we do not see failure in such a “black and white” way.  Instead, we see growth, evolution, even wrestling and struggling to develop into something better. 

Yet from below, as people who are grounded on this earth, it can easily look horrible, negative, and full of failure – and that is often what we hear from each other.  

The reality is that when we tap into our creativity we are tapping into a place beyond space and time and beyond the questions of failure.  I think Bob Ross was tapping into this place a lot, and that is why we have embraced his legacy long after his death. 

Yet, Bob Ross is just one creative among many who learned to tap into this paradigm of growth, hope, and possibility. 

We could also add Fred Rogers, Anne Frank, Jim Henson, Julia Child, Steve Irwin, Bill Nye, Levar Burton, Maya Angelou...and the list could go on.

Their legacies and creative spirits continue on to this very day because, I believe, they tapped into a paradigm of growth, of positivity, of hope.  And even though each of them have written or shared their struggles with failure (go read their stories) they found a way to rise above it and find a more “Divine perspective.” This then gave space for creative change, opportunity to arise and address constructively the horrible aspects of life, to create a positive outlook, and garner hope for generations to come.  We continue to return to their wisdom because it seems different than what the world offers, today.  Now, there is a fundamental Quaker principle.

I wonder what it would be like for us at First Friends to seek a more “Divine Perspective” and to embrace a paradigm of growth in this current time? 

Michael Cohen (not that Michael Cohen) the Director of Innovation at Yeshiva University of Los Angeles Boys School who speaks often on creativity and failure gave this disclaimer to his students,

“You will fail. I failed…[but] when failure is part of the journey and not a destination, it can be used to give strength, to an even more incredible outcome than was previously possible.”

Isn’t that what we as Quakers are hoping to find in this world – a more incredible outcome than was previously possible?

When I was a kid one of my favorite Bible verses was our scripture for today...but I think it might need a different metaphor than running…maybe it could read this way…this is the Bob Henry Translation.

So, since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every “happy little accident” that clings to us and slackens our creativity, and let us see with a paradigm of growth the blank canvas that is set before us ready to accept our creative brush strokes.

Amen!

Now, as we enter a time of waiting worship, I want to have us return to some of those queries I have presented in this message.

·      What paradigm am I looking through? 

·      What paradigm is my country, state, media, neighbors and communities, schools, even our Meeting looking through?

·      Am I looking at every horrible, negative thing and simply embracing a paradigm of failure and success?

·      How might I embrace a paradigm of growth?

8-17-25 - Restoring Creativity

Restoring Creativity

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

August 17, 2025

Good morning Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections.  Today, we continue our series on creativity.  The scripture I have chosen is from Colossians 3:23 from the New Revised Standard Version.  

“Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans…”

I want to start this morning by reminding us that creativity is not categorized by being right or left brained, it is not just for artisans, musicians, or performers, rather it is part of every one of our lives – and I would go a step further and say that its part of “That of God” within each of us. 

When we think of the Divine, it is hard not to also think of the Creator. And when we meld those thoughts, we are able to acknowledge that creative spirit within us and tap into it for whatever task we set out to do - just as our scripture for today reads.

Since as Quakers we believe that our Meetings are not just physical buildings or institutions but are rather made of people. I wonder how often we forget that this creative spirit is always present right here within our Meeting. 

For example, I often wonder in our Yearly Meeting if one of the reasons that other Meetings have had to close their doors or be laid down is because they no longer are able or willing to tap into their creativity. 

Even here at First Friends, we can get into our ruts or find ourselves in times of plateau. Often those times are marked by getting into a routine or getting comfortable with what we are doing.

This comfort can enwrap us for a long time without us ever even noticing. At some point we come to realize not much has changed, not much new has happened, things have become stale or stagnant, this then leads to us becoming myopic and engaged in nasal gazing and the hording of our assets – and I am not just talking about our financial assets, but our individual creative assets as well.  Folks, many churches and meetings out there get stuck at this very place and I don’t want to see us end up there, as well.

That is why this morning, I want to talk about how we can restore our creativity before things get stagnant or overly comfortable.  And to do that I want to look at something I was taught in my own personal life and then translate that to our Meeting.

A couple years ago, I entered a very personal process of reflecting on my years in ministry.  The person that was helping facilitate this time encouraged me to tap my creativity in whatever manner I felt the most comfortable. At times that came out through drawing and painting, at other times through writing sermons, and even on occasion through some poetry. To get to that place of creative expression they suggested I take some time to first “restore my creativity.”

Prior to this, “restoring my creativity” in ministry meant getting more time in my studio, getting out my sketch book and drawing more consistently, taking a road trip to see new sights, journaling everything I was thinking about, feeling, or dreaming, and even reading books that would inspire me or give me new perspectives.  Much of what I thought was “restorative” was just doing more, engaging more, or almost forced creating.

My approach to “restoring my creativity” was all wrong.  What I have learned is that creativity is a muscle that needs training and care. By approaching it as I did, I found myself overwhelmed just trying to balance everything that I thought would restore me. Instead, it made me more anxious and even at times anything but creative.  I found that my mind was cluttered, and I was trying too hard. The joy I should have in creating became a task and at times I did not even want to engage it.

After 30 years in ministry, I notice this happening all too often in ministries and Meetings, as well. The culture around us has taught us that we should want instant outcomes, quick results, and we think that if we are just doing something, all will continue just as it has for many years. 

But then complacency, traditions that cannot change, sacred cows, and insider speak, all sets in, and the unique creativity of the group turns to fruitless meetings, arguing over semantics, and forgetting our testimonies as Quakers to speak to the condition of our current world. 

If we are going to survive and thrive as a meeting, we will regularly need to spend time “restoring our creativity.”  Just as I learned exploring my own personal creativity and ministry, I sense it would be good for us as a Meeting to do some work on this as well.  I want us to have longevity, and I want us to be creatively meeting the condition of our world in the present moment – not some golden era of First Friends, Quakers, or Christianity from the past.   

Now, more than ever, it is time to allow our creativity to flow from us out into our community, and ultimately into our world. Yet before we do that, we need to take some positive steps toward restoring our creativity. 

Already in this series, we have talked about the importance of vulnerability, our invitation to co-create with the Divine, allowing our creativity to be our form of prayer, and last week, the inspiration of nature. But this morning I want to step back and look at some practical steps that have helped me to “restore my creativity” and hopefully will help us as a community restore ours.  You might just find these uniquely Quaker even though they are adapted from Creative Boom. 

Let’s start with the first one:

PAUSE

Like I shared earlier, often our mind goes to “doing” to restore our creativity, but often that leads us into a rut.  We try doing the same things repeatedly, while trying to get the same results.

What we really need to do is stop or pause, to re-ground ourselves in the present moment.  This is a deeply Quaker idea.    

In our personal lives and in our Meeting’s life we can easily become so removed from the present moment that we no longer see the possibilities and opportunities that present themselves. We then neglect to see or recognize the creativity before us or within us.  Our present moment is our ground zero. 

In religious circles this is often hard, because we often revert to the past or tradition to shape us moving forward. Creativity sparks from the present moment.  Pausing allows us to review our thoughts, our unhealthy processing and habits, the things that are no longer working, and those that have become distractions from engaging our creativity. 

Every so often, all our committees, small groups, book groups, even our Meeting as a whole needs to take a moment to pause and reground itself in the present moment.  The pause allows queries to form that help us restore and reengage our creative spirit in this place.

This leads to…

DEFINE

Once we have paused, slowed down, even stopped and begun to ask some queries, we need to move to some specific queries that define our creative expression. 

·      What is it we want to create or achieve?

·      How can we work to best create or achieve it?

This may seem very simple, but often when creativity flees and we are in a rut or comfortable, we need to get back to the basics.  Each of our committees and groups should review in the present moment what it is that they want to achieve or create for our community or world? And how will they create or achieve that?  What gifts, assets, and creative gifts are around the room and can be utilized?  What does everyone bring to the table? 

And when we begin to do this, we then can use this information to define our future - instead of getting stuck in the past. We need to be asking - what kind of committee, group, meeting, people do want to be and what are the goals that we want to accomplish, now – in the present moment. This can act as a line to hold to when, inevitably, circumstances try to blow us off course.

As I thought through this personally, I was reminded that this is part of my creative process every time I begin a project – whether I am staring at a blank canvas, a garden plot, a room full of furniture, or writing a sermon.  

Then comes

BE MINDFUL

In our world today, mindfulness has almost become a buzz word and often is misunderstood.  As author and creative director Radim Malinic points out,

“A mindful approach doesn't mean sitting and meditating all the time or ideas always flowing freely. What it does mean is that you connect with what's actually happening around you and remain aware of how you're feeling and thinking, but without getting so knotted up in them that you can't see things clearly and objectively.”

To “be mindful” means we need to bring ourselves and our attention to the present moment as often as possible. It's about becoming aware of our thoughts and attitudes as they arise and not letting them carry us off down a rabbit hole or from actually utilizing the creative spirit within and around us.

Because we are such busy people, often what I see happen is that when we do not engage the creativity around and within us, we too easily drop our ideas, forget them, or revert to a default from the past.  Nothing new is created, no changes are made, and we no longer are working in the present moment. 

When we stay mindful, we stay focused, find clarity, and find again the creative spirit within us and those around us to create and achieve amazing things.

As Quakers we call have a name for this. We call it Minding the Light. Not only does Minding the Light refer to the practice of recognizing and engaging with the divine presence or inner light within oneself and others, but it also means to pay attention to how the Spirit is guiding individuals, groups, Meetings in their moral, spiritual, and creative journey. 

This leads to our final point…

MAKE POSITIVE CHANGE  

When you and I stay mindful, we are “making an investment” in each other, in our communities, and ultimately in the Divine to make positive change through our unique creative ways. On a side note, I believe this is the groundwork for building the Beloved Community which we are going to be exploring in light of our Testimonies starting this fall. 

Folks, to make positive change in our world, we first have to show up to make it possible – we have to bring our creative gifts, talents, and expressions to the table. That means we are going to need to speak up, share our gifts, be willing to allow our creativity to be utilized and seen. 

This is vital to remember because you and I love quick fixes and instant solutions, but we know too well, that there is seldom a quick fix or solution to our problems.  This is why we need everyone to bring their creativity to the table.  

When we have taken the time to restore our creativity, positive changes, opportunities, and possibilities arise! Especially if we are willing to cultivate optimal creative conditions to create within. 

I would love to know where you see optimal creative conditions being presented at First Friends, in your community, or in your own personal life, and where we or you might need to work on creating more of this space.

So, just to recap.  Restoring our creativity begins with pausing, then defining, then being mindful, and finally making positive change. 

As we enter a time of waiting worship this morning, I want us to start by taking that pause. Let’s attempt to re-ground ourselves in the present moment. You may need a couple queries to help as you pause.

·      Where might the Spirit be wanting to spark my creativity?

·      What thoughts, unhealthy processing and habits, things that are no longer working or have become distractions not allowing me to engage my creativity?

·      What will it take for me to stay focused on the present moment?

8-10-25 - The Inspiration of Nature

The Inspiration of Nature

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

August 10, 2025

Good Morning, Friends, and welcome to Light Reflections.  For today’s message, I ask that you take your laptop, iPad, or phone and find a comfortable place somewhere outside.  At the meetinghouse today we are celebrating Sunday Funday and are working outside.  The text I have chosen for this morning is from Romans 1:20 from The Message version.  

By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. 

I don’t know how many times, I have been trying to come up with a solution to a problem, or trying to get a sermon started, or just wanting to deal with or work out something frustrating, and realized that what I really needed was to go take a walk around my neighborhood, head out into my back yard, or get in the car and head to a park or natural setting. This was a little easier in Oregon, but I have come to find some wonderful places in nature here in Indiana, as well.  Heading outside allows me to unwind. Drinking in the greenery, the blossoms, the birdsong, my thoughts begin to flow again. 

Over numerous years of research, I have found that many creative spirits, like you and me, have found inspiration, motivation, and rejuvenation in the natural world.  As both a person of words and a visual learner, one of the reasons I find clarity in nature is because it does not require words. As Friend and author Doug Gwyn says,

“One of our biggest difficulties, I think, is that we live so much in language and so much in a mediated world of electronic media and print media, all of which tends to distance us from our connection to the natural world.

Getting into that sense beyond language is not only healthy for personal spiritual renewal, but it’s also crucial to reconnecting with the natural world, which is a nonverbal world.”

Last year when Sue and I took two months to explore the lives of three extremely creative people, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Georgia O’Keefe and Walt Disney, we found what inspired, motivated, and rejuvenated them was nature. 

From standing on the banks of the creek on the farm in Marceline, Missouri where a young Walt Disney sat under his Dreaming Tree…

To having lunch on the porch of the Ghost Ranch outside of Sante Fe, New Mexico looking across the Red Hills at the mountain, Cerro Pedernal which appears in 28 of Georgia O’Keefe paintings and where her ashes are spread…

To feeling the cool wind on a summer day catching us off guard on the prairie in Desmet, South Dakota where Laura Ingalls Wilder both struggled to survive and found a simple beauty that gave context to her stories.

And that was not all, we followed their adventures through some of the most beautiful places in our country.  From the Grand Canyon, through the deserts, to the shores and woods of California, these three creative spirts continued to seek nature for continued motivation, inspiration, and rejuvenation. 

What I have found ironic is that most of what we knew about these three people were through books we read about them or by them. Not until going and experiencing the places of natural beauty ourselves, could we more fully understand or see. 

This was getting beyond language, beyond books and printed media, it was putting us in spaces where nature was working on our body, mind, spirit, and creativity in a way that our daily lives within buildings, offices, classrooms, and even the vehicles we drive could not accomplish. 

Sue and I walked away from this experience with a lot to process (I am still processing it, today).

We knew that growing up on farms, and engaging nature was part of the overall process for these three, but not quite like what we found when we put ourselves in the places that inspired them. 

This morning, we have chosen to put ourselves outside for worship.  We are intentionally engaging nature this morning.  And in many ways nature is calling upon us to engage.  I wonder what we might see differently, how we might play more freely, create more uniquely, and connect more deeply?  

Scientists have what they have labeled Attention Restoration Theory (or its acronym ART – which I think is ironic).  As I have been processing my own creative expressions and considering my experiences in nature, I have returned to Attention Restoration Theory on several occasions. 

Attention Restoration Theory is having something other than work to focus on which lets the brain recover from cognitively demanding tasks. 

Getting into nature is ideal for Attention Restoration as it triggers something known as “soft fascination.”  This means that the natural environment attracts your attention in a pleasant, gentle way that doesn’t demand your full or deep focus.  Unlike other restful activities like reading, watching TV, or playing a game on our phone, enjoying the breeze in a park or listening to the birds in our backyards doesn’t require your attention.

Actually, science suggests that you and I are instinctively drawn to other living things, whether that is plants, animals, landscapes, or friends and partners. 

Additionally, research shows that green spaces encourage a more meditative, open mindset, meaning that we may be primed to take notice and accept inspiration more readily while out in nature. 

This is why we worship outside at least once a year.  I wonder what would happen if our committees met outside on occasion, or small groups met in parks, or we took walks with each other to process the issues of our Meeting?  

This is not something new for us Spiritual beings.

In 1652, the founder of Quakerism, George Fox traveled from Yorkshire to Lancashire and felt led by the Spirit to climb Pendle Hill – a huge mass of green space. This natural space is so important to Fox’s greater vision. The Spirit led him there to better see what he was to do. 

Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert for 40 days where upon his return had a clearer vision for his ministry. He also goes often throughout scripture to be alone in nature, a garden, on the water, among the olive groves. 

Buddha experienced enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree. 

Even the story of Islam’s formation starts outside in a cave called Hira, where the Prophet Mohammad loved to hike, climb, and explore caves.

Almost ALL of the creation stories on this planet begin in a garden. 

And I could go on and on, but this morning, I want to offer us an opportunity to be present in nature and see where the Spirit nudges and guides us. 

I have prepared a short, guided meditation. It will obviously utilize words, but in the end, it will leave you silent in this beautiful space. 

To help us get into a place of connection with nature and the Spirit, I ask that you find a posture where you can feel comfortable, where you feel safe in the environment, you’re in. Some of you may want to lay down on the grass and others just sit comfortably in your chair. You are free to move to a different place than you are currently. Let’s find that position now. 

Next you can close your eyes for a few moments to center down – just let your attention settle and the busyness of your mind subside.

Take a moment to acknowledge your body, sensing your physical body touching the ground whether that is your entire body or just your feet. Feel your connection with the earth. Feel the support of the land, of the earth, under you. It’s always there: present, supportive, nourishing. You may want to take off your shoes and allow your feet to make a natural connection to the ground. 

And as you sense your breath, consider that with each inhale you’re taking in oxygen that’s released from leaves, plants, plankton. And each exhale is releasing carbon dioxide that’s reabsorbed by plant and tree life either nearby or far away. Sense how it’s just that simple breath that’s connecting you to this vast web of life.

Do you feel any sense of appreciation as you inhale, that the life—trees and grasses—sustains you, nourishes you?  And with the exhale, maybe there’s a sense of well-wishing, warmth, love, appreciation to all the photo-synthesizing life that allows you and all breathing beings to live, to survive.

Now, take a moment to reflect on a time when you were recently engaged by some experience in nature—something that moved you. Perhaps it was an encounter with an animal or bird. Perhaps it was a tree in a forest, or an ocean, a sunset, or the night sky. Recalling that experience and then extending your heart with a sense of warmth and kindness, love, well-wishing, toward whatever it was that moved you. Perhaps you’re radiating a sense of kindness, friendliness. Thank the Spirit for reminding you and showing you this.

And now, since we are sitting outside, you may choose to open your eyes and look around. Take in the trees or the grasses and the plants, or whatever part of the landscape draws you. And, again, extending a sense of warmth, friendliness, love. You can do that through silent phrases that express your heart’s wish for life:

May these grasses, may these trees, may all the beings that live here—animals, birds, insects—be healthy. May they be safe and protected.

Use whatever words come to you that express your heart’s wish for the life all around you. Say these words silently. Repeat them a few times. They can be inspired by whatever is around you, or whatever comes into your mind and heart. Consider whatever part of nature engages your spirit – to whatever you wish to extend this sense of warmth and loving-kindness.

May all the beings on this earth be safe and protected from harm. May all endangered species, and all species, be safe. May all creatures be happy and thrive. May all life be healthy, vital and express themselves creatively.

Now, notice the people sitting or lying around you. They too are part of creation, creatures who need safety and protection. Maybe they are a spouse, a family member, a loved one, a friend.  Consider how they have supported, cared for, and inspired you.  What have they taught you, created for you, and offered you?  What have you taught them, created for them, and offered them?  Extend to them a silent blessing of safety and protection and gratitude for having them in your life.

Now, sensing into the life around you, radiate a sense of warmth and kindness as you hold all these things in the Light and in silence. You may be sensing into how this experience of love is a process of giving and receiving. You may be feeling how loved or touched you are by the natural world, and how the heart naturally wants to respond with offering loving-kindness, well-wishing. You may sense a new gratitude and appreciation for those around you. And finally, you may desire to find a way to respond, to create something, to change something, to connect, or relate more deeply in this moment. Consider what that may be.  

And, of course, including oneself as part of the Earth’s moving surface, and including all peoples everywhere: those near and far, those you know and don’t know. May all these beings, or peoples, or creatures everywhere be safe from harm, be protected, live with health, with creativity, with happiness, with safety. Allow the heart to radiate in all directions—to all elements of this earth, to the life that lives here.

Finally, let’s enter sometime of silence. Take time to reflect on what you have experienced, and allow yourself to sense the Spirit’s guiding and nudging this morning…

8-3-25 - Praying by Creating

Praying by Creating

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

August 3, 2025

Good morning, Friends and welcome to Light Reflections. This week we continue to look at creativity and our scripture is another short one.  This time from 2 Timothy 1:7 from the Message version.

“God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible.” 

One afternoon at my previous Meeting, I became engaged in a conversation with my secretary, Laurel. I had mentioned how amid all that was going on in the world, I was having a hard time focusing on prayer.

Actually, as the conversation went further, I vulnerably admitted that the idea of prayer was becoming more and more difficult to understand and engage. I shared with her that I had long moved pass asking God to find my keys or unjamming the traffic on my way across town, but (at that time) I was beginning to wrestle with whether God was as personal as we had always made him out to be. 

It is interesting here at First Friends, I find myself talking with people about prayer more than I am actually praying with them. There is a lot of skepticism and doubt around prayer.  For some prayer is simply no more than a magic spell, or the quarter to the vending-machine-God. Last week, someone from our meeting posted this quote by Ricky Gervais and said they were pondering it:

“Arrogance is asking a god who wouldn’t stop the holocaust to find your car keys.”   

That has me thinking. As well, some think prayer is not about what God does as much as it is about what we do, that our prayers are answered by our actual participation in them, not by a Divine proclamation.  

Do we believe that when we ask someone to send up a prayer or even (as we Quakers say)  “hold this in the Light” that a miraculous change is going to happen? 

It seems we believe it more fully when bad things are happening, when a friend is dying, or in a health emergency.  Just this week I sent out a prayer request for our son, Sam, who was diagnosed with Mono and has been to the hospital twice, doctor twice, and now to a specialist to get to the bottom of his situation. It has been a long week for Sue and I with Sue starting school on Thursday, two trips to IU to help Lewis move out of his apartment and to a storage unit, and a full week at First Friends. We needed others to hold Sam up, send healing energy, and remind us that there is a community that surrounds our family.  Something we easily forget and can take for granted. 

And then there is the political cover-all that we hear way too often after a natural disaster, school shooting, or racial violence – oh, you are in our “Thoughts and Prayers.”  A phrase that has completely lost its meaning in our day and age – as its pronouncement seems hollow and unauthentic.

Let me jump back to my conversation with Laurel. She and I would get into the weeds on the issue of prayer. She loved to delve deep, but in her often-quiet nature, she also listened deeply. I appreciated that about her. I also appreciated that Laurel was an artist. Her mind thought creatively.  Sometimes so out of the box that others would not catch on at first.  But as our conversation that day continued, never once did she push back on my struggle or argue a right way to pray. 

What I remember the most about this conversation was that she said, “Maybe you are doing it wrong for who you are.”  Now, I was taught as a child like many of you to pray before going to bed, pray before meals, pray before tests, pray for our leaders…and I could go on.  I remember the first prayer I ever learned:

Now, I lay me down to sleep. 

I pray the Lord my soul to keep. 

If I should die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

And this I ask for Jesus’ sake. Amen.

Looking back those are interesting words to say just before heading to sleep – I sense they have probably produced some nightmares over the years. 

And then there was the Lord’s Prayer which I had to memorize and say every Sunday in church.  Most prayers were wrote in my childhood, from a prayer book, liturgy, hymnal, or the Bible itself. 

I believe Laurel had a similar experience growing up, but on this day, she looked at me and said, “Have you ever heard of praying in color?”  She paused as I must have had a quizzical look on my face.  She then continued by saying, “You’re an artist, it seems you may find this helpful. There is a book about it.”  The next day she brought me a copy of “Praying in Color” by Sybil MacBeth and suggested we offer a class at our Meeting on this book. 

Now, please understand. Laurel knew I was struggling, she also knew I was an artist and that I found blending the two helpful.  The book was very simplistic but came right out and said, this book is for: 

·      Those who no longer could find the words to pray. 

·      For people who’s mind wondered when they prayed. 

·      For people who could not sit still. 

·      And finally, it was for people who needed a new way to pray. 

That described me well at this time and Laurel knew it. 

This simple book was the beginning of a creative exploration that led me down a path of much greater discovery. That book opened a new door to my creative expression and my relationship with the Divine.

For several years, I would listen to devotions, sermons, and  lectures, take notes through drawn pictures and when I was finished I would have a visual representation of both what the Spirit had been teaching me, but also the creative expressions I made. It gave me a tangible vision of what God was saying to me and how I interpreted that into visual art.  If you are familiar with Sketch Notes, this was Sketch Note praying. 

But I did not stop there.  Soon I noticed that when I would paint, sketch, garden, rearrange a room, even write an article or a sermon, I was finding it a prayerful creative expression and a connection with the Divine.  What I was beginning to realize was that any art form or creative expression could be a way to pray, reflect, and cultivate my relationship with the Divine. It did not have to be the stagnate forms and structures I had grown up with or even been taught.  

This is why last week I said that being creative is key for our spiritual formation and growth. And why I believe deep down it is key to our lives in the Beloved Community.  We each bring our own creative expression to the table, and we need each of those to make us complete.  But that also means we need to recognize, acknowledge and affirm and support all these creative expressions in our midst.  

A few years ago now, I took a spiritual retreat at the Fall Creek Abby.  It was a week-long retreat.  I went into it with the hopes of renewing my relationship with the Divine.  That in itself would seem to necessitate spending some time in prayer.  I noticed immediately that I was struggling with silencing my heart. I tried sitting in different chairs throughout the Abby, opening prayer books that I had brought, and nothing seemed to engage me. Finally, I laid down on my bed and fell into a deep sleep. My exhaustion was getting in the way of my connecting with the Divine.   

When I awoke, I was refreshed, and the creative juices were ready and flowing.  I began by doing some writing. Then some reading, and then some drawing. I took a walk through the neighborhood and studied the architecture, noticing the difference in the new and old construction, the gardens and landscaping.  What struck me the deepest was the gentrification of the neighborhood, and I could not help but think about all the people displaced and moved out of this area for more affluent people to move in.  

The next day, I attended my first art class at the Indy Art Center. This was part of my week-long retreat as I had learned that to make a connection with the Divine I had to engage my own creative process.  We were working in a variety of mediums starting on day one and I found myself having almost a transcendent moment in that class.  What I was learning was that the creative forces within me were opening me to the Spirit’s leading and my engagement with the Divine.  The rest of the week, I found myself opening up, hearing, and even the seeing that of God around me…and unbeknownst to me, the Spirit wanted to have a conversation with me about allowing myself to doubt and question.  Even the culminating piece of art I created to illustrate the week of wrestling, conversations, fist-shaking, and laughter with the Spirit looked much different than any of my other pieces.  Very little color or patterns or definition. Instead, this painting creatively expressed my soul’s struggle with the Divine. 

When I was a child, I often heard that prayer is communication with God – but that seemed kind of weird, since communication had a two-way element and most of my prayers were me talking or asking with no response from God. 

Ever since Laurel gave me that simple little book, I began looking at prayer in a completely different way.  What I was realizing was that we are each born with gifts and talents – what I will call creative expressions. We all bring something to the table that we can offer. And we need all these different expression in our faith community – otherwise things look rather uniform or cookie-cutter.  And that creative expression is probably the most likely way we are going to connect with that of God within us. Because it is uniquely you and me.  

I remember several months after Laurel gave me the book, I was sharing it with a friend who was a writer and a person whose creative expression was ideation. He always had creative ideas, but he needed others to help implement or see them to fruition.  I was telling him about my discovery of how prayer doesn’t have to be limited to words but can utilize our personal creative expressions.

He said, “That sounds like Flannery O’Connor.” My quizzical look let him continue. He then shared a quote of hers that has reshaped my idea of prayer to this day. 

“The artist prays by creating.” 

Since there is that of God in all of us, and since we are co-creators with the Divine, as I said last week, through the creative act, we channel the spark of imagination that resides in us all, honoring the Divine presence in our creativity and in the beauty, we share with one another.

Whether your creative expression takes the form of drawing or painting like me, or music like Eric, Jim, Lynda, Dawn, or poetry like the late Linda Lee, or card making like our friend Rachel, or planning Prayer Actions like Stuart, or making a meal for someone like Beth, or offering medical care like our Friend, Mary, or giving gifts like Rebecca, or the gift of laughter like our Friend, Mark, or writing his stories like Jeff…and I could go on and on…but this is how we connect in a much deeper way with the Divine within us all.

Actually, as I have said in the last couple of sermons, I believe everyone has this creative expression and whether they know it or not, it is their way to show us that of God within them, and when we engage that, we are being brought into a deeper relationship with the Divine in our midst and with that of God in each of us. 

As Quakers, I wonder how often we limit ourselves by confining the Spirit into specific spiritual practices.  The Spirit’s imagination, creativity, and beauty is reflected all around you and me, if we are willing to engage them, or maybe I should say, create them.

I want to close this morning with a poem from the late Maya Angelou who understood allowing her creative expression to become her way to connect with the Divine and others.  Obviously, her creative expression was writing. Just allow these words to speak to your soul and condition before we enter waiting worship.

            art is prayer

            make

            write to get closer to all

            to truth

            to spirit

            to connection with the great presence

            the great flow of life

            praying

            grateful

            find your peace in yourself

            with yourself

            it’s in a place within

            in god I live and breathe & have my being

            that is the place of peace

            love is closer than air

            louder than hearing

            sit in it    

 Now, as we enter waiting worship, let’s take a moment to ponder the following queries.

·      What are my struggles with prayer? 

·      Am I finding ways to connect that utilize my creative expressions?

·      Am I acknowledging all the gifts around me and seeing that of God in them?

·      What might embracing our creative expression at First Friends do for our impact in our community and world?