1-27-19 - Revolutionary Love

Revolutionary Love

First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

Originally for January 20, 2019, but Meeting for Worship was cancelled due to bad weather. Sermon given January 27, 2019.

John 13:34—35

34 “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Today, as we pause to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr., I want to not just once again remember the man, but more the legacy that he has left us.  As I have studied and allowed Martin Luther King’s writings, speeches, and life to influence me, and have an impact on my ministry and activism, I have found one overly-consistent theme – that being LOVE. 

Now, it seems almost too simplistic to just pronounce “love” as a major theme for Martin Luther King Jr.  For some, claiming love may seem a way to water-down King’s words and action to rudimentary and feel-good aspects, so we don’t have to deal with the more difficult things he taught and lived.  

Yet, like many of us, King didn’t have love all figured out. For King, love and how we experienced, shared, and utilized it were an evolving process.

It actually took Mahatma Gandhi to open King’s eyes to a deeper understanding of love – an understanding that would ignite and give even greater weight to his teachings and the Civil Rights Movement in America.

In The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr., King says,

“Like most people, I had heard of Gandhi, but I had never studied him seriously. As I read I became deeply fascinated by his campaigns of nonviolent resistance…The whole concept of Satyagraha (satya is truth which equals love, and agrahah is force; Satyagraha, therefore, means truth force or love force) was profoundly significant to me.  As I delved deeper into the philosophy of Gandhi, my skepticism concerning the power of love gradually diminished, and I came to see for the first time its potency in the area of social reform.  Prior to reading Gandhi, I had about concluded that the ethics of Jesus were only effective in individual relationships.  The “turn the other cheek” philosophy and the “love your enemies” philosophy, were only valid, I felt, when individuals were in conflict with other individuals; when racial groups and nations were in conflict a more realistic-approach seemed necessary.  But after reading Gandhi, I saw how utterly mistaken I was.”

See, what Gandhi did for King and, I believe, for us, today, was to lift the love ethic of Jesus above mere interaction between individuals to a powerful and effective social force on a larger scale.  

Love became an effective instrument for social change

and collective transformation.

Let’s take a moment and go back and look at this.   

Jesus had summarized the ten commandments and the teaching of the law down to two phrases – and both were about LOVE.  Love God, and then he said, love your Neighbor as you love yourself.

 Jesus taught that the act of love comes from the core of our being.  For Jesus’ audience that meant it came from the soul (thus love is a soul force).  Jesus’ more Jewish audience would have used a metaphor of this love “extending from one’s heart” – where the Jewish faith centers life and considers love for our neighbors and world to spring forth.  

To Jesus, love was the most important habit of the heart or soul – it was what would define, shape, and grow one’s life, experience, social interaction, even some would say it would define his way of engaging the politics and societal issues of his day. It seems simple and rudimentary, but it was the essential element - the foundation block.   

Much like King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail, When the Apostle Paul writes from jail to the people of Ephesis, he continues to translate what it takes to create “one new humanity” and again he focuses on that essential element – love. Paul says the following in his letter to the Ephesians (this is from chapter 4:1-7 MSG):

 1 In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk - better yet, run! - on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. 2 And mark that you do this with humility and discipline - not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, 3 alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. 4 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. 5 You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness. 7 But that doesn't mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift.

Paul takes Jesus’ command to love and he puts it into action, and in much more palpable words.  Just notice the “action words” that Eugene Peterson translated in the Message version of this text to make it come alive.

Do, walk, run, travel, steady, pour out, acts of love, alert, quick at mending fences, together, outwardly and inwardly…oneness!

What I believe Paul is trying to convey is that, everything we ARE and THINK, and DO should be done in love for the benefit of our neighbors.  Yet it is going to look different for each of us.  We’re a diverse people.  We all have a completely different set of gifts, talents, qualities, abilities, and even unique personalities.

And that means we all give and receive love differently.  Maybe this is what complicates love and how we put it into action. In this room alone, we all love and receive love differently. Maybe you have read the book, “The Five Love Languages” and know all about this, but I would say over my years in ministry, I to have evolved to understand that there are more than just five love languages – those were just a primer that help define our different ways of love.

Our unique life circumstances, our unique friendships and relationships, our unique environments, our unique abilities…All create unique beings who are called to love and follow the example of Christ.    

Many don’t know this, but Gandhi spent a great deal of time reading the Bible – especially the Gospels and teachings of Jesus. Gandhi considered himself a follower of Christ. It was after reading the Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ teachings on loving one’s enemies, he developed the concept of Satyagraha or Soul/Love Force.  He was so influenced that his first point to emphasize was Loving one’s enemies.  He outlined what that looked liked:

·        Harbor no anger towards your enemies.

·        Suffer the anger of the opponent.

·        Do not insult the opponent.

·        Do not trivialize the beliefs of intelligence of opponents.

·        Forgive as you wish to be forgiven.

·        Opponents are God’s children, made in His image and likeness.

·        Defend your opponent against insult or assault.

·        Look for God’s face in the face of others.

Now, adding those things to love makes it much harder to swallow. It is so much easier just saying Love God and Love your Neighbor.  That’s because this love goes beyond relationships, this is the love that, I believe, has the potential and power to change our world. 

This is how Martin Luther King could see the wealth and depth of Jesus’s teaching, Paul’s call to go forth, and Gandhi’s soul force to transform the world in such a powerful new way.  

King would explain his evolving view of love in an article titled, Nonviolence and Racial Justice, in Christian Century, February 1957. He said,   

“In speaking of love we are not referring to some sentimental emotion. It would be nonsense to urge men to love their oppressors in an affectionate sense[…] When we speak of loving those who oppose us […] we speak of a love which is expressed in the Greek word Agape. Agape means nothing sentimental or basically affectionate; it means understanding, redeeming goodwill for all [sic] men, an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return.”  (repeat that final line)

In Quaker Parker Palmer’s latest book, “On the Brink of Everything” he describes King’s love as “Revolutionary Love” instead of being romantic or emotional, it is embodied, courageous, and demanding.  Palmer says,

“Choosing to practice the love ethic can birth new possibilities. But to be revolutionary, love must be poured in three directions: toward others, toward our opponents, and toward ourselves.”

Let’s be honest, today, you and I are living in a time where instead of love, fear and anger are driving our world. We are seeing on a daily basis many of the same atrocities of Jim Crow, Slavery, discrimination, and injustice that King and Gandhi fought, alive and well in our world.

That essential element – love – of redeeming goodwill for all, that seeks nothing in return, and is poured in three directions – others, opponents, selves - has almost been replaced completely by fear mongering, cynical views, and extremely selfish and angered people.

Just look around at the road rage, cyber bullying, trash-talking, Jerry Springer-like brawls and antics in public forums, degradation of women, minorities, other cultures, and all the lying taking place.  It makes one ask – where is the love? 

What if we would choose to approach our neighbors, families, friends, and enemies with more grace, more care, more understanding, and more love? 

We just might prevent ourselves and those around us from getting swept away by the tide of anger and fear all around us. But folks, like a couple of weeks ago when I shared about rest, the choice is ours.  We can fluff it over or we can really seek to love in a transformational way. 

Parker Palmer summarized what I believe King and Gandhi and even Jesus and Paul were seeking for us to do.  Palmer broke it down to 5 habits of our heart that if we choose to discipline ourselves with, may just help change what is in and extending from our hearts.

Habit One: Develop an understanding that we are all in this together. We are dependent and accountable to one another, and yes, that includes the “alien” other.

Habit Two: Develop an appreciation of the values of “otherness.” This is a call to begin with hospitality before limiting ourselves with “us vs. them” catagories. 

Habit Three: Develop an ability to hold tension in life-giving ways. If we fail to hold these tensions creatively, the contradictions of life will shut us down and take us out of the action, but the possibilities for the heart to extend love with energy and new life are limiteless.

Habit Four: Develop a sense of personal voice and agency.  It is possible for us, no matter young or old, to find our voices, and speak truth/love to power.  This is soul force (Satyagraha) at its best.  When we don’t speak up out of love and in truth, we can be hurting our neighbors and world.

Habit Five: Develop a capacity to create community.  King called this creating the “Beloved Community.” He said,

“Our Goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” 

So it is clear, that love is not as simple as we may want it to be.  Its not just a gushy feeling, a romantic moment, but it is what can actually change our world.  And I believe whether that call comes from Jesus, Paul, Gandhi, King, or Palmer, it is again being heralded in our world today.  

Let me close with these words of Martin Luther King Jr. before we enter our time of waiting worship.  This is from a sermon King gave at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama titled, “Loving Your Enemies.” He concludes: 

“Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So love your enemies.”

Let us now enter into a time of waiting worship. 

1-20-19 - Christian Unity Prayer Service - Becoming Justice in our World

Becoming Justice in our World

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Service

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

January 20, 2019

Grace, mercy, peace and justice be to you all this evening as we gather to begin this week of prayer for Christian Unity. I want to thank Fr. Rick Ginthers and Wanda Coffin Baker for inviting me to share with you all tonight.

“Corruption is experienced in many forms…It infects politics and business, often with devastating consequences for the environment. In particular, corruption undermines justice and the implementation of law.  Too often those who are supposed to promote justice and protect the weak do the opposite. As a consequence, the gap between the rich and the poor has widened; and so, a country rich in resources has the scandal of many people living in poverty…Meanwhile, particular ethnic and religious groups are often associated with wealth in ways that have fed tensions.  Radicalization that pits one community against another has grown and is exacerbated by the misuse of social media that demonizes particular communities.”

When I read those words in the introduction to the theme for this year from the Christians of Indonesia, I couldn’t help thinking the description was of America not Indonesia.  It seemed to fit our current state, all too well.  I believe what this does is show us how clearly, we as American Christians, are becoming more and more able to relate to our neighbors throughout the world. Whether Indonesia or America, we all are in need of the balm of Christ’s healing in our fractured and broken world. 

The Indonesia Christians were moved by the concerns which I just read to seek justice. As well, we should be concerned for America and seeking justice ourselves. The Indonesia Christians clung to the words from Deuteronomy 16:20 which is our theme verse for this week, “Justice, and only justice you shall pursue.”  

Ironically, last week, I had the opportunity to teach Quaker Theology to our Youth Affirmation Students.  For those wondering Affirmation is our version of Confirmation – you confirm, and we affirm – it is a matter of semantics. 

We were playing a kind of educational exploratory game where the students would pick one of several questions we had prepared and read it to the group.  They would then write an answer to that question, pass it to me and I would read their answers.  They were to guess who they thought wrote the answers. (think like Apples to Apples). 

One of the students picked a question and read it aloud to the group, “What is life’s biggest question?”  Each student handed me their answers and I began to read.  Some of the answers were funny, like “Why do we park in a driveway and drive in a parkway?” and others were more serious.  But one caught my attention.  It was actually written by one of my own sons.  It read,

“What is justice?” And then in parentheses because I was not to read this out loud, he wrote, “(I learned this in English Dad)”. 

Now, I don’t know my son’s High School English teacher yet, but I have a feeling my son is learning a lot more than how to diagram sentences in that class. 

What is justice? It is such an important question not only to ask, but to seek an answer to. 

It seems we are quick to quote a plethora of people who we believe have an answer to this question. Take for example this weekend as Facebook has already begun to explode with quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. such as:

“The arc of the universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” or

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” or

“No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

Do we even understand what King was saying? Do we understand his context?  Or do we simply post because, well, that sounds good?

For about the past 10 years, my wife, Sue, and I have been diligent in taking our three boys on tours of Civil Rights sites in our country.  This past summer, we had the opportunity to return to the King Center in Atlanta, GA.  We also visited for the first time the New Peace and Justice Memorial, in Montgomery, AL, and we ended our time at the National Civil Rights Museum and Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee – all in the year of the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination.  Each site was powerful and gave new insight to the injustices we have produced and the people who have endured the consequences in our own country.

But it was a bonus experience while in Montgomery, that literally stopped me in my tracks. You may have read or at least are aware of the #1 New York Times Bestseller book, “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson. (If you have not read it, I highly recommend it.) Stevenson has an unforgettable story, but what you may not know is that as a young civil rights and public interest attorney he created and founded the Equal Justice Initiative. As it states on their website:

“The Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.”

Not only did Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative create the National Memorial for Peace and Justice which remembers and acknowledges 4400 (and growing) African American victims of racial terror lynchings in our United States including two hanging monuments for Indiana victims alone, but they also created a museum, which is housed in a former slave warehouse in downtown Montgomery. 

We took our family into what they call The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration.  Now, this is one of the first museums I have ever experienced that is solely focused on the injustices from our own history and injustices that still go on today. I don’t think I will ever forget this experience, because my eyes were opened to injustices that I had never imagined or understood.  It made me want to seek further an answer to my son’s great question, “What is Justice?”

Well, after our experience in Montgomery, I began to see with new eyes my world and much of that was due to the hard work and dedication of Bryan Stevenson and the Equal Justice Initiative. So, who better to ask life’s biggest question – What is Justice? – than Bryan Stevenson.  

Come to find out, we weren’t the only one asking that question to Bryan. In November of 2012, reporter Kyle Whitmire apologetically asked Bryan Stevenson that “big” question.  And this was his answer,

“I think justice is a constant struggle.  That’s as good a definition as I can come up with. I think that injustice is evident when people are not struggling to protect the norms, the values, the goals, the aspirations of the entire community – for fairness, equality and balance. I think we tend to measure justice with metrics that are not exactly right. We’re looking at a particular place, a particular situation, a particular end. It really is a struggle. You never get there, and you’re never done.  You have to keep at it…. When you can identify injustice, when you can identify inequality and unfairness, and you confront that, then in my mind you are doing justice. You are doing something corrective to the abuse of power that is at the heart of injustice, to the bigotry and bias that is often at the heart of injustice. So, in a lot of ways, identifying injustice, confronting it and challenging it is what justice is about.”

Let that sink in for a moment.  (Repeat the underlined above)

Now, let me bring into perspective that quote of Martin Luther King Jr. which I shared earlier.  In his famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail, King addressed the church and its leaders of his day, but I believe he is still addressing you and I gathered here tonight…

I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice everywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” 

I cannot sit idly by as young men in Washington D.C. disrespect Omaha Nation elder Nathan Philips because we are tied by that “single garment of destiny.”

But too often for me it sounds a bit different.  It sounds more like this.

I can sit idly by in my office or home and not be concerned about what happens in other places.  Injustice is part of society and it’s simply the lot of those less fortunate or those lacking education or wealth to dig themselves out.  Each one to themselves, I have too much on my plate right now, I don’t have time to deal with their problems, too.  I have my future to worry about. You do what you need to do, but I probably am too busy to help. Let me post my thoughts on Facebook, that will make me feel better.   

Sadly, too often, you and I and our churches out of convenience or lack of making a statement or stand, allow unfairness to flourish. Sometimes we may even perpetuate it out of unawareness or simple laziness.  At times we see injustices happening and we turn the other cheek hoping “maybe I didn’t see that.”

It’s not comfortable to speak up and speak truth to power.  It’s a struggle to admit our privileges and how we came about them. It’s a struggle to work for fairness. It takes a lot of time to raise up a new generation of people that can identify injustice.

What is justice? – it’s a universal struggle. And as I started this sermon, it is because our world (whether in Indonesia, America, or elsewhere) is corrupt and infected with injustice, misuse, scandal, and at its core, what we would call downright sin. We are no better than those boys in Washington D.C.  

But when you and I admit that we are joined by that “single garment of destiny” which King so eloquently spoke of, we quickly become aware that we are in need of something more to keep us together. Something outside of ourselves that shows us a better way. 

One who will save us from the pain we inflict on each other. 

One who can show us by example a better way. 

One who is and embodies and takes up our struggle.

One who brings us together as sisters and brothers and calls us friends.

One who faced the corruption of power in the world, who reinterpreted and fulfilled the law, and who offers abundance, hope, and healing. 

One who doesn’t look at our skin color, our gender, our ethnic heritage, our family lineage, our sexual orientation, our educational experience, or denominational affiliation.     

One who said I have come to bring good news to the poor.

One who said I have come to set the captives free.

One who said I have come to restore sight to the blind.

One who said I have come to set the oppressed free.

Folks, Jesus became Justice He took up the struggle.  He died for the cause.  He spoke truth to power. He righted the wrongs.  And with compassion and love he looked the injustices of this world in the eyes and said no more. 

And now, he calls his church – each of us here tonight – to partner with him and go and do the same.  It is our turn to become Justice in our world. Each of us here tonight are opportunities for justice to be made manifest in our world.  We have the power to expose inequality and unfairness, correct the abuse of powers, and stop the bigotry and bias that tears us a part. We can be the corrective change.  

What is Justice?  It looks like you and me. 

With our sisters and brothers in Indonesia, I commend us… Justice and only Justice WE shall pursue!  And all of God’s people said, Amen.     

1-13-19 - Rest: A Vital Spiritual Discipline

Rest: A Vital Spiritual Discipline

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

January 13, 2019

Mark 6:31

31 And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

Matthew 11:29

29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Psalm 127:2

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
    for he gives to his beloved sleep.

It is clear from our scriptures this morning that God is concerned about rest.  Actually, Jim Smith author of The Good and Beautiful God says, “The number one enemy to our spiritual formation is exhaustion.”  As one who has studied in depth spiritual formation from a variety of perspectives that bold proclamation got my attention.  Exhaustion is an enemy to our soul.  Let that sink in for a moment.

I think we have to start by admitting it. We are an exhausted people. And we live in exhausting times.

I hear it all too often.

“I am exhausted by listening to the news.” 

“I am exhausted by politics.”

“I am exhausted by this weather.”

“I am exhausted by my kids.” 

“I am exhausted by my work.”

“I am exhausted by other people’s issues and problems.”

“I am exhausted by my relatives.”

“I am exhausted by my medical condition.”

And the list goes on.  How do you fill in the blank…I am exhausted by ______________.

Honestly, in my tenure as a pastor I have even heard people say “I am exhausted by the church.”  Usually because of over-programming, abuse or lack of volunteers, and lack of vision for the future.

Many, especially in the helping professions, suffer from exhaustion and lack of rest.  Technology and social media have added to this exhaustion.  Today, we have to set limits for “screen time, reminders to exercise, interaction with human people to avoid isolation, and some are now suggesting to schedule naps into our work day. 

This is not something new for many cultures outside of the US.  People actually head home from work in Spain for a siesta. And in Italy they take a riposo. And in China workers break after lunch and put their heads on their desks for an hour-long nap (it is a protected right by their constitution).  Some major corporations in America have realized the benefit and have added Nap Rooms to their office space and tech companies like Google and Zappos have introduced what are called Nap Pods (just Google it and you probably will want to order one for your home or office).     

Sadly, I don’t think the need for rest is something new in our world, and it is evident from a simple glance at our bibles. Even people 2000+ years ago dealt with the lack of rest.  As I did my research for this sermon, I couldn’t believe how many times the bible talks about people needing rest.

Even when drafting the original 10 Commandments – rest was a key component.  “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.  But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work.” (Exodus 20:9-10).

When I was in my doctoral work, I was challenged to find what our Jewish sisters and brothers consider sabbath rest.  Sabbath comes from the word shavat which means to “cease” or “desist.”  The main observance of shavat was from sunset on Friday to nightfall of the following day.

Now, Quakers consider all days equal which can mess with this needed opportunity to rest.  Thus, I like to consider rest not about a day but about a discipline.      

Richella Parham, in an article posted by Renovaré titled, “The Spiritual Discipline of Rest” points out,

“…the way the human body functions has not changed much in the years since God commanded his people to observe a day of rest. The amount of time generally set aside for sleep has shrunk, but the need for it has not. In these days filled with artificial light and late-night opportunities for work and play, we must now be very purposeful in the pursuit of physical rest.  

I think we often fail to consider that we must choose to rest or else we’re likely to have rest forced upon us when we are exhausted to the point of physical, mental, or emotional distress.”

Ask yourself this morning, Have I ever found myslef forced to my bed after pushing myself too hard?

I had a friend once who would say, “My getting sick is God’s way of slowing me down.”  I don’t think we need to blame this on God, but rather become more aware of our life, our body’s needs, and about how much we are able or trying to do. 

As followers of Christ, we look to Jesus as an example and there are plenty of places in scripture that show us his discipline of rest. Often, we get so caught up with other aspects of the stories that we quickly read over or completely miss the more human aspects to which we can relate that often speak directly to his need for down time. For example:

Mark 1:35 But after this one day, “very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place and there he prayed.”  

In this moment Jesus secluded himself so much that his disciples could not find him and they had actually formed a search party. 

Or after John the Baptist’s death, Jesus said to the disciples,

’Come away by yourselves to a quiet place and rest a while.’ For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” 

And in Matthew 11:28-30 it clearly shows that Jesus understood the importance of rest.  He incorporated rest into his life and his teaching.  I love how The Message translates Matthew 11:28-30,

“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

That is one of my favorite phrases: We need to “learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”

But probably the story I love the most is found in Mark 4.  Most of us are probably familiar with this story.  Jesus and his closest followers set out across the Sea of Galilee by boat. Exhausted and spent from his day of ministry and teaching, Jesus falls fast asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat. While Jesus is “sawing logs,” major storms blow in and fear sets in on everyone else  aboard the boat.  Mark 4:38 finds everyone a bit upset at Jesus and they shake him awake saying angerly, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Now, you must remember that many of Jesus’ disciples were fisherman and knew just how dangerous the Sea of Galilee could get. So if they were frantic during a squall or storm of this nature – that was a big problem. Yet Jesus shows us that even in the literal storms of life, rest is vital to building our trust, confidence, and definitely our peace.

The reason I love this story so much is because it is just how it seems to be. You finally decide to nap, rest, take a day off, or make some time in your schedule and then someone comes and says, “What are you doing? You don’t have time to rest.” 

Folks, there will always be another emergency, more work to do, someone to help, something to fix, but sometimes to help us be better people in our world, more understanding, more clear about our decisions, we are going to need to say, “I am taking a rest, because that is more important at this time.”   

And when you and I are in the thick of the storms of life, do we take Jesus’ advice or simply push on.  Do we find a quiet place to rest?  Do we intentionally find time to recover and renew our life?  Do we, while everyone else is frantic around us, have the personal awareness and fortitude it takes to find a place stop the madness around us and really rest? 

Are you in need of rest, today? Would your week start better if you rested today? If you allowed yourself to slow down and pause for a while might you be able to center down and worship in a more meaningful way?   

To help us begin to process our need for the discipline of rest.  I want to offer you  some queries to ponder this morning (you will find them on the back of the bulletin):

·        What exhausts you or keeps you working past your limits?

·        When and where do you most deeply rest?

·        Who helps you rest?

·        What is it like for you to set aside time to rest and recharge?

·        How regular and inviolable is that time?

After you have had a moment to look at those queries, Eric will come up and share a song to help lead us into waiting worship.  This morning, I hope our waiting worship will also be restful worship.  Imagine God saying to you this morning, “Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest” and then allow yourself to center down and enter into that space this morning.

1-6-19 - I am an Epiphany!

I am an Epiphany!

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

January 6, 2019

Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Most of us know or have heard that our Jewish friends celebrate for 8 nights what they call a “Festival of Lights” named Hanukkah, but what you may not have known is that we Christians have a similar celebration that goes back to the traditions of the Middle Ages. 

Today, January 6th is 12 days from Christmas or December 25th.  I am sure most of us are aware of the Christmas Carol – The 12 Days of Christmas (which had a resurgence in the last few years, thanks to Straight No Chaser.)  It seemed to be a nonsensical song for kids, but it too is directly related to these 12 days. Some believe the song has a hidden message that teaches children the Christian Faith. Either way, few people today celebrate these 12 days which the song speaks.

For most of us, Christmas is one day with lots and lots of prior build-up, and then as soon as it is over, we roll it back up into boxes and stick it in our attic until next December, when we do it all again.

In our day and age, the 12 Days of Christmas have become a time to finally rest after the exhaustion of Christmas.  Mainly because our lives and schedules dictate so much during the holiday season. History shows that these 12 days were supposed to be a way for Christians to Celebrate and even “brake the cycle” of the secular world’s busyness.

Many Christians would take the 12 days of Christmas off from work. Many would even wait until Christmas Eve to put up their Christmas Tree and would plan decorating events for each day. Many traditions were created during this time.

It was a time of celebration, a time of family and community, and it all was to focus on the incarnation of Jesus in our world.  Some even believed it to be a time to center down and allow Christ to be revealed in us again each year. It was a brief season of revealing or manifestation.

It is no coincidence then that these 12 days would end with an “Epiphany.”  If you grew up in a more liturgical church or you have friends who are Orthodox Christians (who consider this day their Christmas) you would know that today is an important day. After 12 days of celebrating, centering down, and reflecting, now it is time for an epiphany. 

In ancient times, an epiphany was considered a manifestation of a god (or goddess). The god would finally be recognized, made manifest, or would reveal him or herself to ordinary people.

Early Christians used the word “epiphany” to describe the story that was just read about the visitation of the wise men.  Jesus had been revealed to local shepherds, but to be made manifest to worldly men, star gazers, people most likely outside the Jewish faith was a true epiphany or revealing.

This is why, I believe the story of the wise men cannot be missed or trivialized. It is important in understanding why the message of Jesus is for everyone not just Christians.

Author and Biblical Commentator, Sea Raven, says that Matthew, the writer of our text this morning about the epiphany to the wise men, may have been a liturgist and worship leader in the Jewish Community.  She says Matthew followed a format that honored the Jewish Sabbath and would be understandable for those knowing the stories about Jesus.

The Jewish people have a long tradition of retelling the great stories of the faith. What she says Matthew was doing was interpreting the birth of Jesus to be the new symbol of the Exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt. Matthew went as far as pointing out that Isaiah and Jeremiah both prophesied about the Messiah coming to liberate his people from bondage.

In technical jargon or in theological circles this retelling is called, “midrash.”

“Midrash means retelling a sacred story in a way that has special meaning  for the current time, to fit a new occasion, and a different context, and from a different point of view.” 

In this same tradition, I want us to think about “epiphany” in our current context.  In our postmodern world today, epiphany has come to mean a revelation of a truth about one’s self.

Just maybe, like Matthew interpreted the epiphany for his day and age through the lens of Jesus, we too are being called to reflect, center down, and again reinterpret the epiphany in our context. 

As Quakers, we believe the Light of Christ resides within us and thus we are the hands and feet of Christ being revealed to our world.  We are the manifestation to our neighbors, communities, workplaces, and our own families.   

Again, Sea Raven talks about Christ (or in Matthew’s story what she calls the “Divine Child”)  being an archetype in our world.

As you know in our world today, archetypes get associated with great leaders both spiritual and political.  She points out that this Divine Child archetype is very much prevalent in our world.  We are always looking for a “messiah” or Divine Child to be born or be revealed to save us from our bondages.

Just listen to the news or politics, we will make just about anyone a “messiah” for our need to be saved.  We are so obsessed with creating and projecting the “next messiah” we miss the fact that the Divine Child (or Christ) lives within us.  Folks, we are the next epiphany – the next manifestation of God in our world.  We are the incarnation of the gospel to our hurting world.  Just maybe those Christians in the Middle Ages understood the need to reflect and center down on the incarnation of Christ for those 12 days so they could have a new epiphany in and through their own lives.   

I love what Sea Raven says about this Christ or inner-Divine Child within each of us.  She says,

“The Divine Child is the one who brings something new into the world. The Divine Child challenges the way things are. The Divine Child overturns the kind of injustice that results from the mindless indifference of social systems. The Divine Child overturns everything we think we know about what makes life safe and secure and predictable and under our control. The Divine Child puts us in touch with what we don’t want to be in touch with.  The Divine Child is the wild part of ourselves that isn’t constrained by rules about what’s proper or possible or practical. That wildness is rooted in passionate, radical, inclusive, non-violent, self-defying justice.”

I don’t know about you, but I believe Sea Raven just described living in the Quaker Way.  Imagine the difference we might make in our current world – in 2019 – if we were to live out, reveal, make manifest these “Divine Child” attributes and attitudes, today. 

It all sounds great, but it isn’t easy – just as it wasn’t easy for Jesus.

Let’s be honest, the reality of this, is that when we live out this “Divine Child” within us, like Mary, Joseph, and the baby Jesus, we find Herod coming after us – wanting to kill us.  

Herod too is a metaphor.  Herod is the people in our lives or sometimes our own ego saying that the predictable and normal are simply ok.

We are surrounded by “Herods,” and they want to kill creativity, suppress change, prevent life from flourishing and growing.

“Herod” is that voice inside of you saying you are not good enough, or you can’t do that, or you don’t have time.  Herod is the voice of oppression and injustice.

So, it makes sense then at this time of the year, we take a personal inventory of ourselves.  We write out New Year’s resolutions, we join gyms and go on diets and make changes to our bodies and minds.  And when we make changes and work to live and manifest the Quaker Way in our life, I believe the world benefits.  

For several years on New Year’s Day, I have posted the following words on Facebook attributed to St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Theresa of Avila. They speak to my condition as I reflect on this epiphany.

Peace Within

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received,

and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.
Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Amen

Now, let us take a moment to quiet our souls enter into Waiting Worship. In the bulletin you will find some queries to ponder in light of my message.

·       How are we allowing the “Divine Child” to be revealed in and through us?

·       Who are the “wise men” to whom we need to reveal our message?

·       Who are the personal “Herods” we need to keep at bay?

12-9-18 - John's Way of Preparing for Peace

John’s Way of Preparing for Peace

Indianapolis First Friends

Pastor Bob Henry

December 9, 2018

Matthew 3:1-12

3 1-2 While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called “the Baptizer,” was preaching in the desert country of Judea. His message was simple and austere, like his desert surroundings: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”

3 John and his message were authorized by Isaiah’s prophecy:

Thunder in the desert!
Prepare for God’s arrival!
Make the road smooth and straight!

4-6 John dressed in a camel-hair habit tied at the waist by a leather strap. He lived on a diet of locusts and wild field honey. People poured out of Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordanian countryside to hear and see him in action. There at the Jordan River those who came to confess their sins were baptized into a changed life.

7-10 When John realized that a lot of Pharisees and Sadducees were showing up for a baptismal experience because it was becoming the popular thing to do, he exploded: “Brood of snakes! What do you think you’re doing slithering down here to the river? Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference? It’s your life that must change, not your skin! And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father. Being a descendant of Abraham is neither here nor there. Descendants of Abraham are a dime a dozen. What counts is your life. Is it green and blossoming? Because if it’s deadwood, it goes on the fire.

11-12 “I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. The real action comes next: The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”

The chaos of life is constantly heralding an inner and outer cry for peace in our own lives and in the world. 

The same was true for the days of John the Baptist and Jesus.  The world, as Mary Blackburn pointed out last week in Waiting Worship, was struggling with many of the same issues we find in our day.  Life in Jesus’ day was a bit chaotic as well, and it was heralding a cry for Peace to come to the world, too!  For them that peace was to come through a Messiah – one that they would label “The Prince of Peace.”

Yet, the chaos of life in the days of Jesus distracted the people from watching, expecting, or seeing glimpses of the Messiah already coming in their midst – a familiar seen in our day and age, as well.  So a prophet would be sent – someone to herald a  cry and remind the people – that prophet was John the Baptist.

John’s task was to prepare the way, but what does it actually mean to “prepare the way”?  One online source (greatbiblestudy.com) says,

“To ‘prepare the way’ means to create a favorable environment or to make it easy for one to come to you and operate in your life.”

Having that in mind, let’s think back on our text for this morning. I want to point out five different areas in the text in which John the Baptist helps prepare us for peace to come. 

1.     John said, “Change your life. God’s Kingdom is here.”

This was not only going to be an outward peace, but it would entail an inward work as well.  Outward living in peace takes respecting and loving each other in spite of our differences (which isn’t always easy), but inwardly, we must search our own hearts and minds and understand the fear and bad choices that cause our lack of peace.  Just pause for a moment and ask yourself,

What fear or bad choice do I struggle with that causes a lack of true peace in my life?

I believe it also has to do with a willingness to surrender the parts of our lives that we are trying too hard to control.  In an article I read recently called, “Living in Peace” the writer eluded to this need saying,

“Ceasing to seek power over people and outcomes in your life is the first major step to living peacefully.  Trying to control people is about seeking to impose your will and reality on others without ever trying to see their side of things.  A controlling approach to relationships will keep you in conflict with others. Replacing a will to control with a broad approach of loving others instead, including their faults and differences, is the way to a peaceful life.”

And even one more, we often try to control God and what God say – which has us needing a change. Yet, we must remember that loving God and our neighbor is the beginning of the change.  That leads us to the second point from John…

2.     Make the Road Smooth and Straight.

 I think John is calling us to fill in the potholes and level the walls or barriers for others to find peace in their life.  What are some of the potholes or barriers in our day for people to find peace?  What about…

Thinking in overly simplistic, limited, or narrow ways and holding to convictions without every considering the viewpoints and perspectives of others.  Or…

Not accepting other people who are different than ourselves and learning to appreciate the diversity. 

When we fail to try and see from our neighbor’s perspective or be willing to listen to their opinions, the end result can be building walls and making potholes of discrimination, repression, dehumanization, and ultimately violence (all things that are the opposite of peace).

And that is probably because we have a hard time identifying with those different than ourselves…which leads to the third

3.     John dressed in a camel-hair habit tied at the waist by a leather strap. 

You may not know this, but by dressing this way, John was identifying with the folks on the fringe.  He went as far as to become one of them – moving outside the city gates – in what they called, “the wilderness” where the poor, the sick, and the lame had to live.

For you and I that may mean finding things to do in our lives where we engage different groups of people that we normally associate with.  It’s harder to be discriminative, repressive, even dehumanizing when you’re interacting with people from all walks of life.  Studies show that most people, who the world would consider racist, have never had an experience with a person different than themselves.

It might be time to intentionally build a relationship, have a conversation, even engage a group that might be outside your “comfort zone.”

John’s wilderness journey was just that – remember he was a RK (rabbi kid) – he had it made in his day – he grew up with the elite of society and would have had a hard time identifying with those outside the city walls – he would have been taught that they were unclean by his own dad – Zechariah. 

Thus, the reason I think John comes down so hard on the religious leaders who come out to see him in the wilderness. He knew they wanted control because of their positions – listen to what he says (and this will lead into number four).

4.     Do you think a little water on your snakeskins is going to make any difference? It’s your life that must change, not your skin! And don’t think you can pull rank by claiming Abraham as father.

John is being an advocate for those who had been taken advantage of – the actual people who lived in the wilderness where he made his home – ALSO… the actual people the religious leaders had used their position to oppress.

Now, this action of John may seem out of place, since most peace and conflict teachings say when communicating with others, seek to avoid being ordering, moralizing, demanding, or threatening.  Because these forms of communication can give rise to conflict with others who feel that you’re trying to control them rather than speak with them as an equal.  Simply because it can lead to further conflict and does not put the two sides on common ground. 

We must remember that John was one of them.  In this case, he wanted to bring peace through accountability and calling out his brothers. And that leads right into what I consider John’s most important point…if you want peace in this world, if you want to prepare your heart for peace, if you want change, it starts with your life.  He says,

5.     What counts is your life.  Is it green and blossoming?...ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. 

Brining peace to this world begins with your life.  We need to ask ourselves, “Is our life green and blossoming?” That may mean we will need to stop and listen to our lives. 

When we go inside ourselves – we engage our inner light. This engages an opportunity for God to speak Truth into our action – meaning when we find peace then we have the responsibility of changing our world for the better.

I believe God wants us to be part of the solution, just as he was through John the Baptist in his day.  God wants us to live life – where we love God and love our neighbor for the sake of a greater peace.  God wants us to be John the Baptists for those around us in our families, in our work situations, in our neighborhoods, in our schools – wherever we find ourselves.

So what have we learned from John the Baptist…John’s way asks of us some important queries for preparations:

1.     What do I need to change in my life to find peace?

2.     Where am I creating “barriers” for others to find peace?

3.     Who are the folks on the fringe I need to identify with so they can experience peace?

4.     Where am I using my position to withhold peace?

5.     Is my life green and blossoming with opportunities for peace?

12-2-18 - Reflection: Thoughts about Shepherds and Angels

Reflection: Thoughts about Shepherds and Angels

Indianapolis First Friends

Pastor Bob Henry

December 2, 2018

Luke 2:8-15 (NRSV)

8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah,[a] the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,[b] praising God and saying,

14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”[c]

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.”

Having the Royal Sensation Choir here today gives such life to the scripture passage we just heard read from Luke. They truly were a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and singing!  What a rousing and similar way (as with the biblical story) for us to enter our holiday season this morning. Thank you to Shawn for sharing them with us again this year.  

This morning, I am bringing simply a devotional thought for us to ponder on a bit of history and legend behind this biblical story of angels and shepherds.  With the help of James Cooper, the Pathos website, and church history, I want to give us some insights that I have found rather fascinating in regard to this biblical story.  

Let’s begin with the shepherds.  I think I have mentioned this before, but in this day, shepherds were generally seen as having low or little value by people.  They were on the fringe of society, dirty and rough, not allowed in the temple because they weren’t ever able to be “ceremonially clean.”  Sadly, this left them both ostracized by society and the religious establishment.  

And how about the sheep that these shepherds took care of…

The type of sheep the shepherds would have been raising were 'fat tailed' (or broad tailed) sheep. They often had lambs in the autumn and winter, rather than in the spring like most sheep in our country these days.

The biblical account says that the shepherds were quietly attending to their business when a spiritual messenger appears to them.  I'm not surprised they were afraid because they spent a great deal of time alone out in the pasture not interacting socially with anyone other than the sheep. And if it was at night, there was no light pollution to help them see – their lamps were all the light they had. Anyone appearing out of seemingly nowhere would have startled them or brought alarm.  Remember they were keeping watch for wolves and other animals that would harm their precious sheep.

The messenger’s words to them spoke of the amazing birth of a child and how they could recognize him in a very crowded town. I find it interesting that the words of the lead messenger recorded in the bible is very similar to the words sung during a Jewish Sacrifice Service in the temple, and that ceremony is even accompanied by three blasts of the temple shofar or trumpet.  

Interestingly, this account is only the second time in the whole Bible that a group of spiritual messengers rather than only one appeared to people, which from a literary view, would indicate that this was an important message.

This all fascinates me and has since I was a child. Early on, I was very curious about the historicity of the events taking place around the first Christmas. So much so, I asked my parents for a book by Dr. Paul Maier, a professor of ancient history at Western Michigan University, about his perspectives of the First Christmas when I was still in grade school. (Yes, I was a nerd). 

Ironically, the material in that book ended up being key in helping me write my very first sermon, which I delivered at the age of 13 on Christmas Eve in my eighth grade year. 

Since those days, I have read many theories, mythologies, and histories about the events of the Christmas story. One that has intrigued me is that the historic Jesus might have actually been born a couple of miles outside of Bethlehem - and may have been born in the company of the shepherds.

Just outside of Bethlehem there was a special watch tower called the Migdal Eder, which means The Tower of the Flock. It's thought that sheep born there were used as sacrificial animals in the Jewish Temple in near-by Jerusalem. Unlike typical shepherds, these were very special and were thought of more highly by the religious establishment and society of the day.

According to some sources, the lambs at Migdal Eder had their health checked by resting them in a 'manger' (or a hewn out rock) to stop them from escaping.  They were even wrapped in bands of cloth, or what we call, swaddling clothes to show they were special!

Now, I’m not convinced about the historic Jesus actually ‘being born’ at 'Migdal Eder’ but having those shepherds being the first to be told about him makes a lot of sense.

Having seen the new baby, the Bible says "...they [shepherds] spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them." I have a reasonable suspicion this makes them not the typical shepherds of the day – otherwise, no one would have paid attention to their news.

But if they were shepherds from Migdal Eder, they could have told the people what they saw on the way back to the hills, friends and relatives in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, the 'middle class' people they sold sheep to and also the people and priests in the Jewish Temple when they took their best sheep and lambs to be sold there for sacrifices.

Ironically, even one ancient prophesy from the Bible speaks of the Jewish messiah coming from the tower of the flock (Micah 4:8).

We may never know the exact history of the First Christmas, but that may not be important. What is important, is that when we hear good news proclaimed to us like the shepherds, that we too would take it into all the world (share it with our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers), and do it without instilling fear, but instead with great joy. 

To bring peace and bear good news is our call as Quakers and Friends as we enter this holiday season.  Today, may you and I take that “good news,” as the shepherds did into Bethlehem, into our communities in greater Indianapolis.

Queries to ponder: How are you bringing peace and bearing “good news” as you enter this holiday season?  Who do you know that needs hope in our world, today?

11-18-18 - The Hospitable Way

The Hospitable Way

Indianapolis First Friends

Pastor Bob Henry

November 18, 2018

 Luke 14:12-24 (NRSV)

12 He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

15 One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, “Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 Then Jesus[a] said to him, “Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. 17 At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.’ 19 Another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.’ 20 Another said, ‘I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 And the slave said, ‘Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ 23 Then the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you,[b] none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.’”

Today, we conclude our 11-part “Slow Movement” series by looking at the topic of Hospitality.  We have looked at everything from stability to wholeness and abundance, to gratitude just last week and now today – hospitality – another appropriate topic as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday.

Most people think hospitality has a lot to do with being welcoming, helping people feel welcomed and have a sense of belonging or, you could say, it is allowing others to become a full participant of whatever is happening.

Or if you are a Hoosier (which most of us are), hospitality is all about being polite – or what we have labeled “Hoosier Hospitality.” Yet sadly, The Marchex Institute ranked Indiana the 3rd rudest state in the nation after examining more than 600,000 phone calls from the past 12 months made by customers to businesses in 30 industries like cable and satellite companies, auto dealerships, pest control centers, etc. The firm looked for the frequency of curse words and which states said “please” and “thank you” the most. We ranked 3rd behind Wisconsin and Massachusetts.

In our world today, hospitality might mean welcoming and being polite, but it has also become about being at ease with people and sensing an amount of safety - yet that was not always the case in our Abrahamic religious history. Hospitality looked a bit different in the ancient Near East than in America, today.

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

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

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

Wow! I think it is time for us to reinstate this “social covenant” in our day and age. It makes me wonder how the early Abrahamic faiths would have viewed the “Caravan” heading to the US Border or the continued creation of New Jim Crow laws to oppress minorities.   

Thompson continues, she says:   

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

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

Just look around you in this room – you are in a room filled with opportunities to experience holy presence.

Or think about this coming week, you will be having dinner around tables with family and friends who are opportunities to experience holy presence.

That is if we are able to see with “hospitable eyes.”

I remember just before coming to First Friends, I had the opportunity for a silent retreat at the Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon.  On my last day there, I had spent some time in the library and was on my way out and decided to grab a quick drink of water out of the drinking fountain.  Just above the fountain was a beautiful sign made with colorful mosaic tiles.  On it was written the Rule of St. Benedict #53 – Receive all as Christ.

Receive all as Christ. 

Receive all as a holy presence. 

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

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

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

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

I believe one of the biggest problems with churches and Quaker meetings today, is that they too often have stopped creating new opportunities for belonging and sharing. They continue to do the same thing over and over hoping for different results (some label that insanity!) I love all the ways we have been creating opportunities here at First Friends to help people find a place to belong and share. 

·        Connection Dinners for new attenders in members homes.

·        Threshing Together gatherings at community eateries.

·        Weenie Roasts and Sing-alongs on the porch of our Meetinghouse.

·        Community Soups in our Fellowship Hall.

·        Bread Making and Baking in our Meeting’s Kitchen.

·        Road Trips with Seasoned Friends

·        Grief Gatherings for those grieving.

·        Eco Films at various churches.

·        Yoga in our parlor

·        Unprogrammed Worship on Mondays and Wednesdays.

·        Small Groups at coffee shops, homes, and at the Meetinghouse.

And that is only a few of the great ways we are creating opportunities for belonging and sharing.

Slowing down and spending time with people for the purpose of developing community, friendships, and deeper relationships is essential to hospitality.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Take a moment to really think about this…who are the nomads, vagrants, widows, orphans, homeless, poor, and strangers in our neighborhoods?  Who are the  people who cannot repay us? Who are the people who are neglected by the mainstream of culture? Where do they live and spend their time?  Why are they neglected? 

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

·        someone who feels alone,

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

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

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

·        someone suffering from depression or melancholia.

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

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

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

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

·        We all want to be welcomed.

·        We all want to belong. 

·        We all want to be full participants. 

·        We all want to be needed. 

·        We all want to be delighted. 

·        We all want to be loved.

·        We all want to be in right relationships

·        We all want to be seen and known.

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

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

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

Prayer of Hospitality by Liz Dyer 

Give us eyes to see the deepest needs of people.

Give us hearts full of love for our neighbors as well as for the strangers we meet.

Help us understand what it means to love others as we love ourselves.

Teach us to care in a way that strengthens those who are sick.

Fill us with generosity so we feed the hungry, clothe the naked and give drink to the thirsty.

Let us be a healing balm to those who are weak and lonely and weary by offering our kindness to them.

May we remember to listen, to smile, to offer a helping hand each time the opportunity presents itself.

Give us hearts of courage that we will be brave enough to risk loving our enemy.

Inspire us to go out of our way to include those in the margins.

Help us to be welcoming and inclusive to all who come to our door.

Let us be God’s hospitality in the world.

Amen

11-11-18 - Engaging our Gratitude Sensors

Engaging Our Gratitude Sensors

Indianapolis First Friends Quaker Meeting

Pastor Bob Henry

November 11, 2018

Colossians 3:11-17 (NRSV)

11 In that renewal[a] there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

12 As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. 13 Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord[b] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ[c] dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.[d] 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

And be thankful…and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.  I hope this is our posture this morning and as we begin preparing for our Thanksgiving holidays.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to read to the children at Meridian Street Preschool Co-op.  If anything gives me a grateful heart it is those kiddos. Most days, just after I am done reading the book, I usually talk with them about the next month when I will be coming back and reading again.  But this week as we talked about me coming back, I mentioned that we were heading into some fun times.  Times with family and even some surprises.

Most of the kids had no clue that we were just a couple of weeks from Thanksgiving.  But one astute 4 yr. old, almost out of the blue, remembered and he couldn’t contain himself yelling, “Soon it will be the day to be thankful for turkeys!” 

I couldn’t help but think how his innocence and the mixing of all that the holiday of Thanksgiving brings was simply spot on.  We should be thankful for turkeys – just as we should be grateful for so much more in our world.

And if only our gratitude would spring up out of us like that 4 yr. old, with excitement, joy, and energy – it would make such an impact on our world.  Very rarely do I turn on my T.V. or radio anymore and hear people sharing moments of gratitude.  Actually, if I am completely honest, I don’t hear much of what Brenda read in the scripture for today.  Very little if any…

compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with one another, forgiving each other…and especially thankfulness and gratitude.

These are almost radical beliefs and actions in our world today. 

For many, just the idea of the Thanksgiving holiday and getting together with family, seems a burden or a chore.  And then add to that politics, religion, mass shootings, family issues, and all that is going on in our world and Thanksgiving Holidays can become anything but a time of gratitude and thanksgiving. For example here are some real-life descriptions of past family thanksgivings that were a bit more than thankful.   

From Paige on Facebook: "Our whole family got into a screaming fight about the validity of the Twilight series, which somehow brought up every issue we have ever had with one another. It ended with half of my family storming out and a mutual decision that we shouldn't spend too much time together."

From Michelle on Facebook: "One year my dad flipped out on my sister for adding cheese to the mashed potatoes to the point where he locked himself in his room for the majority of the afternoon."

From Natalie: "My grandma accused my aunt of stealing her wedding ring and threatened to call the police on her. We found out my grandma planted her wedding ring in my aunt's purse when she admitted it this past Thanksgiving."

From Taylor: "One year, two of my aunts had a heated argument over who wanted the last bit of turkey skin more. Long story short, one stabbed the other in the hand with a carving knife and had to leave to be treated at the hospital. They're cool now, though."

Now, these real-life stories may make us laugh a bit – but the reality is that this is how it is for some families.  And sadly, this is how it is for some churches as well. 

We have all heard the stories about people leaving the church over trivial things like the color of the church carpet, or whether to wear choir robes, or what kind of coffee to use for fellowship hour…(haha! – I have heard those are some of ours as well). Sadly, too often it is trivial things that can lead us away from gratitude and missing all that our families, neighborhoods, and Quaker meeting offer us.       

In the book Slow Church, Chris and John describe gratitude as the vital bridge that connects abundance and generosity. As a spiritual discipline–one that requires time and intentionality, both on our own and in community–gratitude is how we practice recognizing the abundant gifts God has given us. It’s how we praise God for those gifts. And it is the energy that compels us to want to share those gifts.

From the earliest days of our faith, the Hebrew people have considered gratitude foundational.  The Hebrew Torah (or the first five books of our scriptures) instructed people to make offerings of thanksgiving or peace offerings.  Some English translations even call them fellowship offerings.  The reason for so many different variations (thanksgiving, peace, and fellowship) is that it reminds us that the posture of gratitude occurs in community and by coming together peacefully in fellowship with one another. This is why the word we translate shalom has such a wealth of meaning.  Quakers are quick to make it solely about peace, but it is so much more.

Rabbi Rick Schechter says,

“More than peace, shalom means well-being, health, wholeness, and prosperity…Using a Jewish lens to explore each path may help us realize shalom in our lives.

The Positive emotions it includes are “ joy, love, gratitude, hope, and awe…” and “…are vital to Jewish living….” and …”enhance energy and creativity, strengthen the immune system, build better relationships, promote higher productivity, and even contribute to a longer life.”

This concept and belief continues throughout our New Testament as well as the Hebrew scriptures. Author David Pao says that some scholars believe that Paul mentions this shalom – what he considers a mix of thanksgiving and grace more frequently per page than any other Helleneistic writer of his time.  

Judao-Christian faith is steeped in shalom or thanksgiving and grace which happens within community. 

Let’s take a moment and think about this for First Friends.  What does gratitude, shalom or thanksgiving and grace look like for us.  I want to give us a moment to think about this, so I want to ask us some queries to ponder and talk about with one another.

What are some of the practices of gratitude in our meeting?

            How do we express our gratitude to God?

            How do we express our gratitude to one another?

What are our practices of celebration? How do we “rejoice with those who rejoice”?  

[At this point we paused and our music minister, Eric Baker came forward to help us celebrate three important birthdays in our meeting by leading us in singing Happy Birthday. Joyce Bowmen who turned 86, on this day, Helen Davenport who turns 90 on Monday, and Richard Mills who turned 91 last Sunday.] 

Think back over your history in our meeting.  When have you felt most alive and energized.  Who was involved, what was happening, and what energized you?

What is the most life-giving virtue of our meeting?  How is that virtue evidenced in our meeting?

If the elections this week and our world have taught me anything, it is the fact that we as a people (on all sides) are dissatisfied.  Dissatisfaction is a killer of gratitude.

When we are dissatisfied and buy into a mentality that we don’t have everything we need or deserve we become quickly ungrateful.

We become distrustful, divided, competitive and our world quickly moves from gratitude, shalom, thanksgiving and grace to war, hunger, poverty, economic inequality, racism, and ecological destruction.  And it is our dissatisfaction which leads to injustice, mistreatment, and abuse.

We move from the ways of God to the ways of humanity.

So to close this morning, I think we need to reengage our gratitude sensors.  It won’t just help our Thanksgiving holidays, but it will help us remember what we should be grateful for, and how we have forgotten or neglected to see the greater abundance that God has provided for us.  In your bulletin is a special insert.  Take it out.  This will help you reengage those gratitude sensors. 

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

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

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

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

3. Identify 3 things that you appreciate about yourself.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let us continue this as we enter into Open Worship this morning.

11-4-18 - A Feeling Sense of the Condition of Others

A Feeling Sense of the Condition of Others.

Indianapolis First Friends

Pastor Bob Henry

November 4, 2018

Proverbs 2:1-5 (NRSV)

2 My child, if you accept my words
    and treasure up my commandments within you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 if you indeed cry out for insight,
    and raise your voice for understanding;
4 if you seek it like silver,
    and search for it as for hidden treasures—
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.

As part of the “Slow Movement” we have been discussing the last 8 weeks, one of the important aspects for us at First Friends is learning to become a better conversational meeting. 

Last week I mentioned this in several ways. One being the importance of staying open and “sharing” with one another in the meeting and also during worship.

With all that is going on in our world and the tensions that are being created, one of the things I continue to hear from all sides is that we have lost the ability to have a fruitful conversation with one another.  Conversation is integral to our human nature and being.  We are relational people.  And as tensions, technology, and our gravitation to isolation increase, more and more we are realizing just how much we lack when it comes to talking with each other.

In my former meeting in Oregon, we took on having better conversations over about a four-year process (some would say that was rather “slow”).  It began in our study hour in a class much like Seeking Friends which I lead on Sundays here.  It was an open forum to discuss challenging and often controversial issues led by a member of our meeting. In our first year we explored things like:

·        Who are our neighbors?

·        How is Technology affecting us?

·        Race and Profiling

·        What really is Peace?

·        God’s Economy vs. the World’s Economy

·        Guns and Gun Violence.

As you can see these were not easy topics, but they did bring about many successes. Things like,

·        Connecting and networking with people who share different beliefs or ideas.

·        A discovered need for a deeper understanding of our own mindfulness.

·        The difficulty with time constraints and wanting more time to dialogue.

·        Learning that we don’t need to always be right.

·        And probably the most important thing was developing a set of agreements for our conversations.

I would like to share with you the original agreements that we came up with.  These developed as the participants embraced the understanding that as Quakers, we believe God speaks in one voice, but that it often comes through many mouths. 

These agreements ended up being a foundation for almost all corporate conversation that took place at Silverton Friends.  We used them starting with the open forum class, through our soup and conversation gatherings on Sunday nights, to even starting business meetings with these agreements. At one point the Yearly Meeting asked to utilize the agreements for their conversations. They were extremely helpful when we discussed marriage equality and difficult subjects where people were divided – much like we see on a daily basis in our world,  today.  

As I read them, think about your conversations, maybe the conversations that you wish could go better, or that you don’t want to have. How might these agreements help as you enter in?  Also, think about how they could benefit us as we begin sharing, listening, and having conversations together at First Friends.

These are the original agreements.

We agree to the following:

·        We will embody the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

·        We will practice empathy.

·        We will seek to understand above being understood.

·        We will wear a thick skin so others may express their authentic thoughts and feelings. 

·        We will actively listen.

·        We will be prepared to agree to disagree if necessary.

·        We will try not to ramble.

·        We will not play the role of “know-it-all.”

·        We will look for opportunities to find common ground.

·        We will acknowledge Christ’s presence among us and in each one of us.

·        We will lay down the need to persuade.

·        We will try not to be defensive, nor will we posture ourselves for the offense.

·        We will not be afraid of silence.

·        We will intentionally listen to one another, suspending judgement.

At the bottom it states, This is a “living” list of agreements and may evolve as we journey together. Your input is necessary.

We found that by beginning with reading these agreements conversations started out on the right foot, were much more productive, and that people actually were able to listen and hear each other. 

I believe those type of agreements flow from our Quaker faith and have a deep foundation in early Quakerdom. To me, agreements of this nature show our intentionality of seeking to love our God and our neighbor better and they flow directly from our earliest days as Quakers. Quaker Marcelle Martin wrote about, and I would like to highlight her 10 Essential Elements in the Early Quaker Spiritual Journey that can help us understand better who we are.  Early Quakers were people of…

1.     Longing – there was a desire for a greater intimacy with God and our neighbor.

2.     Seeking – both an outward seeking (such as reading scripture or other books, spending time in nature, joining a spiritual community or book group, etc…) but also an inner seeking of our own being that led to new understandings and growth in one’s spiritual life. 

3.     Turning Within – or what we may call Centering Down. Moving our focus inward to that inner light and Spirit’s guiding, instead of the world or our own desires.

4.     Openings – which include the ongoing revelation of God.  This is as Quakers say, “Minding the Light Within” to become more sensitive to openings and becoming responsive.

5.     Refirner’s Fire – A cleansing of our heart and mind to allow us to see God’s work more clearly in our life.  Allowing distractions, disbeliefs, our own pleasures to be removed so clarity could abound.

6.     Communtiy – The community becomes essential in the transforming work of God and helps to support the inward and outward struggle. A bond with the community develops so each person feels part of the greater community of faith. 

7.     Leading of the Spirit – In this community we can then hear, involve ourselves, and encourage each other to make a difference and follow the directions the spirit leads for change.

8.     Sacrifice – As we wrestle together and respond to the leadings of the Spirit, it will demand a sacrifice of time and energy on the behalf of others.  This may mean the loss of social status and at times persecution for our beliefs and actions.  

9.     Abiding in Love and Power – It is in seeking to live out and be transformed by the life of Christ that we are comforted and enabled to continue.  God’s power is evident in our lives and helps us take risks and move forward with confidence.  (I would say it even helps us have confidence in our conversations and in speaking more clearly in open worship). 

10. Spiritual Maturity – As we work through these several areas, we will begin to build a spiritual maturity that will set us apart as followers of Christ and that will help us live and serve our fellow neighbors.  It will not be about us or our meeting but about what God is doing in our midst.

Longing, Seeking, Turning Within, Openings, Refiner’s Fire, Community, Leadings of the Spirit, Sacrifice, Abiding in Love and Power, and Spiritual Maturity. 

Now, I lay this all out because, I not only want to show how important our conversations are but also how from the beginning our Quaker spirituality supported this relational and conversational emphasis. As well, how important this is in our world today. 

Again, I believe we as Quakers have something to offer our world. Not only in how we interact – but that the reason we have conversations and listen to one another is for the benefit of greater humanity. 

And that leads me to one last area of conversation that needs attention at First Friends – open, waiting or unprogrammed worship. A place where we both listen, wait, and converse with God and one another.  Waiting and Unprogrammed Worship is one of our deepest and longstanding roots.  Last week, I mentioned how sharing takes place in this very room each week, as well as in the parlor during the week.  I said,  “It is a time when we often get a bigger picture of what God is doing in our midst, of how others experience God at work, or an opportunity to embrace people for who God created them to be.”

In many ways, open, waiting or unprogrammed worship contains each of those ten essentials elements. There is a sense of longing, seeking, centering, opening, refining, community, leading, sacrificing, abiding, and growth, because when people gather together it is a collective experience with a plethora of diversity to go around.

I love how Quaker Michael Birkel, from Earlham School of Religion describes waiting or unprogrammed worship. He says,  

“In this quiet place, worshippers enter into expectant waiting, striving to be attentive to divine presence and hopeful that all may be blessed with awareness of the guidance of the Spirit. Here a door may open to experience the collective dimension of worship in community. In earlier times Friends called this “a feeling sense of the conditions of others.” One may feel an unspoken trouble in the life of someone else and minister to it simply by being present in silence and in love to that unvoiced difficulty. The centered state of some can assist others lost in distraction. Unawares, those thus assisted may simply feel “unfogged” and closer to a centered quietness. At times, all may feel knit to one another, gathered in the Spirit and canopied in the power of God’s uplifting presence.”

Open, Unprogrammed or waiting worship can be confusing for new people and birthright Quakers as well.  So much can happen.  The spirit can move in many different directions.  I have a painting in my office of a Canadian Goose running wildly – in Celtic Spirituality the Wild Goose is the metaphor or picture of the Holy Spirit.  If you can imagine running after a Canadian goose as it darts and squaks and moves in all different directions and without any patterns.  This was their view of the Spirit. 

I sense often that is what it feels like for some during waiting or unprogrammed worship.  The Spirit is running all over our minds and hearts.  Some of us don’t know how to process all that is going on in our minds – we can’t seem to catch that goose.  Some of us are prone to speak before thinking…and some can’t seem to stay awake.  We have thoughts, phrases, maybe even a vision, but it isn’t fully made visible.  This can lead to a great deal of confusion, maybe frustration, or simply a dislike for silence and waiting. And it can also lead to us speaking when not fully prepared. 

My friend and fellow Quaker minister, Wess Daniels describes open worship this way. 

• A time of worship that creates a space, or an environment, where we as a community practice listening and responding to God.

• It is a time where we all practice being ministers.

• Creates a space where God can have a chance to move among us and teach us.

• Invites participation from all present. As we listen silently, we listen together for the movement of God’s Spirit.

• Invites a learning-while-doing mentality. We learn how to listen often by speaking back what we think we heard the other person say, and that person or others around us can help to confirm whether what you heard resonated with the group.

• Based in a trust of the spirituality of people. It trusts that God interacts with all people and that everyone has something to contribute to the people of God.

And he goes on to say that if we are led to speak out in open worship,

• Make sure that it is said in a worshiping posture.

• Be sure not to monopolize the time and space, we want others to be free to be led to share in ministry as well.

• Ask yourself - Will this statement help in bringing the people in the meeting to a more gathered sense of worship?

• Is this statement for yourself or something the whole meeting would benefit from hearing?

• Are there things you feel led to share besides speaking such as: a song, a prayer, a piece of art created during worship, a passage of Scripture?

I am pretty sure I know where my friend Wess got a couple of those points.  They are from the document that is in each of your bulletins (see below).

Much like needing agreements for better conversations, a few years ago, I realized we needed some helpful guiding queries to help us organize our thoughts and possible words during open, waiting or unprogrammed worship.  Questions that focus us, so that we can keep longing, seeking, turning within, and opening ourselves to the Spirit’s leading.  This simple wheel of arrows and queries were created Stan Thornburg, an outstanding Quaker minister from the Northwest who was both a colleague and mentor to Wess and I.  Let’s look at this in more detail. 

10-28-18 - God's Superabundance

God’s Superabundance

Indianapolis First Friends

Pastor Bob Henry

October 28, 2018

Psalm 104:1-5. 24-35 MSG

1-5 God, my God, how great you are!
    beautifully, gloriously robed,
Dressed up in sunshine,
    and all heaven stretched out for your tent.
You built your palace on the ocean deeps,
    made a chariot out of clouds and took off on wind-wings.
You commandeered winds as messengers,
    appointed fire and flame as ambassadors.
You set earth on a firm foundation
    so that nothing can shake it, ever.

What a wildly wonderful world, God!
    You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
    made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.
Oh, look—the deep, wide sea,
    brimming with fish past counting,
    sardines and sharks and salmon.
Ships plow those waters,
    and Leviathan, your pet dragon, romps in them.
All the creatures look expectantly to you
    to give them their meals on time.
You come, and they gather around;
    you open your hand and they eat from it.
If you turned your back,
    they’d die in a minute—
Take back your Spirit and they die,
    revert to original mud;
Send out your Spirit and they spring to life—
    the whole countryside in bloom and blossom.

31-32 The glory of God—let it last forever!
    Let God enjoy his creation!
He takes one look at earth and triggers an earthquake,
    points a finger at the mountains, and volcanoes erupt.

33-35 Oh, let me sing to God all my life long,
    sing hymns to my God as long as I live!
Oh, let my song please him;
    I’m so pleased to be singing to God.
But clear the ground of sinners—
    no more godless men and women!

O my soul, bless God!

Last week we talked about “Redeeming Work,” and as I was preparing for this week, I ran across the following quote,

“…many people have become detached from their labor, seeing work not as a creative vocation but as a commodity to be sold in exchange for wages.”

I think for some of us this is tied directly with what we are talking about this morning – Abundance and Scarcity. 

To help us understand the difference, Lucy Vinestock in an article on scarcity and abundance mindsets, points out some specific areas that help us understand the differences.  I thought I would highlight her points quickly to help us explore and possibly identify with whether we tend to lean toward scarcity or abundance in our own thinking.

Take for example, Lucy starts with:

1.     Comfort Zones – those with a scarcity mindset live very much within their own comfort zones.  It is like a safety blanket, but doesn’t lead to risk-taking. 

Those with an abundance mindset are often fueled by the belief that there are plenty of potential paths available to take. 

2.     Resources – those with a scarcity mindset feel as though resources are limited, such as money, time, and success. This can lead to over-competitiveness and negativity. 

Those with an abundance mindset believe there is plenty to go around and there always will be.

3.     Sharing – those with a scarcity mindset tend to be hesitant in sharing ideas – usually out of fear. They often are afraid that someone will “steal” their ideas.

Those with abundance mindsets feel a comfortability in sharing ideas without feeling threatened or intimidated.

4.     Solo vs. Team – those with a scarcity mindset often want to work alone – taking the success for themselves.

Those with an abundance mindset are willing to work in teams, which create more ideas and possibilities.

5.     What Drives Success? – those with a scarcity mindset are driven by their fears (of not enough time, limited resources, and not fully benefiting from shared ideas.) Negative thoughts and emotions tend to result in disappointment and frustration. 

Those with abundance mindsets are driven by a general enjoyment and greater belief in their future success.

6.     Focus --  those with a scarcity mindset often live in a sea of negativity which affects work, relationships, and general attitudes in life.

Those with abundance mindsets are often realistic, safe, and seeking ways to grow and succeed.

Now, I know these are very simplistic definitions and do not pertain to every situation.  But I shared them simply because it quickly gives us a picture of how easy we can lean toward and get caught up in a scarcity mindset in our world.

Theologian and scholar, Walter Brueggemann says,

“[The myth of scarcity] ends in despair.  It gives us a present tense of anxiety, fear, greed, and brutality. It produces child and wife abuse, indifference to the poor, the buildup of armaments, division between people, and environmental racism. It tells us not to care about anyone but ourselves – and it is the prevailing creed of American Society.”  

For many years now, I believe this scarcity mentality so prevalent in America has seeped into the framework of the church.  As Chris Smith eludes in “Slow Church” – it is scarcity that has impeded our imaginations and has the church concluding that “We could never do that.”  I believe the utterance of those when are too often the beginning of the demise of churches across our land. 

Sadly, I have a feeling those words have been spoken many times in our own Yearly Meeting and sadly continue to be spoken – and meetings continue to be laid down, doors shut, and possibility lost because the imagination has been impeded. 

Just think about how often we embrace a mindset of scarcity in the church.

Start by asking yourself and others attenders and members right here in this place – when have we said, “We could never do that?” at Frist Friends. (Women in Leadership, Marriage Equality, Maybe it was having Vespers on the second Sunday of December?

Let’s explore this some more…

What are the “comfort zones” at First Friends?

If we would not have had some creative imagination to risk a little and step out and try some new things over the years, like our Youth Affirmation Program (the only one of it’s kind in Quakerdom), Threshing Together gatherings for men in the neighborhoods where they live, or Seasoned Friends Roadtrips, like the one we went on this past Wednesday, or taking time to build relationships with the Shalom Zone and going to work at the Food Pantry, or even opening our doors to Meridian Street Preschool and Co-Op, we would not have seen growth. These are just a few of the many ways we have stepped outside our comfort zones and took some risks and found a mindset of abundance moving us forward. 

And folks, we’ve only just begun. 

We started Connection Dinners for new attenders because this past year (July to July) found First Friends having over 200 visitors come through our doors. 50+ of those visitors (many of you here this morning) have stuck around and are considered regular attenders. 15 or so of you have even become members and more are on the way to membership.  For a Quaker Meeting (actually for any church today where ¼ of their visitors stick around) – this is abundance.

What are the “resources” at First Friends? 

Honestly, much of what I just listed, would never happen without the resources we have. And please understand, I am not talking about just money – that is helpful, but our resources and assets go much deeper. Endowments and offerings can be stabilizers while offering freedom for people to have more creative imaginations.   We have a wealth of people with many talents and gifts in this meeting. Eric is working hard to tap that in the area of music, as is Beth in the area of children and youth. But as I meet with more and more of you, I realize the well is deep with resources and people willing to give of their time, talents, and gifts for this meeting and its growing community. 

I always see the abundance as we prepare for Vacation Bible School. Something many churches have turned into paid daycare. At First Friends there is nothing old fashion or outdated about our program.  And the people-resources that we are blessed to tap for this week are amazing!  It is abundance at its best.

Where is “sharing” happening at First Friends? 

A week or so ago, Sue hosted several women at our home to discuss the floundering “Women at the Well.”  I headed out to another meeting (thus the life of a pastor family) and the ladies began talking.  From what I heard the sharing that took place was very fruitful.  They each came with ideas and input from others, and through open sharing came up with a completely different focus. They came to try and salvage “Women at the Well” and ended with realizing a need for a women’s retreat – where women could get to know each other more purposefully at First Friends, again, because we have so many new people.  What I love is that some of those new people are part of the planning. Open sharing led to new possibilities, new life, new ideas, and a new ways to connect so that in the future there would be more regular events for women at First Friends. 

Sometimes our committee meetings at First Friends can become so regimented and miss the reason they are actually happening.  I love our Connections Committee – they start their meetings by doing what their committee does best - connecting with each other!  Allowing people to share is critical for us to move forward and to slow ourselves to really listen. 

As well, every week, sharing takes place in this very room, as well as in the parlor during the week. Open, waiting, or unprogrammed worship is our opportunity to share what we hear the Spirit speaking to us. At times it can be intimidating or threatening, but if we would embrace it as a time of abundance – a time when we get a bigger picture of what God is doing in our midst, of how others experience and see God at work, or an opportunity to embrace people for who God created them to be. 

Where at First Friends is the “solo vs. team” mentality happening?

As Quakers we are known to say that “everyone is a minister” and yet many Quakers fall into a pastor-centric view of ministry – often a direct correlation with the evangelical churches in America and sadly often to their detriment. 

I believe, at First Friends we are working hard to be “team” players.  Shalom Zone is one great example of this.  Ironically, we are part of two different pastor’s associations and working to connect with many other churches in our area.  And those are just the beginning – having Ecumenical services, providing ramps for those in need, coming together for Eco Films, having our Muslim friends at Nur-Allah Islamic Center come share with our Affirmation class are great examples of how we work as a team in the greater community. 

I, personally, would like to continue seeing ways we can partner and team with other churches and meetings.  I think one way we can foster an abundance mindset in regards to racial struggles in our community is by partnering with a local African-American Church.  Several people made connections at our last Friends Educational Fund Scholarship Sunday with people from predominately black churches. Even some, like Linda Lee have visited and are working on building that relationship to further help us bridge the racial divide in this city.   I believe when First Friends embraces fully an abundance mindset, the doors will swing much more wide (wider than they currently are) and bring in even more diversity and opportunities for team work.  We are just beginning to see the possibilities of what the Spirit is leading us into as a meeting.

And that leaves us asking, what is the “focus” of First Friends?

Let’s be real honest here, negativity is a real downer – but within the church – it can be the biggest turn off to moving forward.  In my last year meeting we talked a lot about “Negative Nancys” and “Downer Dans.” (no offense to our Nancy’s or Dan’s).  You know these negative and down people, though. Someone just popped into your mind, when I said that. 

The scarcity mindset breeds negativity, which quickly takes a toll on anything you do.  If you know someone negative, someone that nags about everything, that never has a positive word to say, then you know someone that has bought into the scarcity mindset.   

If we are going to continue to make First Friends a safe place where optimism, hope, and worship flow freely, then we are going to have to embrace an abundant mindset that is realistic, that seeks ways to better our community, that takes time to get to know and grow with the people around us, and ultimately see this place as a place of positive opportunity filled with the Spirit’s leading.    

In the August edition of Friends Journal, I wrote about this very thing in an article titled, “Tapping a Viral Energy.”  I wrote and passionately believe,

“…it is time to do whatever is necessary to lift the bondage, embrace the future, gather the people, and make Quakerism a viable reality with a viral impact in our world again. I strongly believe that it is going to take embracing new ways of coming together, new uses of social media, new teaching methods, new activism, and a new translation of our distinctives for today’s society. We will need to explore all the possibilities, not just those that worked in the past. It is going to take living new stories and inviting others to join us, including people we may not have been comfortable with or whom we have rejected in the past. It is going to take a willingness to get up and go and get out of our boxes and to experience new things. It is time to make Quakerism go viral; it’s time to believe again.”

I know this isn’t typical for us, but can I get an “Amen”?

And whenever anyone asks me about this, I say, “Come and check it out at First Friends.” I am not ashamed of inviting people to this place. because honestly, it is happening at First Friends. 

Folks, I don’t want to hear “We could never do that,” in this place - rather I want people here to be saying “Let’s try that” or “Let’s have a conversation about that” or simply, “Why not?”

Please hear me on this…Quakerism is not going to die on my watch!  Yet, we must remember that we are surrounded by scarcity mindsets breading fearful, intimidated, threatening, limited, and negative views.  All you need to do is turn on your radio or TV.  People around us, and even in our midst, and even we ourselves will at times embrace a scarcity mindset, but my prayer is that we will be aware of the abundance that God is calling us to. 

As Chris Smith says in the book  “Slow Church,”

“As we seek to thrive in deeper and more creative ways on a local and sustainable scale, we will get a taste of God’s superabundance.  And as we grow in faithful witness to God’s economy, our economic relations will extend beyond our care for one another in our local congregations.” 

I don’t know about you, but I want a taste of God’s Superabundance.  No, I need a taste of God’s Superabundance. I think our communities and world needs a taste of this as well!  Our cry should be that of the Psalmist this morning…

What a wildly wonderful world, God!
    You made it all, with Wisdom at your side,
    made earth overflow with your wonderful creations.

Send out your Spirit and they spring to life…
    

May we be faithful to seeking and being people of God’s Superabundance and may we go forth from this place springing to life as well!   

What are my “comfort zones”?  

In what areas do I need to share more?

How am I promoting "God’s Superabundance" in my life?