Gleanings from Quaker Worship

I am one who still likes to attend worship if I can.  It has been a lifelong habit which still makes sense to me.  I know there are many in our society who claim the “I’m not religious but am spiritual” approach to life.  These folks rarely see any need for worship---at least in the more traditional way I know it.  Again, that is fine with me.  I don’t think people should have to go to worship.  I took my two girls when they were young, but when they got older, we encouraged them to decide for themselves.  I know other people see it differently and that’s ok.

Since I still am Quaker, most of the worship experiences are with that gang.  That said, there are two main ways Quakers conduct a worship experience.  One kind is much like the typical Protestant service.  There usually are a couple of hymns, some readings and a sermon or homily, as some traditions.  I am fine with this approach; in fact, I have spoken with some regularity to different Quaker groups.  

The other Quaker approach to worship is the older, more traditional one.  In this case the group of folks gather and sit in silence.  The object here is to center ourselves and make ourselves available to the Spirit.  There is a quiet confidence among Quakers that we come to be present with the Spirit and the Spirit can “speak” to us.  In almost every case the “speaking” is not some literal sound in our ear.  But we feel like we are addressed.  Sometimes what we are given as an individual is meant to be shared.  That is when individuals speak in the worship time. 

I was recently in this latter type of worship.  I enjoy the silence.  As that time begins, I often realize how unfocused and scattered I might be.  It takes me a while to “center,” as Quakers put it.  I can feel myself slow down.  For me it is a chance to get out of my head and into my heart.  That reminds me of a nineteenth century Russian mystic who defined prayer as the process of allowing your mind to drop into your heart.  I feel like I know what this means.  It is difficult to explain.

In this context three people spoke during the hour worship experience.  The gathered group is not supposed to do anything with a spoken message.  Simply we hear it and let it be absorbed by our soul.  A message might be inspiring.  It might be more of a teaching.  Sometimes it can come as a challenge to some kind of action of compassion or justice.  As I listened on this morning, I realized there were some key themes emerging.  Let me detail them.

One woman spoke of an early morning walk before she had joined this zoom worship experience.  Thematically, this can be called nature spirituality.  She artfully described her sitting near a pond, admiring the flowers and trees.  The sun was beginning to come into view.  It was quiet and peaceful.  As she developed her description, I felt like I had joined her on the morning walk.  I realized that nature was revealing something about the Creator of it all.  When we learn to make ourselves available in this kind of nature experience, we realize that we are mere parts of a much larger, magnificent whole.  Contemplatives call this a unitive experience.  The means we have a sense of belonging---we are not separate, lonely, divided beings.  For me this leads to a sense of the possible peace among all peoples. 

A closely related theme came in the next spoken message.  A man begins to talk about an experience he recently was given.  I say he was given an experience because it seemed to me like a divine gift.  In the middle of his experience he was describing a situation of sacredness.  One predictable aspect of the sacred is a sense of awe.  Sometimes I experience awe when I enter a cathedral.  Every time I go to a monastery, I am given a sense of awe.

I loved the guy’s description of his experience.  He called as a lovely and serene moment.  I would like my moments to be lovely and serene.  The opposite of the sacred is the profane.  It does not take much imagination to realize much of our society lives in profanity.  Wouldn’t you prefer living in a world where we are blessed instead of cursed!   

Finally, a woman spoke about her sense of gratitude.  She talked about her as she was learning to value and live out of places of gratitude.  Again, I prefer to see this as a gift.  What else can we say to a gift but “thank you.”  That is such a preferable attitude than always feeling like the world is ripping you off.  That makes us grumpy and leads to incessant complaining.  To be in the presence of someone who always complains is not fun at all.  Maybe the change begins with us.  

As I began to reflect, I realized I could glean much from my Quaker worship experience.  Thanks to my three friends, there were gifts that were given through their words.  As I and the others listened, we were like reapers entering a field after harvest.  There was so much left over.  It was ours.  We were given gifts.  I realized I had been taken into a sacred space and I could also say “thank you.”

Now I realize why I keep going to worship.  There is a kind of serendipity awaiting me every time.