By Peg Remsen
It goes without saying that we all lead very busy lives. Our minds are cluttered with all the minute details of family, home and work. We come on Sunday mornings to spend a precious hour together in communion with the Ground of our Being, the Light, the Spirit. This is corporate worship, very different from solitary meditation. It dissolves the boundaries that separate us and allows us to reach out in silence to each other and to the world.
This special hour is in vivid contrast to the rest of our week. The clamor of twenty-first century life is all around us; in our living rooms, in our cars and in our work places. So how do we go from this active, noisy life, to an hour of silence and find the solace, rejuvenation and profound messages we ae seeking? This takes preparation. We cannot expect to quiet the cacophony of our minds simply by walking through the Meetinghouse door.
Quakers have always been challenged to come to Meeting for Worship “with heart and mind prepared.” Thomas Kelly in describing a ‘gathered meeting’ says “Worship, and preparation for worship, begin before one has left one’s home. They begin when one wakes on Sunday morning, before one has gotten out of bed.” What is he thinking? Does he know what my house is like on a Sunday morning?
What a challenge for us busy 21st century Quakers.
Here are some suggestions that might help us in such preparation for worship:
- In families without young children who clamor for attention immediately upon starting
the day, how about an extra 10 minutes of reflection upon waking on Sunday morning?
What a luxury to lie in bed for those few minutes just reflecting on what the day holds,
what is most important to you in that day and what concerns you wish to bring to
Meeting for Worship. - With or without children, a CD or two saved just for Sunday morning might reinforce
the specialness of the day. This might include music or songs of a more spiritual or
thoughtful nature that we can play while the family is having breakfast. This would
just be a gentle reminder in the background that this day is different from the others in
week. Even if there are active children in your family this can be a gentle reminder
for yourself! - As we drive to Meeting it is a simple thing to again have a CD or two that stay in the
car for such occasions. Even with children in the car it is possible to have certain
music reserved for special occasions and therefore reminds of the specialness of
the day. - While I was working I found that the simple action of NOT turning on the radio
on my way to work provided me with very special time to reflect. I even copied
down from the Rise Up Singing songbook at Meeting and learned to sing them
on my way to work. This gave me a much more relaxed and focused start to my day.
That same intention can apply to coming to Meeting as well. - As we get to know each other in our Quaker Community, it is natural to want to
chat and visit as when we get to the Meetinghouse. Perhaps we should instead
slow down and quiet down as we enter the building. There will be plenty of
time for visiting as the rise of Meeting.
I challenge all of us to find new and creative ways to ensure that we come to Meeting
for Worship with ‘hearts and minds prepared.’ If you have found other ways to center
in and prepare for the silence please share them with our community either in our Quaker
Talk or in a future edition of Shareletter.
Sharing the journey of Light and Love, Peg Remsen