When you read that title, what does it bring to mind? Do you think about tea at the kitchen table? Maybe a crowd of friends at a party? Of perhaps a chance encounter at the grocery store?
This past week, in doing my homework, I was blessed to have a Meeting of Friends. It was unexpected, surprising and yet, oh so comforting. Part of my homework is to observe sacred ceremonies. This can be any kind of ceremony, from any culture or religion. I did a little research and discovered that the Quakers have a Sunday morning, un-programmed worship service, not too far away from me. With some trepidation I decided to attend. I know nothing about Quakers other than what I read on their website. They are called the Religious Society of Friends. They believe that if you sit quietly the Spirit will speak to you. They believe that we are all equal and that we are all children of God. These are all things that resonate with me.
Sunday morning I drove out to find their meeting place. I was nervous. I was heading alone into a strange place, to meet strangers. If you know me, you know that I would describe myself as shy, reserved. If you've read my blog you know that I'm struggling to break out of my box, to expand my comfort zone. This was a big step for me. Perhaps, I should have taken the option of just watching some random ceremony on YouTube. But since I was here, standing outside the door, I gathered my courage and walked in.
The building itself was beautiful, simply designed and decorated. I found someone preparing coffee. He said he was supposed to be greeting people but got distracted by coffee making. I was asked to sign the guest book and would I mind wearing a name tag. Okay.
The service began in one room, with people sitting in a circle singing songs. No music, no music leader or choir. People just calling out names of songs, finding the right page and then singing along. People came in and out, moved around, laughed and joked with each other. I don't recognize this as worship, this was family. Then it was time to move into the meeting room. Here there was a small circular table in the center of the room with a microphone on it and some daffodils. The chairs were arranged in to concentric circles around the table. There were about 25 people who came in and found a seat. Then we sat and waited. For what? To hear the heartbeat of God. To hear the Spirit speak to you. An hour of silent waiting on God. Even with my background in yoga and meditation I thought this would be long and painful. Instead it was reverent and holy. I observed people who raised their heads to God, people who closed their eyes and bowed their head, people whose faces looked peaceful and people who looked like they were battling demons. What they all had in common was a willingness to sit and listen, not to a preacher, but to their own hearts, to the voice of God within.
I had hoped that it wouldn't be a full hour of silence, that someone would (oh please God) be moved to share something. Two people did chose to share, something about coming to meeting not to make sense of things but coming with an open heart-mind, just to accept and something about how darkness can not clear away darkness, only light can do that. I found these messages valuable, but more valuable was the lesson in being willing to sit and listen for God. In our busy lives, how rarely do we sit and listen for God to speak to us?
I was touched by the evidence of community, of caring that I saw during the meeting. How a man wrote down the messages on a white board for an elderly woman to read. I assumed she couldn't hear. How the children were welcomed into the meeting with their squirming and their giggles without any frustration on the part of the rest of the meeting. How they listened to the children, who's messages were just as important as anyone else's message. How they accepted me, a stranger in their midst.
A Quaker meeting ends with introductions, announcements and then coffee and snacks. When it was my turn with the microphone I introduced myself, explained about my school assignment and thanked them for welcoming me into their sacred ceremony. After the Meeting I was approached by different people suggesting different other ceremonies I should observe.
I entered into this Meeting place with nervousness and I left feeling like I had just been welcomed into a Meeting of Friends. These people are all strangers to me. I don't know their stories, they don't know mine. But they looked beyond the surface. It doesn't matter where I come from, who I am or why I came, what matters is that I am a child of God in their midst. Therefore I am welcome.
