I was at a meeting for worship and it began with random people blessing each other with water and setting up for a mock-mass. I was horrified and left the meetinghouse and sat outside with my family, who appeared out of nowhere. I was very upset that the meeting was doing this, and decided my time would be better spent with my family, since this meeting was obviously going to be terrible, and my time with my family was limited. So I chatted uncomfortably with my parents and cuddled the little kids.
After meeting a group of weighty Friends surrounded me and began to elder me "If you're serious about joining the meeting you are going to have to submit to the sense of the meeting, even if it includes sham sacraments." I was torn and confused and felt ill. My parents seemed triumphant at this failure of Quakerism, and I felt shamed in their sight and the meeting's.
And then I woke up.
Gah! Commitment-phobia, anyone?
I had a (much!) better real-life time with Quakers tonight, getting together with Liz Opp, Robin, Will Taber, Rob, and many other wonderful Friends for a lovely dinner of pizza and conversation. There was a traveling Friend from El Salvador with us, and for some reason I was deeply moved by the rhythm the conversation took on from the process of translation--rather than being choppy it seemed more quietly fluid, with the natural pauses for the translation giving a graceful, thoughtful sway to what was being said. Translation of conversation is very different than translations of speeches or messages, I think. I am not sure why. But there is an added earnestness for understanding and listening and clarity that stirs my heart. Thanks, God, and Friends, for a beautiful evening.
Of The Best Stuff, but Cracked
5 comments:
Sham sacraments! Oh my!!! An attender once asked me what the difference was, becoming a member... I told her that once she was an attender we took her down to the basement and she got the sacraments from out priest ... the big secret was that attenders are going to hell... =D
Oh, my, sounds like a great dinner. I have had such good meetings with some of the bloggers who come to New York, but is few and far between. Oh, to sit down and have a chat with Liz Opp!!!! and Pam, of course ... and Rob, and Elizabeth Leven... oh well.
I had a typical return to press photography dream last night. Genie and I were on a suburban street, and looked up to see the new giant Airbus landing, the A-whatever it is, seats 800 people (or seven Americans as Jay Leno said... ). Well, in order to get all the runway possible, it was coming in too low, and clipping tree tops, and began to snap power cables and street lights were being yanked by their lines, and were flying about. I was very calmly snapping away as the thing crashed ... worried both about getting the shot and my detachment from the horror which was unfolding...
Well, so much for dreams. New song, can't tell anyone about for a while, as I don't want to scoop the source, but it is a REMARKABLE story ... and as soon as I can, I will share it with all...
All the best, thine in frith and fFriendship
lor
It was wonderful to meet you! I think my bloglines didn't make the switch with you to the new blogger and so I had missed your latest return to blogging, but I'm catching up now!
Hey, Amanda.
Of the few things I regret about the weekend, one of them was how very little time I was able to spend with you. If only I hadn't petered out as early as I did after dinner!
Still, I hope we'll talk soon and that you understand the significance of the dream, whatever it may hold for you.
Blessings,
Liz Opp, The Good Raised Up
At last meeting for business, my little meeting, in which most of the active members are parents, decided to have a special sort of meeting for worship for Easter, with a breakfast beforehand, Bible readings, etc.
I was made very uncomfortable. I didn't object, because I understood that it was parents wanting very much to ground their kids in Christianity, and the parenting urge is something an older guy obstructs only at his peril. But I very probably won't attend.
I thought immediately of those plans when I read this post of yours. Yes, Friends really do have sham sacraments in some places, for reasons that seem good to them.
It has been a while since I read your blog Amanda, but your post reminded me of a dream I had years ago when I had just left a charismatic church and started sporadically attending a quiet liberal minded church near where I lived.
Anyway, my dream was that I walked into this church and they had decided to get down with the kids and set up a worship band, and flashing disco lights...I woke up in a cold sweat.
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