God has the power to provide you with more than enough of every kind of grace. That way, you will have everything you need always and in everything to provide more than enough for every kind of good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8)
Recently Big Island Friends held an annual gathering in Volcano for all Friends on the island. The event was well attended. It was good to see Friends again that I’ve not seen in months. After worship and potluck, Friends gathered to conduct business.
To say that the Business Meeting left something to be desired would be classic Quaker understatement. Nevertheless we endeavored to do our best and some concrete matters were accomplished. We also began a discussion about concerns for the life of the Meeting, making suggestions about what might need to happen to revitalize the Meeting community. Unfortunately there was resistance in some Friends to change, which I suppose was to be expected. Change is seldom easy and our resources, being spread out across a large landmass, presents challenges.
Some of the language I heard though was unfortunate and I don’t think served us well. I heard a lot of talk about “consensus” but almost no references to building Unity. I realize to many modern Friends the term consensus is synonymous with Unity and is preferred contemporary language. I could not disagree more. Consensus is a secular process in which everyone agrees to come to agreement on any given action. It is certainly better than voting to maintain group cohesion, but not at all what Friends do in our Business Meetings. Instead we refer to seeking Unity or finding God’s will. This recognizes that our individual desires are secondary to trying to discern what God would have us do. In Unity we are allowed to have dissenting opinions as long as we are equally willing to set those aside for the betterment of the whole body. Unity does not require that everyone gets what they want. This is often not the case. Unity instead presupposes that God can open us up to greater Truth, even when we step aside and let others proceed. This is why it is essential that the Clerk not interject his or her own will at the Business Meeting. It is a hard enough job discerning the sense of the Meeting on our behalf.
We live with different realities on the east and west sides of the island. There is a rotation system that was put into place years ago but that hasn’t functioned for many people in some time. On the western half of Hawaii Friends have Meetings for Worship twice a month. On the east side there is at this point worship only once a month and that is weather dependent. No regions of the island hold unprogrammed worship weekly. This prompted one Friend from the west side when presented with the idea of regional gatherings to say that “half a loaf is better than none.” True enough, but can’t we do better? My immediate quip, being from the east side, was “I’d settle for a slice.” This wasn’t helpful on my part, but let’s look at how we tend to view opportunity.
We live in a world of finite natural resources yet we have long lived beyond our means. We are now facing the consequences of our lifestyle as Americans. It has never been more important to recognize this fact as we examine the impact of the human species on the planet and try to mitigate our ecological footprint to benefit future generations.
It would be a mistake however to extent this sense of scarcity to the spiritual realm. God has promised us an abundant life and we need go no further than the Inward Christ, the Inner Light, or whatever metaphor you feel comfortable with. Thankfully life is full of opportunities for us to recognize our failings, pick ourselves up, and begin anew. It is natural to fear the unknown or untried path but I know at the heart of my being that Spirit will provide if we have a little faith. Will it be easy? Most likely not. There is a lot of inertia to overcome and a lot of fear to face along the way. Jesus promised his disciples a good life, not necessarily an easy one. I believe this is as true today as it was for our spiritual ancestors. It’s easy to glamorize the past, to revere Friends like John Woolman or George Fox. These Friends were often as not though disagreeable to others and they each faced their own demons. They became convinced (in the sense of being convicted) of their own failings. Yet they ventured forth into unknown territory and the Society of Friends benefited from their willingness to rely on Divine guidance. We can, and perhaps if we are to survive must, do the same.
Off and on for years now I have been baking homemade sourdough bread. The leavening is usually only from a natural yeast culture I have kept for years. The process is slow, but well worth the wait in terms of flavor. Only a little inoculate is needed to affect the entire dough. It seems to me that this is like what happens in worship (whether with Friends or elsewhere). With some patience and the Seed of God present wonderful things can happen. As the Bible says “a little yeast leavens the whole batch.” (Galatians 5:9) I don’t think the apostle Paul was talking about making bread. He was using a common household event to draw a parallel with what can happen when God is invited into the heart. Whether you are worshiping in silence or (as I usually do these days) attend a programmed service, God promises us “more than enough for every kind of good work.” Wonderful things can and do happen. It is my prayer for Friends that we may see the great abundance the Spirit has offered us and know that it doesn’t take much to feed us all.
Big Island Quaker 