Last month I read this book. It was boss, and prompted me to bring more silence into my life.
One of the suggestions in the book was to attend a religious service where silence is practiced. So, I took the book up on the suggestion, and attended a Quaker service while on my family reunion.
It was totally different than any religious service I've ever been to. When I walked in, a few folks were already sitting down. I smiled at a few people and murmured a "good morning" to a woman near me, and while everyone smiled or nodded back, no one said anything. I was about 10 minutes early, and about 20 people trickled in over the next 15 minutes or so. A handful of children were also present, and after they left with an older woman, I looked around and realized that, without anyone announcing "Okay, now we're going to be silent", folks had just began to sit in silence. It was fascinating, as the quiet feeling of a particularly reverent Sacrament meeting filled the room and just went on and on. Three times during the hour someone stood up and shared a thought or prayer. The room had a low hum of coughing, bottoms adjusting in chairs (and an older woman snoring...) throughout the hour, and after the last young woman shared a heartfelt prayer request for her ill father, everyone stood up and did the Quaker version of the peace of Christ by shaking hands and saying "Good morning" to each other.
Afterward my mama asked me if this was a church I would be interested in going to regularly. I told her no, partially because I think my aunt was correct in her thoughts that if I was still "church shopping" the Quakers aren't particularly Jesus-centric (important to me) and partially because I missed the order that a liturgical service provides. I like standing up and sitting down at regular intervals, praying and singing and, yes, sitting in silence in equal measures. I like having a leader and guide. So, while I'm glad I went to the service, and while I think I might drop in on that good reverent feeling from time to time, a Friend I am not.
Decorations
4 days ago
2 comments:
I'm so glad you were able to go, and that it was a good experience. Do you know, how was who got up to pray, etc. decided? Was it just as they were prompted, or assigned?
No, they call it unstructured silence, and folks talk if they feel moved to by the Holy Spirit, and if no one does, they would just sit in silence the whole time. Apparently those meetings (where no one gets up) are fairly rare and considered especially holy.
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