“In calm and cool and silence, once again
I find my old accustomed place among
My brethren, where, perchance, no human tongue
Shall utter words; where never hymn is sung,
Nor deep-toned organ blown, nor censer swung,
Nor dim light falling through the pictured pane!
There, syllabled by silence, let me hear
The still small voice which reached the prophet’s ear;
Read in my heart a still diviner law
Than Israel’s leader on his tables saw!
There let me strive with each besetting sin,
Recall my wandering fancies, and restrain
The sore disquiet of a restless brain;
And, as the path of duty is made plain,
May grace be given that I may walk therein,
Not like the hireling, for his selfish gain,
With backward glances and reluctant tread,
Making a merit of his coward dread,
But, cheerful, in the light around me thrown,
Walking as one to pleasant service led;
Doing God’s will as if it were my own,
Yet trusting not in mine, but in His strength alone!”
~John Greenleaf Whittier, “First Day Thoughts,” 1852
My “old accustomed place” is not a place at all, but, like Whittier, at worship. We’re a broad and diverse community. Some of us found Friends because our parents were Friends and what resonated with them resonates with us. Others found the Society as a place to live faithfully, close to the center, and others as the best expression of a life close to Jesus. Still others because of pacifism and others as a safe haven from another faith community. For many reasons, we arrived at the door of a meetinghouse and found ourselves home. Sometimes, because of excitement and conviction, we speak in ways that alienate our brothers and sisters. Or we hesitate to speak at all of the loving Presence in the language of our experience. At our worst, ego reigns and we weigh our words not so much by what God expects of us but by what will give us the best response. We allow the world to take weight over faithfulness.
Having said that we are more often at our best—or at least near there. Through the risk of speaking, and the greater risk of listening to others’ understanding of the experience of God in their lives, we learn from the Teacher and walk closer to the Guide. Gathered with all of you in worship, “cheerful in the light around me thrown,” I experience God. ~cdw
Requests
•Pray for forgiveness for our brokenness and for the joy of a new life in God’s Light.
• Pray with CPT for the First Nation of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug. The Ontario government is enabling a mining company to do exploratory work where the nation’s sacred burial grounds are located in defiance of the community’s wishes.
I find my old accustomed place among
My brethren, where, perchance, no human tongue
Shall utter words; where never hymn is sung,
Nor deep-toned organ blown, nor censer swung,
Nor dim light falling through the pictured pane!
There, syllabled by silence, let me hear
The still small voice which reached the prophet’s ear;
Read in my heart a still diviner law
Than Israel’s leader on his tables saw!
There let me strive with each besetting sin,
Recall my wandering fancies, and restrain
The sore disquiet of a restless brain;
And, as the path of duty is made plain,
May grace be given that I may walk therein,
Not like the hireling, for his selfish gain,
With backward glances and reluctant tread,
Making a merit of his coward dread,
But, cheerful, in the light around me thrown,
Walking as one to pleasant service led;
Doing God’s will as if it were my own,
Yet trusting not in mine, but in His strength alone!”
~John Greenleaf Whittier, “First Day Thoughts,” 1852
My “old accustomed place” is not a place at all, but, like Whittier, at worship. We’re a broad and diverse community. Some of us found Friends because our parents were Friends and what resonated with them resonates with us. Others found the Society as a place to live faithfully, close to the center, and others as the best expression of a life close to Jesus. Still others because of pacifism and others as a safe haven from another faith community. For many reasons, we arrived at the door of a meetinghouse and found ourselves home. Sometimes, because of excitement and conviction, we speak in ways that alienate our brothers and sisters. Or we hesitate to speak at all of the loving Presence in the language of our experience. At our worst, ego reigns and we weigh our words not so much by what God expects of us but by what will give us the best response. We allow the world to take weight over faithfulness.
Having said that we are more often at our best—or at least near there. Through the risk of speaking, and the greater risk of listening to others’ understanding of the experience of God in their lives, we learn from the Teacher and walk closer to the Guide. Gathered with all of you in worship, “cheerful in the light around me thrown,” I experience God. ~cdw
Requests
•Pray for forgiveness for our brokenness and for the joy of a new life in God’s Light.
• Pray with CPT for the First Nation of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug. The Ontario government is enabling a mining company to do exploratory work where the nation’s sacred burial grounds are located in defiance of the community’s wishes.
