The Meeting Begins
when
the first worshippers quietly take their seats and wait in an expectant
silence. Feel free to sit wherever you wish. You will note
the lack of a programmed service. There will be no formal
recitation of prayers, responsive readings or a pre-planned
sermon. This makes it possible for those in attendance to be at
widely different stages of spiritual growth; all are welcome in a
Quaker Meeting and all Friends consider themselves seekers.
To Friends, God is a loving, creative spirit available to all.
We
believe there is within each of us an Inner Light, that is at
once our essence and our guide. Sitting together in silent worship, we
are afforded the opportunity to quiet our inner turmoil and center down
into spiritual silence. Group silence helps each of us to come
together in a company united in this common search. Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
The first steps for worshippers may differ. Some Friends
find it
useful to focus on a passage in a sacred text. Others look around
the
room with a silent prayer for each person. Still others review
their actions of the past week in light of spiritual and ethical
teachings. Any of these may lead to what Friends refer to as a
centering down of the Meeting. Worshippers settle into a deeper
silence, as if we have stepped into a living stream full of renewing,
healing energy, a stream that reaches back and forward across time…
(William Taber).
In this stillness we can become aware of a deep and powerful
Spirit of
love and truth that transcends ordinary experience. That of God,
which is in every person, also called by Friends the Inner Light,
provides guidance.
The Silence may be broken when someone feels called to give a
spoken
message. The message is usually brief, simple in wording and
spiritual in nature. Then silence resumes until another may feel
called to add to the vocal ministry, but it is not a form of discussion
or debate. Friends allow a time for reflection between
messages. Messages are not planned or rehearsed, but rather,
arise from the spirit of the Meeting.
The Meeting ends in approximately one hour with the shaking of
hands. 