Do we need to reference early Friends?

 Recently a Friend said, "I'm get so annoyed when the first sentence of anything references Early Friends and what they did!" Do we have nothing today we can draw on? Nothing since them? 

Beacon Hill Friends Meeting

This resonated with me though I had never thought about it before.

Reading Faith and Practice has been a reminder that modern Friends have rich experience and wisdom. 

In the section on the inward Christ, this quote from Richenda Scott indicates we can experience God through our friendships: 

"Perhaps for many of us, particularly for those of us who are younger, the way to the knowledge of the meaning of Jesus Christ lies through human friendship and affection and love. Then there may come the moment when we are carried out of ourselves, far beyond what we have hitherto known and clung to." 

                            -"Love and Discernment," The Friend, Dec 5 1975.

I find that affection and love is born of vulnerability. And this I found in Beacon Hill Friends Meeting last Sunday where I worshipped after an airport run to Logan. 

The ministry was varied -- it didn't feel like those who spoke were necessarily "touching the same thing," but there was a feeling of sharing what feels profound among f/Friends. 

One person shared that their housemate had put their pet bird to bed the night before, which involved rolling the birdcage into her bedroom. The large old metal cage had four ball caster wheels "which all have different opinions" she told us.  

Sometimes as you push the cage, it doesn't go straight. 

Sometimes it shakes as it rolls.

Sometimes it crashes into the wall despite careful driving. 

And sometimes, it moves smoothly for a few feet.

This is perhaps my favorite kind of ministry, and it relies not at all on references to Early Friends. 

I love stories of how life teaches us when we pay attention.

This cage -- how different is it from my life projects? 

- Reliant on many things going well, not all of which are in my control. 

- Unpredictable in its movements. 

- Sometimes provides a period of smooth sailing which doesn't last more than a few feet. 

- Requires frequent recalibration. 

This was not the only message that felt like something said between friends that would awaken affection and love. Maybe I can rely on this idea of Meeting as a place where we share the food of human friendship: presence, witness, listening and a willingness to see the divine in (sm)all things.