What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?
-Mark 1:24

We are a mere 21 verses into Mark's Gospel when Jesus enters the synagogue in Capernaum. Suddenly, in the midst of his preaching in the synagogue, something strange happens. Jesus is confronted by a man with an unclean spirit. One of them, the man or the spirit, cries out to Jesus, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?... I know who you are; you are the Holy One of God."

The first thing to note about this story is that this scene is being played out in a place of worship on the Sabbath. It is the Jewish equivalent to our First Day morning Meeting for Worship. People come to worship for various reasons. For the silence that they experience...To see their friends...Or because they have nowhere else to turn. Their lives are in such great turmoil, overwhelmed by so much pain, they feel powerless, and they have nothing left to cling to but God.

It is important to mention that it is not one of the healthy people who approaches Jesus, but a man who is hurting. His life is being ripped apart from the inside out by, who knows what. He is the one who recognizes Jesus as the Holy One of God, the One who has come, in a very real sense, to destroy our old lives and give us a whole new life.

As I have read the Gospel narratives, Jesus' life and message was and is about turning our world upside down. He taught that the Kingdom of God is at hand, a Kingdom where the poor are blessed...A Kingdom where enemies are loved...A Kingdom where the meek shall inherit the earth...A Kingdom that comes when someone cries out in pain for justice, or just cries, "I am hurting, will you please comfort me?"

What brings you to Centering Down and Worship?

Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
-Matt. 18:4

As most of you know by now, I believe that our main purpose in this life is to grow spiritually. I believe that growth in Spirit will inevitably issue in transformation, or to an awakening within that will move us to see life from a new and transformed perspective, a perspective where our hearts are softened and the pain of others becomes our pain as well. Such transformation is the result of a "teachable" or "awakening" moment that cannot be prepared for fully. I do believe, however, that what I call a density of readiness can help to make such spiritually transforming experiences in our lives, sacred. What does such a density of readiness look like? How can we prepare?

First, we can prepare by seeking to live in a spirit of patience and simmering. A density of readiness requires patience and being in tune with the spiritual rhythm of our souls.

Second, a density of spiritual readiness needs silence..."an intensified pause, a vitalized hush, a creative quiet" in the words of Rufus Jones.

Third, we help to develop a density of readiness by growing through our pain. Even when life seems most difficult, we can ask, "How is God working here?" "What spiritual lessons can I learn?"

Finally, a density of readiness is developed by living in a spirit of child-like expectancy and wonder. Within each of us resides a child. If we do not lose contact with that child, we will not lose contact with life.

What other spiritual practices have been helpful to you?

Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
-Luke 15:23

The People called Quakers believe in radical hospitality. They believe that God is not bound by the lines of race, sect, class, documented or undocumented, sexual orientation or gender. What we experience in Centering Down and Worship is a mirror of the spirit of Jesus who shunned no one, and who consistently spoke in ways that broke down artificial barriers, and who, in his own life, shared bread and wine with all manner of people.

The Society of Friends has a unique and particular voice to raise to the world, a unique and particular vision of how the world is meant to be. This vision is in conflict with the current stream of Christian Nationalism, and the current political stream in this country that seeks to divide rather than unite us. Our Testimonies build a sense of identity around that particular voice and vision. Such practices as Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality and Stewardship of the earth strengthen our community by reminding us who we are.

Jesus shared a story about a man who gave a banquet. Some of the invited guests did not want to come or were too busy to come. But his was an energetic and even aggressive hospitality, seeking to bring in people from the streets, or those fleeing oppressive governments and gang warfare in Central America. The host wanted to bring them all in.

Jesus thought of God in this way. He dreamed of a world of radical hospitality, where the poor are blessed, the hungry fed, and the abused made safe...a world where all are welcomed and loved.

How do we remake the world into what Jesus envisioned?

...for when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor. 12:10

In Second Corinthians, Chapter Twelve, Paul writes about having a weakness, and he prayed to God to take it away. What the weakness was, we do not know. Instead of having it taken away, Paul says that he was given strength to bear his pain. "My grace is sufficient for you," he heard God say, "for power is made perfect in weakness." It is a paradox of faith. "When I am weak, then I am strong." Whatever limitation Paul faced, he learned, over time, to see his weakness as a pathway to spiritual growth.

Jesus was always hanging out with what Rome believed were expendable people--those who were hurting and who were oppressed, the most vulnerable of his time. His mission was to invite weak and wounded people to enter the Kingdom of God, the beloved community of love, justice and restored life. But his starting point was weakness. He focused first on people who were weak. He was in the business of transforming weakness into strength.

I first met Henri Nouwen, the author of The Wounded Healer and many other books, at Pendle Hill, the Quaker retreat center near Philadelphia. Through the years his books have been, for me, constant spiritual companions. One of the most profound things he ever wrote is this: "Nobody escapes being wounded. We are all wounded people, whether physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. The main question is not, 'How can we hide our wounds?,' believing that our wounds are embarrassing, but 'How can we put our woundedness into the service of others?' When our wounds cease to be a source of shame and become a source of healing, we have become wounded healers."

How have your weaknesses helped you to grow spiritually?