Pastoral Letter from Bruce Neumann, Presiding Clerk

To Friends around New England:

This morning as I sat down for a time of prayerful retirement, the upstairs neighbors were playing some music, which I slowly realized was the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness. I found the music greatly comforting. 

Like many of you, I imagine, I struggle with a combination of anxiety for my family’s health, concern for the most vulnerable in our society, and restlessness at being mostly housebound. Music is for me a great solace and often a reminder of the presence of the Divine, as it seems to speak to a part of me that words do not reach. I often think that music is closer to God’s language than words.

Last week Honor Woodrow (Ministry and Counsel clerk), Sarah Gant (Beacon Hill, MA, Friends Meeting), and I called each of the monthly meeting clerks in New England to check in about how Friends are doing and how they are managing to stay connected. We heard that Friends are responding with care and creativity in a crisis different than any we have experienced before. Friends are reaching out to each other to be sure no one feels isolated, and learning how to connect in meeting for worship without the benefit of being in the same room. I had several lovely conversations with people I have not met before. I think in the midst of this chaos we are learning new ways of being with others and making new connections. We are growing.

Times like these make me reflect on my own theology: “What is the true nature of God?” If one reads some Bible stories, one might veer toward picturing a god who is actively managing the affairs of the world and ask “Oh God, how can you let so many be sick and die?” Reading other parts of sacred scripture can bring us to focus more on our personal relationship with God, and how we can reach for and experience the Divine, and be changed by it. Hearing Great is Thy Faithfulness helped bring me from a moment of questioning to an experience of celebrating God’s presence.

I suspect that the duration of this separation and the continuing barrage of bad news will be a test of faith for all of us. But we are a people of faith, and if we reach for those fundamental experiences which are the foundation of that faith, we can find God’s presence in the midst of turmoil. I was reminded recently that moments of great challenge are also rich opportunities for transformation. Grace can “strike” at any moment! Do I respond to uncertainty with fear, or do I remember that God is with me? I’m sure we will all have times we are challenged to see the Divine in the chaos. Can we help each other through? I saw recently that the clerk of Havana Friends Meeting in Cuba said to her flock, “There is no quarantine on prayer, solidarity, or love.”

Here are a few practices that might help us stayed grounded and connected:

Prayer: Psalm 5 says "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord: In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee." Consider spending time creating or expanding a daily prayer practice. If you have children, consider engaging them once a day in a shared prayer, where each one of you expresses some gratitude and some hope. If neither of those is possible, remember the one-word prayers "Thanks!" "Help!" and "Wow!” (the formal names being gratitude, petition, and praise). These can be silent or verbalized, and only take a moment, but it's a moment of reaching for the Divine, and reminding ourselves that we are not alone.

Reading: Again, if you can find the time, read some devotional literature. Great comfort and inspiration can be found in the experience of others. I recently picked up Thomas Kelly’s Testament of Devotion again, and again am moved by the expression of simple joy he experiences at the Presence of the Divine.

Communicating: The Quaker faith is rooted in community. We get comfort, encouragement, and challenge in our interactions with each other. During this period of being unable to gather in person, try to find opportunities for connection with others, whether that’s chatting with a neighbor, porch-to-porch; picking up the phone and chatting with a meeting member; or participating in a committee meeting electronically.

I saw recently that the Town of Enfield, CT, passed a proclamation “ordering” its citizens to make a joyful noise with cymbals and gongs, every day from 8:00 to 8:02. This gets at the heart of what I am drawn to.

Let us reach everyday for a greater awareness of the Divine, and—finding it—let us celebrate—celebrate it together!

In this celebration, might we paraphrase the song and come to sing: “Great is my faithfulness, Lord unto Thee ”?

Bruce Neumann
Fresh Pond (MA) Friends Meeting
Presiding Clerk, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends
[email protected]