Silence!

RantWoman has been meditating about Sunday's Meeting for Business.

One sort of comical moment: there was a discussion of what Friends would most want people coming to worship for the first time to know. Our Meeting recently has had periodic bouts of serious popcorn Meetings for Worship involving lots of newcomers and newcomers with gnarly pastoral care concerns. Several people at once, upon hearing the question, all in unison piped up "SHUT UP!"

Oh Lord!

(RantWoman is meditating about the applicability of "Shut up" to some of Business Meeting's excesses; RantWoman is also meditating about problems detecting the "under the care of the holy spirit" part of Business Meeting lately, but that may have to be another story.)

RantWoman would point out that some faith communities use words like sanctuary and refuge. Some faith communities seek to draw people in closer to the Divine embrace. Apparently not our Meeting or that's definitely not Friends' first instinct, or not our first instinct right now. Lord have mercy on us all!