Are all our members clear of sleeping in Worship?

RantWoman has been watching some thoughts about queries play out on others' blogs:

http://robinmsf.blogspot.com/2010/07/what-are-queries-for-anyway.html



http://gatheringinlight.com/2010/07/12/the-queries-and-a-life-of-discernment/

Both of these blog entries mention queries as part of Meetings' annual giving account of themselves.RantWoman confesses: she has never thought to consult any specific queries the time or two shehas been involved in producing her Meeting's State of the Meeting report.


RantWoman was all set to rattle on in some general vein about queries--until she came upon one from the 17th century: Are all our members clear of sleeping and other untoward behaviors?


No! Who says? Does sudoku count? You mean I gotta stay awake?


RantWoman demurs! First, RantWoman once took counsel from a Seriously Weighty Friend about how sometimes during worship, Seriously Weighty Friend's mind just flutters around "like a hummingbird on a holiday." Seriously Weighty Friend (who identified more as Fat Friend than Seriously Weighty Friend) has been at this Quaker worship thing way longer than RantWoman and if her brain still flits around like a hummingbird on a holiday, RantWoman SUPPOSES there is hope for herself and in the meantime room for napping too.

Once upon a time RantWoman read a Pendle Hill pamphlet extracted from the writings of some 17th century Friend. This Friend was writing about his experience of Meeting for Worship. He wrote something along the lines of "it does not seem to matter whether I just spend the time sleeping. Even if that is all that happens, God has kept me out of bad company and sinful ways for an hour or so."


RantWoman is humbled by this sentiment. RantWoman supposes that in the cold underheated days of yore, simply stirring oneself to go be warm in a space with others probably has practical payoffs. Yeah, right, and RantWoman is really just trying to find the right theological language for her own worshipful naps.


RantWoman could perfectly well stay home and sleep in her own bed doing full recumbent DNA sprawl with the cat and save herself the trouble of getting dressed and taking a bus ride. RantWoman could do this and experience is clearly unambiguously that the effect is not the same at all. RantWoman thinks the peculiar spiritual cover of napping during Meeting for Worship is just part of that ineffable something, the peculiar communion of silent worship.

(Wait, RantWoman used, sometimes, to fall asleep among Baptists who made a great deal more noise during worship services than unprogrammed Friends do. The Baptists also do actual grape juice and weird crackers communion...Perhaps RantWoman should just not get carried away....)