A Friendly Reminder Reflection from QLC
By Andy Stanton-Henry
I read a quote a couple months ago, from the writer William Faulkner, that I haven’t been able to shake.
He was talking about monuments vs. footprints. He explains: “A monument only says, ‘At least I got this far,’ while a footprint says, ‘This is where I was when I moved again.’”
Making monuments is a very human instinct. And a valuable one. We need to celebrate successes, grieve losses, remember ancestors, and preserve wisdom. I am pro-monument and enjoy visiting them.
But our faith reminds us that monuments can easily become idols. The Hebrew prophets called out their people for creating “graven images” that could be utilized and controlled instead of following the free and living God.
In Christian faith, there is the relatable story of Jesus’ transfiguration, in which three disciples have this incredible spiritual experience and Peter wants to set up some “tabernacles” to prolong the moment and ritualize the event (Matthew 17). But Jesus wanted followers. Followers of Jesus make footprints, not monuments.
And in our Quaker faith, we insist on being non-creedal and speak of “continuing revelation,” because God is the great I Am, not the Great He Was (or Great Has Been!), to borrow from Rufus Jones. This living God still moves and guides and lures. So Quaker faith is reflected in our footprints, not our monuments.
It’s here where I’m tempted to go “from preaching to meddling.” For all our talk of continuing revelation and the freedom to follow the Spirit, we also love our monuments. We take pride in our history (as we should) and love telling our stories (as we should) and giving tours of our meetinghouses (as we should).
These are treasures of our tradition; but if we are not careful, they can become monuments that hold us back from participating in a movement.
Our ancestors and historical sites and spiritual stories should not be idols but icons. We don’t look to them, so much as through them. They are Friendly fingers pointing us to the One who speaks to our condition and the One who calls us to keep following.
Are there stories, saints, or rituals in your meeting or church that have become idols instead of icons?
Do the monuments of your meeting inspire Friends toward continued faithfulness or contented complacency?
How might the Spirit be inviting you to make some new footprints?