By Andy Stanton-Henry
A Friendly Reminder reflection from QLC
My wife and I co-pastor a Quaker meeting in East Tennessee. We love our motley crew of Friends. The people are precious to us and it’s a privilege to nurture a spiritual community. But it can also be hard. Lately, we have been wrestling with how to speak to (or not speak to) the current social and political landscape. This is not made any easier by the political diversity we hold as a congregation. We have some very liberal members, a couple MAGA folks, a few centrists, a couple who worked for RFK’s campaign, and a family who identifies as anarchist.
How do we provide pastoral leadership for such a time as this with such a group as this??
Whether or not you’re a pastor, you may also find yourself wondering how to provide spiritual and organizational leadership in the current political climate.
Two extremes quickly present themselves.
One option is that we could spend all our time ranting about politics and the evils of our current administration – sparking more outrage and anxiety. This may provide a sense of moral righteousness and perhaps a little moral superiority. But it doesn’t provide pathways to spiritual practice, authentic community, and practical action many seek. And does the world really need one more talking head political pundit full of words but no wisdom? We ought to leave that to cable news and nurture something else in our spiritual community.
Another option would be to pretend that the troubles of the wider world do not exist. We can come to worship to exchange spiritual cliches and hallelujahs as if immigrants aren’t being hunted and our government isn’t getting gutted. We can enjoy a good three-point sermon or an hour of mystical bliss without being challenged, invited, or guided to faithful action in the world.
Neither of these feel faithful to me. So how do we find a way forward? How do we lead faithfully in these troubling times?
As I’ve pondered these questions, two words keep rising for me: name reality.
I am reminded of a quote from leadership teacher Max DePree in his book Leadership Is An Art: “The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between the two, the leader must become a servant.”
Additionally, my favorite definition of contemplation comes from Jesuit theologian Walter Burghardt: “taking a long, loving look at the Real.”
Maybe this is our starting place. We take a long, loving look at the Real and name what we see.
We are, after all, fond of talking about Fox’s revelation that only Christ can “speak to our condition.”
How can we know if Christ is speaking to our condition if we have not taken the time to notice and name our condition?
If we wish to be pastoral or prophetic in our meeting, church, or organization, maybe our first step is to take a long, loving look at what’s real in our hearts and in our context. Then we figure out how to name it out loud.
I think the “real” we are looking at is two-fold. Call it a spiritual “Reality Check.”
First, we are looking at what’s “real” inside and around us. We face the brutal facts of our congregation, community, and country. And we acknowledge the feelings that accompany these facts: grief, anger, anxiety, etc.
Secondly, we are looking at what’s “Real” inside and around us. We look for the Reality of Spirit moving in hearts and hands. We notice where there is new Life, guiding Light, Love in action. We recognize the simple acts of kindness and small acts of faithfulness that often go unnoticed. We notice where these is energy or new ideas.
The “Real” is no less real than the “real.” Do you follow? In the language of George Fox, the ocean of darkness and death is real. But so is the infinite ocean of Light and Love. Many of us have a tendency to notice and name one or the other, but both should be part of our reality check.
Saint Teresa of Avila taught that contemplation was learning to look at God while God looks at us. We turn our gaze toward the loving gaze of the Holy One. Beautiful. But I would add one more movement. We look at God looking at us. Then we turn together to look at our life, at our community, at our world.
God asks us: “What do you see?”
And we ask God: “What do You see?”
We bring our people into this conversation.
We look, we name, then we discern right action for ourselves and our communities.
