Unprogrammed Quaker Worship

'unprogrammed' worship is the kind of worship practised by most Quakers in Europe (& in yearly meetings who inherit that tradition), & in many parts of north America, & is often mistakenly called 'silent worship'. to a newcomer, an unprogrammed meeting may indeed seem 'silent' but in reality it is an experience of intense listening. this silence is not a passive, reflective, meditative, individual silence such as you might get at a prayer meeting, but an active silence of a community gathered together in expectation - the silence is every bit as exuberant as a group of young adults in a standard modern church singing worship songs to the accompaniment of a rock band. we gather, in a meeting house, in a private home, in a park, & now here using the world wide web, to strengthen each other and to wait, as did the disciples on the day of Pentecost. the word of god, Christ, is there among us and speaks to us by his spirit, in our hearts.
sometimes no audible word is said, but we are together refreshed and washed clean by the fountain of living waters. sometimes one friend may deliver an inspiring message. sometimes several friends, as the spirit leads each one, will give a series of brief messages which joined by god's plan form a complete revelation. sometimes a friend will be compelled by the spirit to speak something that seems to make no sense, only to learn later that it was a divine answer to someone else's need.
those who speak and those who listen should do so in quiet attention to the spirit of god. each person present affects the depth of the worship we reach as a group, in which there is no human leader and no planned programme - where we are all learners, trying to live as active disciples of Christ.
the meeting for worship is closed by the shaking of hands initiated by people previously appointed to do so, or by someone who feels moved to close the meeting. in the online meeting for worship, this is done by whomsoever feels led clicking the 'shake hands to end meeting' button at the bottom of the main meeting page, & other friends present confirming the end of meeting similarly.

adapted from Ohio yearly meeting (conservative) & olympia monthly meeting

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