Weekly Reflections for Sunday Morning Worship Sharing
at the Meetinghouse and via Zoom
Reflection for Sunday April 5, 2026 Worship Sharing
While the women were wondering [why the body of Jesus was missing from the tomb], suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. Luke 24:4-8
But Thomas said to the disciples, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20:25-29
And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead…. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. I Corinthians 15:14-19
How Do You Know He Lives?
One of the hymns (a Gospel song, really) we will sing to celebrate Easter is He Lives, written in 1933 by a Presbyterian pastor named Alfred Ackley. He told people that he wrote the song after a conversation with a young Jewish man who asked him, “Why would I worship a long-deceased Jew?” Around that same time, Ackley was listening to a well-known preacher on the radio and heard him suggest that it didn’t really matter what happened to Jesus so long ago, “because God’s truth just goes marchin’ on.” Undoubtedly aware of Paul’s words in I Corinthians 15 (above), Ackley was so distraught over what he heard that he sat down with a pen and paper and wrote what we now know as the hymn He Lives. The closing line of the song’s chorus was his consistent testimony in response to people who doubted Jesus’ resurrection – “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.”
The Fulcrum of Faith History One of the reasons Alfred Ackley was so upset by others’ denials of Jesus’ resurrection was probably that he knew Bible scholars considered the death and resurrection of Jesus to be “the fulcrum of faith history,” an eternal inflection point after which nothing would be the same. It was the turning point John wrote about (John 1:17), that “the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” The resurrection was the apex of God’s plan of redemption for fallen humankind, validating Jesus’ identity as God’s Savior and his teachings of the possibility and necessity of victory over sin and death.
Ackley knew the New Testament’s documentation of the change Christ brought to people’s lives. He frequently cited the apostle Paul’s writings to describe how that change is implemented – “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20); “I pray that Christ will be at home in your heart by faith” (Ephesians 3:17); and “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Ackley also knew that a true witness of Easter’s meaning required more than knowledge of historical facts and warm feelings about them. It had to be an authentic, personal reality – thus the line, “He lives within my heart.”
Ackley knew the New Testament’s documentation of the change Christ brought to people’s lives. He frequently cited the apostle Paul’s writings to describe how that change is implemented – “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20); “I pray that Christ will be at home in your heart by faith” (Ephesians 3:17); and “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). Ackley also knew that a true witness of Easter’s meaning required more than knowledge of historical facts and warm feelings about them. It had to be an authentic, personal reality – thus the line, “He lives within my heart.”
Words are Easy In Acts 19, Paul was at Ephesus during his third missionary journey. The Spirit of the Lord enabled him to perform many miraculous healings and to cast evil spirits out of people. Some sons of a Jewish chief priest watched Paul work and decided to try doing an exorcism themselves, perhaps for financial gain or popularity. They were careful to command the spirit to leave the man “in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.” The evil spirit retorted, “I know Jesus and I know about Paul, but who are you?”, and it caused the possessed man to give the chief priest’s sons a severe beating.
In a similar manner, it can be quite easy nowadays to celebrate Easter by proclaiming “Christ is risen” and singing that “He lives within my heart,” but what are we to say if someone asks us for evidence to back up those claims? That gets a little more difficult, especially if we’re saying those things because it’s Easter, not because they are the “fountain of Living Water” that gives us life and is transforming our spirit and character every day to be more like Jesus. As I have thought about it this Easter season, my answer regarding that request for evidence that Christ is risen and lives in my heart includes trust in the biblical record of eyewitnesses, the biblical and historical record of transformed lives, and my personal spiritual journey and experience of the Spirit’s faithful presence. I will share examples from those categories who had/have a ready answer for how they knew/know Jesus lives.
In a similar manner, it can be quite easy nowadays to celebrate Easter by proclaiming “Christ is risen” and singing that “He lives within my heart,” but what are we to say if someone asks us for evidence to back up those claims? That gets a little more difficult, especially if we’re saying those things because it’s Easter, not because they are the “fountain of Living Water” that gives us life and is transforming our spirit and character every day to be more like Jesus. As I have thought about it this Easter season, my answer regarding that request for evidence that Christ is risen and lives in my heart includes trust in the biblical record of eyewitnesses, the biblical and historical record of transformed lives, and my personal spiritual journey and experience of the Spirit’s faithful presence. I will share examples from those categories who had/have a ready answer for how they knew/know Jesus lives.
Mary Magdalene (John 20:1ff) John wrote that early on the morning of Jesus’ resurrection, Mary went to Jesus’ tomb, perhaps to help complete preparation of his body for burial, but also in sorrow and mourning. She found the stone had been removed from the entrance, and Jesus’ body was gone. She ran to tell Peter and John, and they ran to the tomb to see for themselves, then returned home. Mary evidently had followed them back to the tomb, and there she encountered angels who asked why she was weeping. Someone behind her repeated the question, and Mary answered thinking he was a gardener who might know where the body had been taken. Then Jesus spoke her name, and joy returned. He told her to go tell the disciples he had risen, and that she had seen him. Matthew’s account of that morning (28:1-10) indicates that a few other women who followed Jesus closely also were there and had a similar experience. How did they know he lives? He knew their names; they knew his voice and saw his face; and he transformed their sorrow into joy. Those evidences can be true for us today, too.
Cleopas and Friend from Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) On the afternoon of the resurrection, two of Jesus’ followers who had been in Jerusalem that day and knew some of what had happened were walking the seven miles back to their village Emmaus. Jesus unexpectedly joined them and entered into their discussion of the day’s dramatic events. He ended up giving them a tutorial on God’s plan of redemption as it is written in their scriptures, and how the things they had witnessed that day fit into that plan. When they reached Emmaus, they offered Jesus food and lodging for the night, but as he gave thanks and broke bread at the table, he revealed his identity to them and then suddenly disappeared. They quickly headed back to Jerusalem in the dark to report to the disciples what they had experienced, marveling at the way Jesus made their scriptures understandable and alive. How did they know he lives? He taught them about himself from the scriptures and opened their eyes to his immediate presence. Those evidences can be true for us today, too.
The Ten (Luke 24:36-43) Luke recorded that as the Emmaus men told the disciples in Jerusalem about their time with Jesus on the road and at their table, he suddenly appeared with them and wished them peace. Some in the room were frightened, thinking he was a ghost. Jesus calmed their fears and proved his identity by showing them his crucifixion wounds and inviting them to touch him. He asked them for a piece of fish to eat. After he finished, he gave the disciples the same gift he had given Cleopas and his friend – he opened their minds to understand the scriptures regarding what they had experienced, and what was to come. How did they know he lives? He calmed their fears, gave them peace, welcomed their touch, and opened their minds. Those evidences can be true for us today, too.
Thomas (John 20:24-29) There is no clear explanation as to why Thomas wasn’t with the other disciples on that night after the resurrection. Some think he was overwhelmed with sorrow, others that he was hiding somewhere else in fear of Jesus’ killers. When the disciples met with him a few days later, they told him joyfully that they had seen the risen Jesus. Thomas owned up to his doubt of their good news and said that unless he could actually touch Jesus’ wounds, he would not be able to believe he really was alive. One week after the resurrection, the group was together again behind locked doors at the same house when Jesus suddenly appeared in their midst, again wishing them peace. He went straight to Thomas, invited him to touch his crucifixion wounds, and urged him to “stop doubting and believe.” Thomas could only reply, “My Lord and my God!” How did he know Jesus lives? The Lord named his doubt, provided the needed remedy, and asked him to grow in faith. Those evidences that Jesus lives can be true for us today, too.
The Apostle Paul is the most logical non-eyewitness of the risen Jesus to illustrate people who knew that Christ was risen and alive. Paul’s first encounter with Jesus was truly non-eyewitness – a blinding light from heaven stole his eyesight for three days, and Jesus’ voice boomed out of the heavens to introduce himself and call Saul to a new life of service to God’s kingdom. In II Corinthians 11:23-12:10, Paul lists the many ways the living Christ was with him during dangerous travels, hostile audiences, shipwrecks, imprisonments and floggings, and countless other perils.
The contemporary example of a non-eyewitness who had a ready answer to explain how he knew Jesus lived in his heart was our friend and mentor Stan. We observed the 12th anniversary of his death this week, so he’s been on our minds. Stan disciplined himself to cultivate the deepest friendship with Christ we have ever witnessed. It would take a long time to listen to all the evidences that Christ ruled in his heart. Such evidences can be true for us, too.
The contemporary example of a non-eyewitness who had a ready answer to explain how he knew Jesus lived in his heart was our friend and mentor Stan. We observed the 12th anniversary of his death this week, so he’s been on our minds. Stan disciplined himself to cultivate the deepest friendship with Christ we have ever witnessed. It would take a long time to listen to all the evidences that Christ ruled in his heart. Such evidences can be true for us, too.
Our Personal Spiritual Journeys As I reflect upon my own experience, it is difficult to recall a time when I didn’t know or didn’t care whether Christ had risen and was alive. That doesn’t mean I’ve always honored that conviction, but I always knew he was waiting for me to let him live in and through me. My awakening to living in his Spirit was in my late teens and early 20s when I had to start making choices about college, career, financial matters, marriage, and other lifetime decisions. If you ask me how I know he lives in my heart, I will first tell you about the keen sense of Christ’s presence and teaching I experience when I awaken each morning. Then I’ll tell you how all those choices over the years have been led by his Spirit — so long as I was willing to trust him and let him lead – and have resulted in a far more joyful, meaningful, fulfilling life than I could possibly have come up with on my own. That is what Easter means to me, and how I know he lives in my heart. I serve a Risen Savior…. who walks with me and talks with me as my Savior, Teacher, Lord, and Friend along life’s narrow way. It’s a Way of life available to us all. He is risen indeed. Halleluiah!
–Ron Ferguson, Easter Sunday 5 April 2026
Queries for Worship-Sharing and Reflection
1) How do you answer the question posed by the title of this devotional?
2) Which evidences of Christ living within you (underlined above) are most important to you?
3) Why was it important for Thomas to admit his doubt? In what ways was Jesus compassionate to him?
4) Why do we get so consumed with things that are not eternal that we fail to recognize that Christ is with us?
Reflection for Sunday October 5, 2025 Worship Sharing
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; do not fret when people succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Psalm 37:3-7
Those who wait upon and hope in the Lord will renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…. Titus 2:11-13
World Quaker Day 2025 — Steps Toward Renewed Spiritual Strength
The Religious Society of Friends was formed in around 1650 AD in England. At some point after that, individual Quaker worship groups (Monthly Meetings) were asked each year to prepare a report on the spiritual condition of their Meeting and share it with the movement’s leaders. The Meetings were scattered around England, and there were no electronic means of communication back then, only written messages and personal visits (on foot or horseback!). The Society’s leaders needed to know what successes and struggles the Meetings were experiencing so they could visit in a timely manner to learn, encourage, teach, and coordinate as needed. Though not required to do so, Winchester Friends’ Ministry & Oversight prepares a State of Society Report each June at the end of the church year.
The M&O’s report this year was prepared at a time of significant upheaval and uncertainty in the world, in our nation, in the global Church, and in many Quaker organizations and Meetings. That reality brought to mind the promise God made through the prophet in Isaiah 40:31 to the exiled, discouraged Israelites who were weary of captivity and wanted to return to Jerusalem. As M&O members discussed the current situation, they spoke of several steps of waiting upon the Lord which Friends could take to put ourselves in a position to receive that promised renewal of spiritual strength for facing these days, both individually and as a group. They are offered here for your consideration and contemplation.
Worship as Listening First Waiting upon the Lord means learning to “still all creaturely activity,” engaging in contemplative prayer and worship by first listening for God’s leading. An example is Jehoshaphat’s prayer in II Chronicles 20:3,4,12 — “we don’t know what to do, but our eyes are on You.”
God’s Strength, Not Ours Waiting on the Lord teaches us the importance of doing the Lord’s work in the Lord’s power, not our own, as expressed in the priest Jahaziel’s response (II Chronicles 20:15) to King Jehoshaphat’s prayer: “Do not be afraid or discouraged…., for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”
Holy Patience and Holy Persistence In doing the Lord’s work, we honor the creative tension between both being patient to wait for the Lord’s timing and leading, and being persistent in never quitting or giving up.
Living in True Community Waiting upon the Lord includes nurturing a strong, loving faith community, heeding the early Quaker advice of “knowing one another in the things that are eternal” and “watching over one another for good.”
Living With Realistic Hope Waiting on the Lord means honoring the creative tension between realism and hope; it means being honest about the challenges we face in being Christ’s disciples in the 21 st century, but also being relentlessly hopeful in the Lord’s assurance that he is with us, is greater than any and all of those obstacles, and will help us bear fruit for his Kingdom.
Committed to Ministry Like a waiter in a restaurant serves diners, waiting upon the Lord means serving him by providing what he requests, and by being his hands and feet in ministry wherever he places us, no matter how we earn a living. It means serving him and fulfilling his law by carrying one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2).
Seeing and Loving That of God in Others Waiting upon the Lord means fulfilling what Jesus said were the Law’s greatest commands — loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and loving our neighbors as ourselves (Galatians 5:14, the World Quaker Day theme), without exceptions, as the Lord helps us to “see that of God” in all others.
Wars, domestic violence, destructive climate disruption, economic upheaval and stress, potentially dangerous technologies, a culture of harmful self-focus, and other serious problems confront us daily in this hyper-connected world. I suspect it gives us at least a taste of how the exiled Israelites must have felt — distraught over the state of the world around them, and powerless to make it right. Into their discouragement and hopelessness, God spoke words of comfort and hope through Isaiah to tell them he had not abandoned them. He assured them that they were not powerless and that he would renew their strength, if only they would wait upon him in genuine faith. The Lord intended them to return to Judea to prepare the way for the Messiah who would bring the possibility of salvation to the whole world. I am convinced that God still speaks that promise to Christ’s followers today who are discouraged and feeling hopeless about the state of the world. If we will wait upon the Lord, he will renew our spiritual strength to serve him obediently, share his Good News faithfully, and prepare the way for his entry into people’s hearts, despite his enemy’s strong opposition. He desires to use each of us in that effort. It begins with our commitment to wait upon the Lord in the ways described by M&O members above. Let’s all do that. Let’s be Friends.
–Ron Ferguson 5 October 2025
Queries for Worship-Sharing and Reflection
1) Why is pausing periodically to consider a faith community’s (and our personal) spiritual condition a wise practice?
2) What other ways of “waiting upon the Lord” do you know and/or practice, besides the seven listed above?
3) What aspects of Quakers’ somewhat unique Christian message and practice are most meaningful or helpful to you?
4) What makes it possible for Jesus’ followers to live with both unvarnished realism and life-giving hope?
Winchester Friends Ministry & Oversight
State of Society Report – Annual Report for 2024-2025
June 2025
State of Society Report – Annual Report for 2024-2025
June 2025
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who wait upon and hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:28-31
As the Ministry & Oversight began discussing the state of Winchester Friends’ society at the close of the 2024-2025 church year, members were asked to offer their sense of the Meeting’s condition. One Friend’s comment seemed to summarize all the others which were expressed – that “Winchester Friends is in a state of flux, with the way forward not yet clear.” That brought to mind King Jehoshaphat’s prayer in II Chronicles 20 when Judah was threatened with a massive attack by an army of neighboring nations. The king confessed to the Lord that Judah was powerless to confront the impending attack, saying “we do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you.” After he finished his prayer, a man named Jahaziel was moved by the Spirit to say in response, “This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged…., for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’” The M&O agreed the same is true for Winchester Friends at this time.
Another observation expressed was that the Meeting is in a place of patient persistence. We realize that numerical growth cannot be drummed up overnight, so impatience for that would be wasted energy. At the same time, in the spirit of Isaiah 40 (above), we recognize the importance of not giving up but waiting and persisting in listening for the Lord’s direction and obeying it regarding the Meeting’s ministries and outreach – no hurry, and no quitting.
The M&O recognizes and affirms our Friends’ efforts to continue the longstanding Quaker testimony of “watching over one another for good.” The Meeting is a “faith family,” and our members truly do care for one another in ways that are both a blessing and a witness to the wider community. One member spoke of concern that we not “cling to” Zoom attenders who find opportunities to participate in in-person fellowships where they live, but rather express care by encouraging them to obey God’s leading.
We sense in this unique moment that we are called to be a Meeting of realistic hope. Like King Jehoshaphat in II Chronicles 20, we must be honestly realistic about the challenges and limitations we face as a faith community. At the same time, we must also be honestly hopeful about the Lord’s ability to empower and equip us to accomplish far more than we have imagined, if we will trust him and obey. We understand the consistency and gradual increase in attendance at our meetings for worship, and the new people joining us over the past year, to be a confirmation of God’s call upon us and help to us for being the church he desires us to be. The FUM Flourishing Friends consultation in which the M&O has participated this year has given us all practice in thinking about Winchester Friends’ future with both realism and the hope which comes from the Lord’s presence and promise.
We are grateful for the opportunity to continue serving the Lord in these and new ways, and we look forward to seeing how the Spirit will lead us in the 2025-2026 church year.
Winchester Friends Ministry & Oversight, June 2025: Cleo McFarland, clerk; Linda Groth; Sharon Reynard; Marsha Kritsch; Kathy Simmons; Dave Longnecker; Doug Baker; Ellen Craig; Brian Lilly, ex officio; Pam Ferguson, ex officio; Ron Ferguson, ex officio
Reflection for Sunday October 6 , 2024 Worship Sharing
World Quaker Day and 2024 State of Society Report
Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Matthew 5:8
Jesus asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:15-18
How Have You Seen the Lord Lately?
Winchester Friends’ State of Society / Annual Report for 2023-2024
Winchester Friends’ State of Society / Annual Report for 2023-2024
Today is World Quaker Day, an annual occasion sponsored by Friends World Committee for Consultation to remember and pray for members of the Religious Society of Friends who will gather for worship, fellowship, and spiritual equipping in most of the time zones on earth. We are joined together by our dedication to Christ as our Savior, teacher, Lord, and friend, and by commitment to live and proclaim his eternal Truth. FWCC’s emphasis for this year’s observance is drawn from their 2024 World Plenary gathering’s closing epistle in which the phrase “We are still here – God is with us” is repeated multiple times. Winchester Friends’ Ministry & Oversight sees significant agreement between that emphasis and our own State of Society report for the ’23-’24 church year. We offer it here for your reflection and response during worship-sharing on this World Quaker Day.
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When the Ministry & Oversight met for their April 2024 meeting, one of the items on the agenda was to begin thinking about the overall spiritual condition of Winchester Friends as we approached the end of the church year and prepared for a new one. The story of Easter was still fresh in our minds. Mary’s joyful declaration about having seen the risen Lord in the aftermath of the crucifixion seemed like a good challenge to M&O members to identify the ways we have seen God at work in our midst over the past year. Time was spent reflecting upon and sharing insights to that question in the group’s April and May meetings. The following are their observations and offerings.
The Lord is my strength and my shield….. (Psalm 28:7) As that conversation got underway, the first witness of God’s presence and help that was noted was his protection of the members of our Meeting and community through the trauma of the March 14 tornado that severely damaged parts of Winchester and the surrounding area. At least 48 houses were totally destroyed, another 50 or more sustained major damage, and another 100 had damage requiring repair. At least ten of our Friends’ residences were damaged. Despite all that destruction, miraculously no one died here that night from injuries caused by the tornado. One M&O member noted that responding to this disaster together has provided a positive opportunity for our community to cooperate, be more aware of ministry opportunities, and grow closer together. The Lord surely has watched over us.
Consider it pure joy…. that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. (James 1:2,3) With the widespread use of COVID-19 vaccines, the past church year was one of slow, careful emergence from the previous three years’ restrictions of the pandemic. It was a year of gradually more fellowship meals, in-person gatherings, and increasing choir activity. It has also meant some streamlining of the church’s committee structure for efficiency’s sake, given the reality of fewer people, programs, and activities than we had before the pandemic. There has not been a rush — as seen in many organizations in the past year — to return to doing everything that was being done before 2020. The sense of the Meeting has been to wait for leading, and to do fewer things well than to do many things exhaustingly or haphazardly. That process continues as we ponder how to add programs for Christian education for more people. Friends also have been faithful in financial support of the Meeting’s ministries, despite the challenges of the times. God has helped us persevere.
From Christ the whole Body…grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16) The importance of every Friend doing their part to help the Meeting accomplish its work grows more obvious as we all grow older. The past year has posed significant health challenges to several in the Meeting, at times limiting their ability to do what they have previously done for the church. We thankfully have seen the Lord help many Friends regain good health in those situations, and we also have seen him work through others in the fellowship to make certain that needed ministries get carried out. God’s faithfulness through this time gives us hope and confidence that he will provide the people, energy, and leadership needed for our future.
Be very careful how you live….making the most of every opportunity (Ephesians 5:15,16) One M&O member spoke of seeing God’s hand in new opportunities for fellowship and ministry with people who had not previously indicated much spiritual interest. It is a reminder to us all to live with keen awareness that God is always at work in lives around us.
We always thank God for all of you…. (I Thessalonians 1:2) The M&O members concur that the consistent, active participation of distant Friends and friends who have worshiped with us by Zoom in the past four years has been a clear and encouraging sign of God’s presence and work in our midst. They have enriched our lives and our meetings by sharing what the Lord has taught, or is teaching, them. Whatever we might have sacrificed from the “former way” to incorporate online participation in our meetings, God’s gift of their input into our meetings has been worth far more.
God’s presence and work in these ways also has nudged us all back towards Friends’ understanding of worship as listening first, before we speak or do anything else. We give thanks for all this evidence that God is indeed at work in us.
Winchester Friends Ministry & Oversight, June 2024: Cleo McFarland, clerk; Linda Groth; Sharon Reynard; Marsha Kritsch; Kathy Simmons; Dave Longnecker; Doug Baker; Ellen Craig; Brian Lilly; Pam Ferguson, ex officio; Ron Ferguson, ex officio
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Working on the State of Society report reminded me frequently of the article published several years ago by our friend and Friend Colin Saxton, the former general secretary of Friends United Meeting. In that piece, he encouraged Friends to prepare for discipleship and ministry in a rapidly-changing world by regularly asking and answering the questions journalists use to get accurate information for a story – but from a spiritual perspective.
Who are we? It is my prayer that we are people who believe Jesus’ Gospel message of forgiveness and reconciliation with God, and have experienced true relationship and cooperative friendship with Christ’s Spirit who “has come to teach his people himself.” We must acknowledge that we are mostly an aging fellowship who long to share his love with others but find it increasingly challenging to reach young people and young families. We seek the Lord’s help with that.
What are we (called to do)? We are called, just as the earliest Friends were, to “walk cheerfully over the earth, answering that of God in every person.” Jesus calls us to proclaim eternal Truth as he did, and to demonstrate that Truth’s life-giving impact on us through lives of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality, and service. We are called to let Christ live through us his life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-discipline.
When are we? We are in a unique moment in history, one of widespread self-focus, growing secularization, and resistance to the Gospel. It is a moment of widely-shared belief that technology, science, and wealth will solve all human problems, eliminating our need for God. It is a moment crying out for authentic witness of inward spiritual transformation that results in power over sinful, destructive selfishness, in lives of meaning and purpose, and in spiritually obedient, loving use of all of God’s gifts.
Where are we? We are in the wealthiest, most advanced nation in the world’s history. We are in a conservative region of that nation, a region historically called the Bible Belt. Some researchers suggest that that “adjacent familiarity” has led to a kind of immunity to Jesus’ call to deep discipleship. Perhaps because of that, the Christianity around us sometimes seems to be the inherited, social type rather than the “inner life, friendship with the Living Christ” type.
Why are we? We are who and what we are because Christ’s life and love within us compels us to share his Good News with any and all who will listen. He helps us to see that just as he told his first disciples, “the harvest” is as great or greater than it ever has been, but “the workers” are as few or fewer than they ever have been. People of every generation are called to be bearers and reflectors of his spiritual Light to those who walk in the darkness of not knowing him. It is my prayer that we disciples at Winchester Friends truly mean the words we sing in the hymn “To Be God’s People”:
Almighty Father, give us a vision of a dying world that needs Your love and care.
We see the need, the yearning for a Savior; in Jesus’ name grant this our prayer.
We see the need, the yearning for a Savior; in Jesus’ name grant this our prayer.
To be God’s people in this place, live His goodness, share His grace
Proclaim God’s mercy through His Son, share His love with everyone.
Proclaim God’s mercy through His Son, share His love with everyone.
And when we falter, be Thou our comfort, guide us as Your children that our lives may be
A beacon in this darkness that surrounds us, a Light that others then may see.
A beacon in this darkness that surrounds us, a Light that others then may see.
Lord, let this be true in our lives and faith community, and in all the Friends everywhere who worship you this day. Amen!
–Ron Ferguson, 6 October 2024
Queries for Worship-Sharing and Reflection
1) How have you sensed God’s presence and seen the Lord at work in your life, in our midst, and/or in the world lately?
2) In Matthew 5:8, what do you think is the connection between having a pure heart and spiritual vision for seeing God?
3) How has the fellowship and ministry of your Quaker Meeting and Friends been a help and blessing to you this year?
4) In your experience, how has Zoom participation enhanced and enriched our worship and life together for us all?
Sermon on the Mount Series Links
Sermon on the Mount Series #1 – Diamonds Aren’t Forever
Sermon on the Mount Series #2 – Blessed are the Poor in Spirit
Sermon on the Mount Series #3 – Blessed are the Meek
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May 7, 2023
150th Celebration
April 30, 2023 150th Celebration with Jay Marshall, speaker
Winchester Friends Meeting, est. 1873
Celebrating 150 Years of Ministry
Meeting for Worship April 30, 2023
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Celebrating 150 Years of Ministry
Meeting for Worship April 30, 2023
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With Guest Speaker Jay Marshall
Friends Minister, Author, Seminary Dean (ret.)
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Friends Minister, Author, Seminary Dean (ret.)
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When the Spirit Calls
I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint.
Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”
Habakkuk 2:1-4, New Living Translation
I will climb up to my watchtower and stand at my guardpost. There I will wait to see what the LORD says and how he will answer my complaint.
Then the LORD said to me, “Write my answer plainly on tablets, so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.
Look at the proud! They trust in themselves, and their lives are crooked. But the righteous will live by their faithfulness to God.”
Habakkuk 2:1-4, New Living Translation
Queries for Reflection and Response
1. What is the call or sense of mission that motivates you personally? What motivates the Meeting?
2. What are some of the ways you have learned to discern what is from God and what is simply chatter?
3. What made the memorable occasions that have shaped your understanding of faith and ministry?
4. If you are a reflection of the five closest people in your life, what are you reflecting?
5. Imagine for a moment that you have climbed a watchtower in downtown Winchester. Where could the Meeting’s gifts bring hope and healing to the community?
If You Could See What I See
All of my life I have dreamed that somehow love would find me
Now I can’t believe you’re standing here
If beauty is all in the eye of the beholder
then I wish you could see the love for you that lives in me
Now I can’t believe you’re standing here
If beauty is all in the eye of the beholder
then I wish you could see the love for you that lives in me
And you would know you have my heart, if you could see, what I see
That a treasure’s what you are, if you could see, what I see
Created to be the perfect one for me, if you could see, what I see
That a treasure’s what you are, if you could see, what I see
Created to be the perfect one for me, if you could see, what I see
I know there are days when you feel so much less than ideal
Wondering what I see in you
It’s all of the light and the grace your belief in me drives me to say
That I promise you a faithful love, forever true
Wondering what I see in you
It’s all of the light and the grace your belief in me drives me to say
That I promise you a faithful love, forever true
If you could see then you’d understand why I fall down to my knees
And I pray my love will be worthy of the One who gave his life
so our love could be, if you could see what I see
And I pray my love will be worthy of the One who gave his life
so our love could be, if you could see what I see
You’re created to be the perfect one for me, if you could see what I see
If beauty is all in the eye of the beholder,
then I am beholding… true beauty
If beauty is all in the eye of the beholder,
then I am beholding… true beauty
–Geoff Moore (CCLI 649965), sung by Judi Marshall
We Are Called
Come, live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord! We are called to be light for the Kingdom, to live in the freedom of the city of God.
We are called to act with justice; we are called to love tenderly. We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.
Come, open your heart! Show your mercy to all those in fear. We are called to be hope for the hopeless so hatred and violence will be no more…..
Sing! Sing a new song. Sing of that great day when all will be one. God will reign, and we’ll walk with each other as sisters and brothers united in love…. We’ll walk humbly with God…..
–David Haas, based on Micah 6:8; arr. Mark Hayes (CCLI 649965)
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Winchester Friends Ministry & Oversight
State of Society Report – Annual Report for 2020-2021
June 2021/ October 3, 2021
State of Society Report – Annual Report for 2020-2021
June 2021/ October 3, 2021
Lives That Speak
Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone…. –Friends founder George Fox
Be patterns, be examples in all countries, places, islands, nations wherever you come; that your carriage and life may preach among all sorts of people, and to them; then you will come to walk cheerfully over the world, answering that of God in everyone…. –Friends founder George Fox
As the Ministry & Oversight began discussing the state of spiritual life at Winchester Friends at the close of the 2020-2021 church year, it was nearly impossible to think about the past twelve months in any framing other than that of the changes caused and necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Each M&O member offered reflections on what they have observed and sensed about our life together in the past year, and their hopes for the days yet to come. The following is a summary of their thoughts.
Trials of 2020-2021 For all of us, the past year was one of significant losses and profound sorrow. At least fifteen participants in our faith community tested positive for coronavirus infection and experienced various degrees of illness. A number of our Friends lost close or extended family members to COVID or other causes during the year and often did not have the comfort of gathering to mourn together. Added to that was the sadness of watching the number of pandemic deaths in the US steadily climb past half a million. It was a year of lost chances for close fellowship, handshakes and hugs, a long period of isolation and loneliness. One M&O member compared it to the pupae stage of a butterfly’s life when the caterpillar “shelters in place” inside the chrysalis to await favorable conditions outside. It was a year without the encouragement of singing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs together” (Colossians 3:16). Many ministry activities had to be suspended, meaning lost inertia and momentum. In some cases, people who may have had only minimal interest in participating in the Meeting simply withdrew and have not reappeared. Because the pandemic changed so many things in our lives, we all were required to expend large amounts of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy to accomplish in different ways what used to be fairly simple, routine tasks. Work, school, social, travel, and meeting schedules were disrupted, with resumption in many cases still uncertain, making planning very difficult. In the community and society beyond the Meeting (and potentially within as well), economic stress and civil unrest have led to fraying of the social fabric in ways that make many relationships tenuous.
Encouraging Surprises of 2020-2021 The M&O clerk pointed out that none of us should be surprised that the pandemic has not changed God. For those who have remained engaged and have continued seeking the Lord, the pandemic has provided a new or renewed sense of God’s identity and character. Technology was adopted and adapted to our Meeting’s unique needs in a way that has allowed us to maintain relationships and a surprisingly deepened sense of community. In the butterfly analogy, meeting by Zoom has helped break open the isolation of the chrysalis stage to make new life possible. The shift to a worship-sharing format on Sunday mornings has found encouraging success in nudging Friends to be participators rather than spectators, and it has taught us to listen more carefully for “that of God in others.” Meeting via Zoom has made it possible to welcome local newcomers, distant former Friends and family members, and other faraway friends into our fellowship in meaningful, delightful ways that none of us had imagined before the pandemic necessitated these changes. Despite the financial uncertainties and hardships that the pandemic has imposed on so many people and organizations, the Meeting’s finances have remained healthy due to the faithful generosity of so many of our Friends. That consistent support has given us confidence to continue sharing resources from the Best Trust to help “make Christ’s love tangible and visible” in the community and world around us.
Outcomes of 2020-2021 The past year has given us – and all in the Meeting, we hope – a deepened sense of Christ’s faithful presence with us and care for us, no matter how dire our circumstances might get. Worship in a more semi-programmed manner than before has shown many Friends the importance of giving verbal witness of God’s love and Truth within our fellowship when the Spirit prompts them. That hopefully has strengthened and improved their ability to do the same in their relationships beyond the Meeting. Our meetings for worship online have shown the importance of engaged participation by everyone, whether verbal or not – the things said by many Friends on Sunday mornings are most meaningful when heard and absorbed by everyone. Hopefully we will move into 2021-2022 with a new realization of the importance of showing up consistently, whether we end up sharing what we have learned, or we listen deeply to the helpful words of other Friends. Each of us has learned many things about ourselves and our calling to daily ministry during the “inactivity” of the pandemic months. If we’ll let it, that knowledge should equip us for effectiveness in the new environment of the upcoming church year. Returning to the butterfly analogy, the caterpillar-transformed-into-
Hope for 2021-2022 The Ministry & Oversight members are determined to learn and grow from the hard lessons of 2020-2021, and not to squander the unexpected blessings and opportunities that have come out of the unprecedented church year just completed. We desire to remain highly attentive to the Lord’s constant, consistent presence. We acknowledge that although we do not yet know everything we will need to understand for effective ministry in the post-pandemic world, we know we cannot just go back to what was “normal” before. We acknowledge that it will require the input and participation of every Friend in the Meeting if we are to successfully fulfill the Lord’s desires for our faith community. We gratefully recognize that the blessings we have enjoyed during the difficult past year are due in large part to a core of Friends who have remained committed to the Meeting and its ministries. They have done so because of their love for the Lord who has saved us, their love for one another in this community of believers, and their dedication to our shared spiritual life. Moving forward, we hope to find relevant new ways of letting Christ’s timeless light of love and Truth shine through us. We long to help the minimally involved to renew their seeking. We desire to welcome the uninvolved to discover the benefits of living by faith – especially young adults and families in this overly secular era for whom the pandemic has been a rude awakening to human frailties and mortality. Like the butterfly that has been protected and nurtured inside the chrysalis, we know we must in faith release our grip on the refuge of “what has been” and fly into the unknown future in order to fulfill God’s calling and purpose for us.
We invite every Friend in the church to join us in that journey. Like Paul appealing to the Corinthians (I Cor. 2:1), we cannot depend on eloquent words or superior human knowledge (or slicker technology and flashy entertainment). We welcome you just to let your daily lives speak, both in words and actions, of God’s love, Truth, and presence. As George Fox discovered, it’s the way God enables us to “walk cheerfully” throughout our lives, and to forge rich connections with others who desire to know and live for the Lord. In the world’s present turmoil, he needs every one of us to get involved. Thank you for letting your lives speak in ministry through Winchester Friends.
Winchester Friends Ministry & Oversight, June 2021: Cleo McFarland, clerk; Sharon Reynard; Dave Longnecker; Linda Groth; Doug Baker; Ellen Craig; Marsha Kritsch, ex officio; Pam Ferguson, ex officio; Ron Ferguson, ex officio
Lives That Speak — Lives of Resilience and Hope
The king said to Daniel, “Surely your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery (of the king’s dream).” –Daniel 2:47
Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” –Daniel 3:28
Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.” –Daniel 3:28
Let your light shine before people, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
–Jesus, Matthew 5:16
–Jesus, Matthew 5:16
Today is World Quaker Day, an initiative of the Friends World Committee for Consultation to remind Friends that in every time zone around the world on the first Sunday of October, Quakers will gather in the presence of the Spirit of Christ. We meet to worship the Lord who unites us in a global community of faith, and to pray for one another’s effective witness in the challenges and opportunities we face. Clearly with the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises in mind, FWCC selected “Resilience and Hope: Drawing Strength from our Faith” as the theme for World Quaker Day 2021. As in the past several years, Winchester Friends’ Ministry & Oversight has chosen to present their State of Society Report for the recently-completed church year during worship on World Quaker Day. The theme of their report (“Lives That Speak”) turned out to dovetail almost seamlessly with FWCC’s focus, and with the past week’s Through the Bible chapters centered in the Book of Daniel.
Daniel was one of Judah’s young “best and brightest.” He and hundreds of other skilled and educated Hebrews were exiled to Babylon in 605 BC after the Babylonian army forced the surrender of Jerusalem, helped themselves to Judah’s treasures, and turned Judea into a client state. Part of Nebuchadnezzar’s strategy for keeping conquered nations weak was to deplete their human capital as well as their treasury. Daniel and three other young Hebrews featured in the first half of the Book of Daniel – Hananiah (Babylonian name Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abednego) – were chosen to undergo three years of language and other training to become servants in Nebuchadnezzar’s palace (Dan. 1:3,4). As part of that assignment, they were fed rich food and wine from the king’s own table, food that had been offered to idols and included things that violated the dietary instructions of Moses’ Law. Rather than follow orders and spiritually defile himself, Daniel resolved to obey God and requested permission from their Babylonian boss to eat only vegetables and drink only water. The Babylonian feared he would be blamed for underfeeding the Hebrews, but he reluctantly agreed to a test. After ten days, the Judeans looked and performed better than their counterparts who ate the rich food. Their diet was switched, and at the end of their training years the king found them superior to all his other wise men and advisors. Their lives spoke.
When I was around five years old, I watched “Popeye the Sailor Man” cartoons on TV each Saturday morning. My brother and I became convinced that if we ate enough canned spinach, we too could get strong enough to rip the top off a can and eat the contents like a beverage. We got our mother to fix us some spinach. After I had choked down a couple of spoonsful, I went outdoors to play and saw our neighbor Mr. Carmichael working on his lawn mower in his driveway. I ran over and told him I had eaten some spinach and was now as strong as Popeye. I asked him if he wanted to see. He didn’t reply right away, so I flexed my skinny biceps for him, then slugged him on the shoulder. I was only five, but I’d bet it hurt a little. I am horrified every time I remember that incident. It makes me wonder how many parents persuaded little kids to eat canned spinach by telling them they’d be strong like Popeye. They probably should have told us more about the virtues of Olive Oil. I’m pretty sure that my siblings and I were told the Bible story of Daniel and his friends a few times, too, to persuade us to eat our vegetables and stay away from wine.
Daniel 2 tells the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling dream, and his demand that his advisors tell him both what he had dreamed and what it meant. When the advisors had no idea what the dream had been, the king ordered them all killed (including Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego). Daniel was given a chance to plead his case with the king and was allowed time to seek the Lord. After the Hebrews prayed, the Lord revealed the complicated dream and its meaning to Daniel. When he laid that all out to Nebuchadnezzar, the king acknowledged the sovereignty of Yahweh (Dan. 2:47, above) and spared the lives of his wise men. Daniel 3 tells us of Daniel’s three friends’ courageous refusal to bow in worship to a statue of Nebuchadnezzar, even on the threat of death. After the Lord miraculously accompanied them through the fiery furnace and enabled them to emerge unscathed, the king again praised Yahweh’s omnipotence (3:28, above). Several years later, following the Medo-Persian conquest of Babylon, their ruler Darius made Daniel one of the most powerful administrators in his kingdom (Daniel 6). Other officials, jealous of Daniel’s power and friendship with Darius, fooled the king into signing a decree sentencing to death in a lions’ den anyone who prayed to any deity other than Darius. Daniel’s life had spoken. They knew he prayed three times daily towards Jerusalem — the City of Zion where the presence of Yahweh dwelt — and would not cease doing so. He was arrested and thrown into the lion’s den, but God “sent his angel and shut the mouths of the lions.” Darius witnessed Daniel’s miraculous survival and issued a decree praising Yahweh as the one true God (6:26,27).
In young adulthood, Daniel and his three friends were forced into a horrible situation they never would have chosen. Rather than giving in to Babylonian cultural religion and surrendering their deepest identity as children of the Living God, they held tenaciously to their faith and made the best of their difficult circumstances. They were resilient. In faith, they never gave up hope that God would allow the Hebrews to return to Jerusalem and Judea, and would help them live more faithfully than the people had whose disobedience and idolatry led to Israel’s captivity. Their determination to obey the Lord in all things first, then deal with whatever consequences resulted, spoke volumes about God and about themselves to anyone who was paying attention.
We in 2021 face a combination of challenges – pandemic, climate crisis, economic upheaval and disparity, armed conflict, social and racial injustice — that may add up to nearly equal those which faced the Hebrew exiles. And due to modern communications technology, a lot more people are now paying attention. The Lord’s message to us today through Daniel’s examples is that the resilience, hope, and resolve to “seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness” which they displayed 2600 years ago are still available to all who wish to live lives that speak to others of God’s holiness, loving compassion, and eternal promise. All he needs is our invitation to allow his Spirit to live fully in us. Let’s help one another to let our lives speak for God in all we are, in everything we do.
–Ron Ferguson 3 October 2021
Queries for Worship-Sharing and Reflection
1) What have been your greatest trials or discouragements of the past 18 months? How has God helped you with them?
2) What do you think “spiritual resilience” and “spiritual hope” will look like in 2021 and beyond?
3) What encouraging surprises or positive changes have you experienced in the last 18 difficult months?
4) Why is it important to consider what others will conclude about God and faithful living when they watch how I live?
5) What are your most fervent hopes as the world and our community slowly emerge from these months of pandemic?
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Winchester Friends Church 765-584-8276
124 E. Washington St. Winchester, IN 47394
www.winchesterfriendschurch.
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Winchester Friends Church 765-584-8276
124 E. Washington St. Winchester, IN 47394
www.winchesterfriendschurch.
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When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew in his spirit what they were thinking, and he said to them, “Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” Mark 2:5-12
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10
For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. II Corinthians 5:17-21
Our “Full Service” Messiah
Since the death of my father in late September, my weeks have been filled with memories of working at his service station in our small central Kansas town, then later at the station he purchased in a small city several miles away. My siblings and I started out as pre-teens pumping gasoline into customers’ tanks while Dad washed their windshields, checked their oil, and tested their tire pressures. (We kids’ arms weren’t yet long enough to reach across the windshields or raise the hoods.) After he got a vacuum sweeper with a really long hose that hung on the light post between the gas pumps, he also offered to vacuum the customers’ floorboards. (Long arms weren’t needed for that task, so we kids often ended up doing it.) It really was a full-service station. There were a couple of other stations in our town of 1000 people, and those “extras” were a way of attracting customers who might otherwise go fill their tank elsewhere. As we got older and our arms lengthened, the kids did all of those things out on the driveway, freeing Dad to do his repair work in the shop without interruption.
In the years after I left for college, service stations began dropping the “service” and shifting to the model of convenience stores which sold gasoline that the customers had to pump for themselves, usually for a few cents per gallon less. Dad resisted that self-service model for several reasons because his goal was more than just making money to support his family. He liked his customers and wanted to interact with them. He cared about their vehicles and wanted affordably to help keep them in the best shape possible. He especially liked doing those quick preventive maintenance favors for elderly customers who found it difficult not only to pump their own fuel, but also to scrub their own windshields and check their own oil and tires. Even when he had to charge a few cents more for gasoline to cover his costs, his customers remained loyal for many years. It was a two-way relationship, not a one-way transaction.
Why, How, What? During the first half of 2025, Winchester Friends’ elders and leaders participated in a consultation of spiritual introspection and future contemplation facilitated by the Flourishing Friends project of Friends United Meeting. Early in that process, the consultants shared a diagram of three concentric circles to represent the way faith communities plan and do their work. They called the smallest circle in the center the “Why” level, and the two larger circles outside it the “How” and “What” levels. The consultants stressed the importance of gaining spiritual clarity and unity about the organization’s “Why” before ever moving on to the “How” and “What” levels of activity. They said the “Why” circle is where an organization’s mission/purpose statement is found. Only when that mission is clearly understood and shared in unity will the organization be able to move on to effective methods and activities which help them accomplish the central mission – the “Why.” The consultants observed that far too many organizations try to begin at the “What” or “How” levels and end up conducting activities which do nothing to help the group accomplish its central mission, and sometimes even hinder it.
The consultants asked a task group of three persons to work on writing an updated mission statement for Winchester Friends answering why we are a faith community. They started from an “unofficial” statement which has been used here for several years, and considered new input from the Flourishing Friends group’s discussions. After many weeks of thought and conversation, the task group brought this draft statement to the Ministry & Oversight: Winchester Friends seeks to know Christ and to make him known to others, welcoming all in friendship with God through meaningful worship, authentic witness, sacrificial service, and life-giving community.
The consultants asked a task group of three persons to work on writing an updated mission statement for Winchester Friends answering why we are a faith community. They started from an “unofficial” statement which has been used here for several years, and considered new input from the Flourishing Friends group’s discussions. After many weeks of thought and conversation, the task group brought this draft statement to the Ministry & Oversight: Winchester Friends seeks to know Christ and to make him known to others, welcoming all in friendship with God through meaningful worship, authentic witness, sacrificial service, and life-giving community.
The Messiah’s “Why” That Flourishing Friends diagram has been in my thoughts the past two weeks as I moved into the Gospels in the Through the Bible in a Year readings. Why did Jesus come to earth? If we need an example of an excellent mission statement, we need look no farther than Jesus, God’s promised deliverer. Hundreds of years before the Messiah’s arrival in Bethlehem, Isaiah (7:14) foretold that he would be called Immanuel, “God with us”. God wanted all people to know that he is present and can be known in lifegiving relationship by all who truly seek him. Jesus stressed that same truth about his Father when, in several places in scripture (Matt. 4:17, Mark 1:15, Luke 17:21, John 18:36), he told people that the Kingdom of Heaven or God is a Presence, not a place — and it is near, it is at hand, it is within you and among you, and it is not of this world.
When an angel in Matthew 1:20-21 appeared to Joseph to inform him Mary would bear a miraculous baby boy, he told him to name the child Jesus (meaning “the Lord saves”) because “he would save his people from their sins.” Jesus later confirmed that mission in Mark 2:17 saying he had come “to call sinners, not the righteous,” and in Luke 19:10 when he told Zacchaeus “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Another aspect of Jesus’ “Why” was to make his Father known to humankind. Even after following Jesus as disciples for three years, some of the Twelve still did not make the connection. In his last Great Discourse at the Last Supper, Jesus chided Philip (John 14:8-10) for asking Jesus to “show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus replied by saying that anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. Quaker philosopher and teacher Elton Trueblood expressed his solidarity with Jesus on that by writing that God is exactly like Jesus.
One other part of Jesus “Why” is clearly stated by the Lord when he used the metaphor of sheep and shepherds to teach about his Kingdom in John 10:1-18. He told the disciples that his enemy’s “Why” was to steal, kill, and destroy. In contrast, Jesus’ “Why” is to give abundant Life through knowing him to all who’ll seek it.
When an angel in Matthew 1:20-21 appeared to Joseph to inform him Mary would bear a miraculous baby boy, he told him to name the child Jesus (meaning “the Lord saves”) because “he would save his people from their sins.” Jesus later confirmed that mission in Mark 2:17 saying he had come “to call sinners, not the righteous,” and in Luke 19:10 when he told Zacchaeus “the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”
Another aspect of Jesus’ “Why” was to make his Father known to humankind. Even after following Jesus as disciples for three years, some of the Twelve still did not make the connection. In his last Great Discourse at the Last Supper, Jesus chided Philip (John 14:8-10) for asking Jesus to “show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus replied by saying that anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. Quaker philosopher and teacher Elton Trueblood expressed his solidarity with Jesus on that by writing that God is exactly like Jesus.
One other part of Jesus “Why” is clearly stated by the Lord when he used the metaphor of sheep and shepherds to teach about his Kingdom in John 10:1-18. He told the disciples that his enemy’s “Why” was to steal, kill, and destroy. In contrast, Jesus’ “Why” is to give abundant Life through knowing him to all who’ll seek it.
Messiah’s “How” If Jesus’ mission was to make God’s presence known and knowable, to forgive people’s sins which prevent them from knowing him, and to restore God’s intended abundant life to them, how did he accomplish that? The Gospels tell us of several principles which guided his work. Luke 4:16-21 relates that he went to his home synagogue in Nazareth and during worship read Isaiah 61:1,2 to his neighbors. That passage announced that the Spirit of the Lord had prompted him to proclaim the good news of God’s compassion for society’s most disadvantaged people – the poor, the imprisoned, those with illness and disabilities, and the indebted. That divine compassion called upon God’s people to act to help lift them up and to right the injustices which caused their suffering. The Spirit’s prompting, proclamation of good news, call to action – that’s a real “How.”
A second principle Jesus followed to make God’s Kingdom known was consistently to speak Truth to correct the erroneous, self-serving interpretation of the Law by teachers and others who did not love the Lord with all their hearts. Jesus addressed that in detail in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:21-48) regarding murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, revenge, and treatment of enemies. Mark 2:23-3:6 and Luke 6:1-11 address their legalistic view of the Sabbath. They taught the letter of self-righteousness. Jesus practiced and taught selfless agreement with God’s real wishes.
A third spiritual principle evident in all of Jesus’ work was that of sacrificial service. Mark 10:44-45 quotes Jesus’ words to the disciples about who was the greatest. He told them anyone wanting to be great must become the servant of all, and that “even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
A second principle Jesus followed to make God’s Kingdom known was consistently to speak Truth to correct the erroneous, self-serving interpretation of the Law by teachers and others who did not love the Lord with all their hearts. Jesus addressed that in detail in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:21-48) regarding murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, revenge, and treatment of enemies. Mark 2:23-3:6 and Luke 6:1-11 address their legalistic view of the Sabbath. They taught the letter of self-righteousness. Jesus practiced and taught selfless agreement with God’s real wishes.
A third spiritual principle evident in all of Jesus’ work was that of sacrificial service. Mark 10:44-45 quotes Jesus’ words to the disciples about who was the greatest. He told them anyone wanting to be great must become the servant of all, and that “even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Messiah’s “What” From my reading of the Gospels, one of Jesus’ first actions to accomplish his mission was to live out his message before people, to demonstrate in human flesh what God’s Way looks like, and to show that it is humanly possible. I Peter 2:21 reminds us that discipleship means hearing his call to follow in his steps, to follow his example. Another action Jesus took soon after beginning his public ministry was to identify, call, train, and then send out others through whom he could continue his mission into the future, wherever the Spirit led them, for as long as it took. Mark’s and Luke’s Gospels give numerous examples of a third action Jesus took frequently – naming evil for what it really is, showing compassion for its victims, and demonstrating God’s power over it by prayerfully casting it from them. And a fourth action that seemingly marked most of Jesus’ days of public ministry was his demonstration of his power over nature. He healed countless sick people, fed multitudes who needed food, calmed dangerous storms, and restored physical life to people who had died. He did everything he could to make people’s earthly lives better, just as he did for their eternal spiritual lives.
In his Journal, George Fox emphasizes consistently that living for Christ, our full-service Messiah, brings freedom from both sin’s eternal penalty and sin’s daily power. The message of the Gospels likewise is one of both forgiven sin and transformed living. Our Flourishing Friends conversations also stress that those two elements are essential for individual disciples to flourish, and that a faith community will struggle to flourish if its members are not. As we enter the holiday season, it’s a great time to do a personal Why/How/What inventory. Why do I (or don’t I) follow Christ? How do I work to know Christ more deeply and help others to do so too? What does following Christ lead me to do to make him and his love tangible and visible in the world? A meaningful life awaits those who take those questions seriously. Let’s be Friends.
–Ron Ferguson 2 November 2025
Queries for Worship-Sharing and Reflection
1) What steps can we take to avoid treating our relationship with Christ as a transaction instead of a relationship?
2) How did Jesus’ miracles of healing and feeding crowds further his mission of “seeking and saving what was lost”?
3) What things Jesus did on earth give you the clearest picture of what God is like? Do you agree that God is like Jesus?
4) What makes somewhere, or something, or someone God’s Kingdom? What do you envision his Kingdom is like?
QUAKER QUERIES
February 16, 2020
February 23, 2020
March 8, 2020
March 15, 2020