I Can See Clearly Now

A basic tenet of Quakerism is that, not only is God still speaking (referred to as "the continuing revelation") but that Divine wisdom is available to anyone at any time. We worship by sitting in silence, waiting for the "still small voice" of the Divine to speak to/through us, and the potential exists for any worshiper to receive a message.

Quaker worship is, by and large, corporate worship. No, that doesn't mean that this week's worship is brought to you by EXXON. It refers to the body of the Meeting, the group. We worship together in silence broken only by individuals who are moved (or led) to stand to deliver a message. There have been many, many times when I have been turning a thought over in my mind and someone across the room has stood up and spoken about the very thing that was on my mind! In Friendly parlance that is sometimes called "speaking to one's condition" as in "Friend, you spoke to my condition." It never fails to give me the shivers when it happens. That is the beauty of corporate silent worship.

One of my favorite aspects of Quakerism is the notion of seeking clearness (or clarity.) In Quaker Meeting we have a process for those who are seeking clarity around a specific question, called a "clearness committee." Within Meetings clearness committees are most frequently convened for individuals seeking official membership in that particular Meeting and for couples seeking to marry under the care of the Meeting. Clearness committees can also be requested when an individual is wrestling with a thorny issue or when people are engaged in a seemingly unresolvable conflict. (I requested a clearness committee a few years ago when I had what could be described as a crisis of faith around my chosen profession, teaching. It was very sustaining and helpful.)

In short, a clearness committee is a small group of people who meet with an individual -- or couple -- around a specific issue. A committee's charge is first and foremost to listen to the focus individual, and then to ask questions which will guide that individual in discerning what their right action should be (or in faith-based language, what the Divine wants of them.) It is not the charge of the committee to act as gatekeepers or the Spanish Inquisition. (Go ahead, Python fans, say it. I'll wait.) It is to be hoped that the person who requested the committee is seeking clearness, not clearance.

Anyway, I love being part of clearness committees. Participation is always enlightening and often joyful. I am currently a member of my Meeting's Care Committee (Quakers are inordinately fond of committees) which is the body responsible for convening clearness committees for membership and marriage. In fact, this week I participated in a meeting for membership. I am also the co-convener of a clearness committee for marriage for a dear friend, which has yet to be scheduled (good thing the wedding is still months away.) It's my first time convening a clearness committee. Yikes!

Parker Palmer, in his Courage To Teach program, has adopted the framework and language of the clearness committee and introduced it to the world outside of Quaker Meeting. I guess that's a good thing, although I question whether the process can be disconnected from its roots. (Other Friends ... what do you think?)

And for the rest of you, now you know perhaps more than you cared to know about one tiny part of Quakerism.