A key part of the foundation of Quakerism is the notion — the experience, once it sets — that
there is that of God in every person.
How does that really hold up? Though
no human can control the laws of physics or the power of nature, today three
ways God is in each person come to mind.
First, to God is attributed the power to create. People create, too: relationships, works of art, physical things — and the whole of our lives and legacies.
First, to God is attributed the power to create. People create, too: relationships, works of art, physical things — and the whole of our lives and legacies.
Second, to God is left final judgment. “Judge not, that ye
be not judged. For with what judgment ye
judge, ye shall be judged.” [Matthew 7:1-2.*]
Yet we judge all the time, in ways large and small. The best we can do seems to be to strive always
to judge with love.
Third is the power to give or withhold grace.
Every day, we have many opportunities to choose whether or
not to bring grace to the situations in which we find ourselves. When we earnestly ask ourselves, “What of God
can I bring to this moment?”, we usually get a useful answer.
* The above is amended because, I am
embarrassed to admit, I misquoted the Bible.
What I actually said in Meeting this day was, “Judgment is mine, saith
the Lord.” That statement is not found
in the Bible, as far as I have found.
The verse I mis-remembered is this: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord.” [Romans 12-19; see also
Hebrews 10-30 and Deuteronomy 32:35.] Today, I only meant to talk about judgment,
not vengeance.
