the table with flowers in the middle
At Quaker Quest in Friends House this Monday, the subject was Meeting for Worship. It was a well attended event with many young faces and the 3 speakers in the panel were all middle aged women with short silver hair. They did comment that not all Quakers are like they three.
During their talks about Meeting for Worship, they read much from the book, Quaker Faith and Practice, while emphasising early on that these words are no creed.
Late on one Friend mentioned that there is always a table with flowers in a vase on it, during Meeting for Worship. She told it like it is so for always.
Has it been so for always? What are the origins of the flowers in the vase on the table? Are the flowers necessary?
The worldwide market for flowers is traditionally volatile and many crops are managed in countries where labour rights are abused. Let us hope that the flowers in the Meetings for Worship across Britain Yearly Meeting are coming from fairly farmed fields.
posted by jez @ 12:57 AM
1 Comments:
In my ten years or so of experience amongst Quakers in America, flowers in the centre of the worshipping group are rare. A central table is also rare; ordinarily, there is nothing in the middle of the room. In memorial meetings, something reminiscent of the departed Friend's life is sometimes placed in the middle of the circle, but ordinarily, no tangible object is there.
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