Preparing the Way for Powerful Ministry
Dear Friends,
It has been a joy for me to be the guest editor of this week’s Daily Quaker Message! I am grateful for the invitation to share quotes, music, and art that are meaningful for me.
The query for this week is: How can we prepare the way for powerful ministry? This is a query I have been living into in my own life. I recently founded a nonprofit called Public Friends; the mission of Public Friends is ensuring the future of Friends in North America by supporting and developing Quaker ministers to a professional standard. My hope is that Public Friends will prepare the way for powerful ministry.
The messages for this week are examples of public ministry and responses to those who bring this kind of ministry.
In this season of Advent, it feels right to start with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Her message in Luke 1:46-56 is subversive. She prophetically speaks into being social, political, and economic change. Bob Henry’s artwork depicting Mary as a strong Black woman captures her powerful proclamation.
The next minister I featured is Mary Dyer, who was hanged on the Boston Common in 1660 after preaching in New England about the equality of women in church and visiting Quakers in prison in Boston. I was delighted to hear The Dimes’ song about her courage in the face of death.
In the middle of the week, we have a passage from Psalm 46 that has been meaningful for me. Although the “her” in the passage actually refers to a city, I find comfort in the words “God is within her, she will not fall.” God is within all of the women featured this week, and we can feel the Holy Spirit moving through them.
Mary Magdalene is an oft-misunderstood heroine. Contrary to popular belief, she was not a sex worker (a pope in the sixth century conflated her with several other women in the Bible, leading to this misunderstanding). In John 20:17-18, Jesus chose Mary Magdalene to be the first preacher, to share the news of his resurrection with the rest of his followers.
Another minister who has had a profound effect on me and on the Religious Society of Friends is Eden Grace, who died far too young in 2023. Her words about heading “directly into the place of greatest uncertainty” are challenging but reflect the life that she lived and her ministry worldwide.
And finally, we have a quote from Johan Maurer, suggesting that some Friends may oppose recognizing ministers because then they would have to listen to “ministers who have actually been given permission by the meeting to tell us when we fall short in our faithfulness.” Powerful ministry may make us uncomfortable, and people in our religious communities may want to limit it.
All of these stories show the power of ministry, and that it may lead to rejection, slander, or even death. Even so, people throughout the ages have followed the call to ministry, with incredible results. This kind of Spirit-led ministry reflects the dynamic and healthy religious communities of the ministers. If we prepare the way for powerful ministry, we are saying yes to this kind of challenge and growth.
Blessings,
Ashley
Reader Responses
How can we prepare the way for powerful ministry?
"The Edgar Cayce Association for Research and Enlightenment recommends (and this is my own practice) that there are three steps we need to take:
1) Prayer. This is where we express ourselves to God.
2) Meditation. This is where we listen for a message from the Divine.
3) Application. This is where we take our message from #2 out into the world.
I find that by following this procedure my heart is much more open to receiving messages. And then I must discern whether that message requires me to rise and speak. That discernment is moved along by any visceral response I may feel. For example, if my hands tingle, I feel the spiritual energy asking to be let out!"
Carolyn H., Haverford, PA, USA
"On the question of preparing the way for powerful ministry - they often say, 'Clear the decks and prepare for action.' The action can be physical, spiritual, mental. The decks are our minds. This is what we do in worship in a way - clear the decks, clear the mind, settle the soul to make way for spirit's leading."
Kevin S., Winchester, VA, USA
This Week’s Messages
The Reason for our Being
Lovely Mary Dyer
God Is Within Her
Mary Magdalene, Apostle to the Apostles
The Only Way Through the Cloud of Unknowing
What Some Friends Find Unpalatable
Banner art by Joey Hartmann-Dow
