er we
are quickened. It is true that in a Friends meeting the responsibility
for worship and ministry rests upon each and every member; but it is
also true that Friends, like others, must somewhat rely for their
awakening upon those who are more in God's spirit and power than the
average. We minimize an essential feature of our meetings if we fail to
recognize the role of the sheer presence of men and women who are
spiritually more advanced than most and are able to act as leaven.

The meeting for worship should begin outside of the meeting house, on
our way to it. As we enter the house, we would do well to remind
ourselves of the meaning of worship, the significance of corporate
worship, the possibility of meeting with God. Be expectant that this may
happen in this very gathering. Lift up the mind and heart to the Eternal
Being in whom we have brotherhood. The hope is that by these initial
acts we will put ourselves in the mood of worship and kindle a warmth of
inner life that will continue throughout the meeting and give spiritual
meaning to all subsequent efforts.

Settle into your place as an anonymous member of an anonymous group. If
you have come to have a reputation among people, forget this and become
anonymous. If you have not made a name for yourself, forget this. The
opportunity to practice anonymity is a precious one. The meeting for
worship would be of great value if it did no more than make this
practice possible. If you are accustomed to feel yourself important in
the eyes of men, lay it down and feel only that you and others may have
some importance in the eyes of God. If you feel unimportant, lay this
down. If articulate or inarticulate, forget this. Lay aside all your
worldly relationships and your everyday interior states. In fine, forget
yourself. Surrender yourself. Immerse yourself in the life of the group.
This is our chance to lose ourselves in a unified and greater life. It
is our opportunity to die as separated individuals and be born anew in
the life and power of the spirit. Seek, in the words of Thomas Kelly, to
will your will into the will of God.

Quiet and relax the body. We should try to quiet its habitual activity,
to relax it from strain, yet not over-relax it. Though relaxed it should
not become limp or drowsy. It must be kept upright, alert, wakeful. What
we desire is a body so poised and at rest that it is content to sit
there, taking care of itself, and we can forget it.

Still