Gordon Matthews reflects on loving God and each other

Thought for the Week: Love is the answer

Gordon Matthews reflects on loving God and each other

by Gordon Matthews 16th August 2013

Claridge House is a Quaker centre for rest, renewal and retreat near East Grinstead. I have been serving there as resident Friend since 15 May. Before I came I stayed for a while at the Quaker community at Bamford in Derbyshire. The members of the community, and any guests present, gather for Meeting for Worship at eight o’clock each morning. Half an hour of ‘waiting worship’ is followed by ‘Afterwords’, when thoughts that didn’t feel appropriate as ministry can be shared.  Meeting for Worship at Bamford is often entirely silent, but one morning I felt moved to minister briefly: ‘I don’t like to interrupt the silence. I hope I can do so without breaking it. If there really is “that of God” within each one of us, perhaps we should kneel before one another, as if we were kneeling before a burning bush.’