Message - 8th Month 6, 2006 (August 6)

Friends heard scripture from Matthew 25:15

Friends heard a message related to the Scripture where we were reiminded that spiritual success like material success requires the right attitude and working tirelessly and constantly for the right things.

Message - 7th Month 2, 2006 (July 2)

Friends heard scripture from Romans 8, and later, a message focussing on Romans 8: 21.

The message asked Friends to consider that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."

The points emphasized were; by the Grace of God we are free, where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom, and freedom is achieved through forgiveness.

Message - 2nd Month 5, 2006 (February 5)

Friends heard messages to both children and adults from a visiting recorded minister. Children were asked and gave answers about what God is. Adults and children were asked to remember in concerns two Friends- one, the General Secretary of New York Yearly Meeting, whose father passed away recently, and another, a pastor at Farmington Meeting, who has had recent surgery for Macular Degeneration.

Friends heard scripture from John 1:35-46. Friends were asked if 'come and see' was what we are led to do in finding our own experience of God.

Jesus' First Disciples
35The next day John was there again with two of his disciples.
36When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"
37When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.
38Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, "What do you want?"
They said, "Rabbi" (which means Teacher), "where are you staying?"
39"Come," he replied, "and you will see."
So they went and saw where he was staying, and spent that day with him. It was about the tenth hour.
40Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.
41The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah" (that is, the Christ).
42And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter

Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me."
44Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
45Philip found Nathanael and told him, "We have found the one Moses wrote aboutin the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth,the son of Joseph."
46"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" Nathanael asked.
"Come and see," said Philip.

Message - 10th Month 16, 2005 (October 16)

15th Street Friends Meeting and Manhattan Friends Meeting sit together in silence. Some give testimony and sing piano accompanied hymns, including "Breathe on me breath of God". A 15th Street Friend reads scripture (John 1:12) and a Manhattan Friend gives a message relating to the scripture John 15:15. The Manhattan Meeting Friend's vocal message describes what it means to be a Friend.

Message - 10th Month 2, 2005 (October 2)

Friends hear a mesage with reference to John 17. The Eternal Life is ours in this life if we unify with Christ.

Message - 9th Month 4, 2005 (September 4)

Friends hear a message related to our work on this weekend called Labor Day. We are often asked by others - What is it that we do? We are also asked - For whom do we work?

Friends are asked to consider that if we dedicate our work and what we do, to God, and to consider that we indeed work for God, that our lives are filled with a joyous inner peace, the true reward of work which blesses others, God, and ourselves. We need to work for money in order to live in the world, also, but we owe ourselves also to consider our higher needs at all times.

Scripture from the Gospel of John, Chapter 5 is heard.

Message - 8th Month 21, 2005 (August 21)

Friends hear a message about choices we make when God calls us, or 'finds us'. Friends read passages from John 15, and Matthew 20.

Joshua 24:15 - And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (KKV)

Isaiah 65:12 - Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter: because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but did evil before mine eyes, and did choose that wherein I delighted not. (KJV)

John 15:16 - You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (RSV)

Friends also hear readings from 'The Quaker Doctrine of Inward Peace' by Howard Brinton. Friends are shown life patterns in Quaker Journals, or spiritual auto-biographies, over hundreds of years where Friends come to inward peace - which is needed before outward peace is possible - when they make a choice to obey the Light of Christ within.

addtional reading:
Samuel Caldwell, former General Secretary of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, gave a speech at Pendle Hill, PA, entitled - The Time has come to Choose