(Re)Discovering Joy in Worship

Quakers’ traditional seriousness, and our concerns for the world, can make our meetings for worship feel sombre and even depressing at times. Yet it is a core Quaker belief that any one of us can have a direct encounter with the Spirit whenever we open ourselves to its living presence – something that might be expected to establish a deep well of joy in us.

In this session we will consider what holds us back from finding joy in worship and how we can develop habits which will make us more open to this deeply life-sustaining emotion. As a result, we may find ourselves, like the Quaker writer and mystic, Thomas Kelly, “singing inexpressibly sweet songs within ourselves” as we discover fresh ways to approach meeting for worship.