Many Quaker Meetings have a tradition of sharing “After Thoughts” at the close of Silent Worship, and Reno Friends is one of those Meetings. After Thoughts (also called After Words) are messages that people did not feel led to speak during the Silence but that they still want to share.
Words spoken during Silent Worship are often referred to as Spoken Ministry, and each Meeting has guidelines that help people determine if their message is appropriate to share. While After Thoughts may not meet the more refined standards of Spoken Ministry, they should still be serious, thoughtful, and come from the heart. After Thoughts emerge in a liminal space that still reverberates with the profundity of the Silence; Worship has ended but we have not yet risen from Meeting. Because After Thoughts can be a bit more relaxed, they provide a reflective space for ideas and questions that may have lingered among the group.
Our Meeting here in Reno has a robust tradition of After Thoughts. People share concerns, sadnesses, hopes, spiritual questions and philosophical ideas. As with Silent Worship, the messages are absorbed without comment from others. We try to leave a few moments of silence to let everyone consider the last message before the next one. It is ruminative, quiet; an opportunity to share to a circle of intent listeners. Some of the most profound messages I’ve heard at Quaker Meetings were ones that surfaced during After Thoughts.
At our Meeting, After Thoughts are followed by introductions, and then we turn to Joys and Concerns, a more open time when people can share news about their families or their lives. For newcomers to our Meeting, there may not seem like a big difference between After Thoughts, and Joys and Concerns; but experienced Quakers know that each has its own value. After Thoughts should emerge from the framework of divinely-inspired messages; and that means they should be words people listen to but do not respond to directly. It is not meant to be a conversation, even though a message might inspire a related thought for someone else. When Quakers sit in Silent Worship or in a moment of worshipful sharing like After Thoughts, they try to avoid what they call cross-talk, the back-and-forth of everyday discussion. This is not because they dislike discussion (indeed, attend a Meeting for Business if you enjoy robust debate). Instead, it is because the divinely-led worshipful quiet permits a deeper level of sharing and attention. Each After Thought should stand within its own circle of Light.
As with all Spoken Ministry, After Thoughts should be received with an open mind by the others in the circle. Even if you may not agree with a message, listen with love and seek the Spirit behind the words. You never know what you might learn.
By Wendy Swallow, RFM Blog Editor
The opinions expressed above are not necessarily those of Reno Friends Meeting