Since the beginning of the Religious Society of Friends, we have found āthe Lightā to be a helpful way of talking about the Divine. Today, we often speak about āthe Light withinā and āholding each other in the Light,ā but not all Friends know that the image of the Light comes from the Bible, especially the Gospel of John.
From the Gospel of John, early Friends learned two important things. They learned first that Christ is the true Light, who shines in the heart of every single person in the world – whether or not they are Christians (John 1:9). This made Quakers more open to being respectful of other spiritual paths and religions, although that respect has never been perfect. Today, not all Friends believe that the Light is Christ, but we still believe that God may speak to anyone, of any religious faith – or of no religious faith at all.
Early Friends also learned from the book of John that even when the Light is surrounded by darkness, the darkness cannot overpower it (John 1:5). The Light – the Spirit – the Divine – the Inward Christ – fills us up the way that a candle fills up a dark room. Even when we donāt know what to do or how to speak to God about what we are feeling, the Light is shining within us. We are never alone.
Materials: Candle and matches, or battery-operated candles (helpful for accommodating dorm or hotel living, pets, little children, certain disabilities)
Time Investment: 30 seconds – 2 minutes
How to:Ā
1. Parent and child (or the whole family) gather in a dim or dark room and light a candle.
2. Say, āThis candle burning is our prayer. Just as the light fills up the dark room, we know that our prayers are lifted up to God. Letās sit here for a minute and watch the candle and know that our prayers are known by God, even if we donāt know what we want to say or how to say it.ā
3. At the end of a minute (or longer!) , say, āNow we are going to end our candle prayer. I will blow out the candle and we will all say, āAmen.ā We will know that God heard our prayer.ā
Notes and Suggestions
ā Feel free to adapt the language to make this practice resonant for your family. Maybe āworshipā makes more sense than āprayer,ā or āHoly Oneā feels better than āGod.ā Experiment with what brings you and your family closer to the Source and closer to each other.
ā Instead of blowing the candle out, you can let it burn in a visible part of the house for many hours. Remind the family that it is a visible sign of Godās presence.
ā This practice can be used for a specific need. Say, āLetās light a candle and know that God hears our prayer. Tonight we light a candle for [name].ā
An Introduction
The Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC) is an international, cross-branch, grassroots network of Friends sharing a stewardship for lifelong Quaker faith formation through religious education. We formed in April 2014 and now serve more than 300 Friends in our network. We actively engage and support each other across languages and continents. We gather for regional and annual conferences and offer monthly Conversation Circles via an online conferencing platform.Ā
Steering Circle
We share leadership as part of our collaborative mission, making decisions using the Quaker āsense of the meetingā process, sitting in expectant, worshipful waiting for the emergence of shared truth. Read moreā¦
Working Circles
Our workĀ takes place in ācirclesā or small groups of Friends who labor on a common task, usually meeting by video conference due to the geographic diversity of the membership. Read moreā¦
The Resource Library
Finders Guide, a sampling of the collection
The QREC Resource Library is a place to share lessons and other educational information in support of our work as Quaker religious educators. This library is a forum for curricula, articles, videos and other educational materials on Quaker themes. You will also find principles, policies and procedures to strengthen operation of your child, youth and adult religious education programs.
Children's Education
Adult Education
Family
African Quaker Library
Youth Education
Small Meetings
Young Adult Friends
Biblioteca QREC
Events
Find renewal, companionship, and help for nitty gritty issues in Quaker religious education, all the while opening spaces for Spirit to work and listening together for Godās way forward.
QREC holds an annual conference and retreat. In addition we hold online Conversation Circles and post other religious education events as we learn about them.
Conversation Circles
Online conferences for Quaker religious educators to share about their work. Conversations are scheduled for two sessions per topic to encourage international participation. Ā Join the conversationā¦
Other Events
Religious education events of interest to Quakers from all parts of the world. Please let us know about upcoming online or in-person events happening in your area. See the list of upcoming eventsā¦
Love at the Heart
Spiritual Practices
Discernment
Active Caring
Quaker Family Culture
Finding the Light
Faith at Home
Home is the heart of faith formation for all families. This is especially true for Friends. As an experiential religion, Quakerism is best learned through living in loving community. Indeed, the vast majority of faith formation for our young Friends happens at home in the busy swirl of daily life.
Become a Member
Submit Resources
Get Announcements
Donate
Attend an Event
Contact Us
Get Involved
QREC depends on all of us sharing our gifts and skills as religious educators. Here are some of the ways you can get involvedā¦
Author:Ā Adapted by Adria Gulizia (NYYM) from Faithful Families by Traci Smith
Illustrator:Ā
Publisher:Ā
Age Group: All Ages
Preparation Time:Ā
Related File:Ā Click to view/download file
Related Link (or File):Ā Click to go to link
Topics:Ā Activities, All-Age Activities, Centering, Children, Mysticism, Home, Home Religious Education, Inner Light, Mysticism, Quaker Faith & Practice, Settling, With Children
An Introduction
The Quaker Religious Education Collaborative (QREC) is an international, cross-branch, grassroots network of Friends sharing a stewardship for lifelong Quaker faith formation through religious education. We formed in April 2014 and now serve more than 300 Friends in our network. We actively engage and support each other across languages and continents. We gather for regional and annual conferences and offer monthly Conversation Circles via an online conferencing platform.Ā
Steering Circle
We share leadership as part of our collaborative mission, making decisions using the Quaker āsense of the meetingā process, sitting in expectant, worshipful waiting for the emergence of shared truth. Read moreā¦
Working Circles
Our workĀ takes place in ācirclesā or small groups of Friends who labor on a common task, usually meeting by video conference due to the geographic diversity of the membership. Read moreā¦
The Resource Library
Finders Guide, a sampling of the collection
The QREC Resource Library is a place to share lessons and other educational information in support of our work as Quaker religious educators. This library is a forum for curricula, articles, videos and other educational materials on Quaker themes. You will also find principles, policies and procedures to strengthen operation of your child, youth and adult religious education programs.
Children's Education
Adult Education
Family
African Quaker Library
Youth Education
Small Meetings
Young Adult Friends
Biblioteca QREC
Events
Find renewal, companionship, and help for nitty gritty issues in Quaker religious education, all the while opening spaces for Spirit to work and listening together for Godās way forward.
QREC holds an annual conference and retreat. In addition we hold online Conversation Circles and post other religious education events as we learn about them.
Conversation Circles
Online conferences for Quaker religious educators to share about their work. Conversations are scheduled for two sessions per topic to encourage international participation. Ā Join the conversationā¦
Other Events
Religious education events of interest to Quakers from all parts of the world. Please let us know about upcoming online or in-person events happening in your area. See the list of upcoming eventsā¦
Love at the Heart
Spiritual Practices
Discernment
Active Caring
Quaker Family Culture
Finding the Light
Faith at Home
Home is the heart of faith formation for all families. This is especially true for Friends. As an experiential religion, Quakerism is best learned through living in loving community. Indeed, the vast majority of faith formation for our young Friends happens at home in the busy swirl of daily life.
Become a Member
Submit Resources
Get Announcements
Donate
Attend an Event
Contact Us
Get Involved
QREC depends on all of us sharing our gifts and skills as religious educators. Here are some of the ways you can get involvedā¦