Shakers and Simple Gifts

                                                                  Vintage Shaker Furniture

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free,

'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be, 

and when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

to bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed;

to turn, turn will be our delight

'til by turning, turning, we come round right.

                      Simple Gifts Voices United 353 

 The New York Times ran a piece a few days ago about a couple who've a "Shaker themed" eatery in NYC. I found this a bit curious because the Shakers (a derogatory term, initially, because of ecstatic expression) were always a small and unique group of Christians whose heyday (hay day?) was in the late 18th and 19th centuries in America. There were never more than a few thousand of these "shaking Quakers" who placed a significant emphasis on the Second Coming of Christ, as well as celibacy. It's a challenge to thrive as a religious group when you're not producing the next generation of believers! 

I'm tempted to look at this enterprise a bit cynically, as "Shaker Light", emulating the traditional Shakers in style with less 'ligion. The article does offer a lovely reminder of the Shaker ethos when it came to the goods they crafted for themselves and to sustain their communities: 

Craftsmanship as Worship 

Based on the tenets of communal living, celibacy and a life lived in the service of God, Shakerism flourished under the guidance of its charismatic founding leader, Mother Ann Lee, an illiterate visionary who preached of receiving messages from God that these principles were the only way to salvation. 

The religion’s tenets also include the belief that each object congregants put their hands to is a vessel of worship. Recognized for innovations including the circular saw, flat broom and seeds sold in packets, the Shakers, whose members call themselves sisters and brothers, developed a particular skill for woodworking and cabinetmaking. 

They first used pieces to furnish their growing communities, then as a way to support them by selling items to consumers, marketing their brand of “Shaker Made” as synonymous with well-made and durable.

In a throw-away world in which we're drowning in our own trash and filling the oceans with plastic we might heed this remarkable, tangible witness. Even though the Shakers are all but gone as a Christian community there are lots of their pieces which have endured, as well as the use of the simple but elegant designs. And there is the hymn in the United Church Voices United which has Shaker origins. Jesus said a lot more about simplicity than many of the topics Christians get wrapped up in these days. He modelled it as well, even though we tend to ignore his words and example.  

I have to admit that the Commerce Inn has a cool look to it!

                                                                           Commerce Inn, NYC