Shaker Day of Atonement

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ~Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

This morning on my Facebook page today for my weekly  Shaker Wednesday, I posted about the Shakers’ Sacrifice Day or Day of Atonement. But I think it works for a last post of the year here on One Writer’s Journal too. The Shakers didn’t really celebrate Christmas in their early years. Later, after the Civil War, they did begin to join in with some of the traditional Christmas celebrations. Prior to that, the most significant day of the year for them was their special Day of Atonement. They generally celebrated this in late December, perhaps sometimes on Christmas Day, perhaps not.

Their millennial laws gave these directions for Day of Atonement of Sacrifice Day. “All Believers should make perfect reconciliation one with another and leave all grudges, hard feelings, and disaffection toward one another, externally behind on this day.” They were also instructed that “nothing which is this day settled — may hereafter be brought forward against another.”

Since the Shakers lived together as sisters and brothers in close quarters and worked together every day, they surely had times of irritation with one another. If you grew up with siblings, you know that sometimes sisters and brothers can have some cross moments. The Shakers valued peace. Their aim for their villages was to make them heavens on earth, to live in unity with one another and without conflict. But people are people. And the Shakers were people too. So, I’m sure that, in spite of their best efforts, often troubles did arise among members of their society the same as troubles sometimes arise in families. You may know people who have long held a grudge against someone in their family or had hard feelings with the memory of some wrong done them in the past. Very often those sorts of things are hard to let go, hard to forgive.

The Shakers had rules about almost everything. Which foot to step up on the the stairs first. Which knee to kneel on first when they said their silent prayers. Which hand to hold a handkerchief. With that in mind, it is hardly surprising that they came up with rules about forgiving one another.

But whether you can agree with their many rules or understand their odd beliefs, you can see the good of having a day when they sought out those fellow members they might have a problem with to make peace. I liked the idea that once they had settled whatever problem was between them, they had to completely turn it loose and never bring it up again. You have to wonder if the Shaker believers were always able to do this, but at least they did try. I feel sure that many of them did seek out a brother or sister to settle some hurt or slight and ended up with lighter hearts afterwards.

2020 has been a hard year for many. People have lost loved ones, often without the opportunity to be with them in their last days or moments. We haven’t been able to visit with extended family members as we would normally be able to do.  People have been divided by differing opinions and views. Church families haven’t had the fellowship that we are accustomed to having. While we do need to consider our own safety and that of others and wear our masks, it does seem to me to discourage the hellos and smiles as we go about our business.

So perhaps here at the end of 2020 as we look forward to 2021 with hope for a better year,  we can have a personal time when we leave all grudges, hard feelings and disaffections toward others behind. We can have our own Sacrifice Day or Day of Atonement and give up our grievances and forgive as the Lord has forgiven us.

Do you think the Shakers had the right idea about having a special day to forgive one another?