A
few months back, a Twitter friend recommended a book I never heard
of, An
Altar in the World,
by Barbara Brown Taylor. Intrigued by the title, I quickly checked it
out of the library, read it devotionally, and contemplated the
author's insights for the next few weeks.
One
chapter in particular captured my attention, “The
Practice of Wearing Skin.”
Here Taylor laments the Christian's love/hate relationship with their
bodies. She writes, “I am not sure when Christian tradition lost
confidence in the body, but I have some guesses. Although Jesus was a
Jew, many of his earliest interpreters were Greeks, who divided body
and soul in ways that he did not.”
I
find this unfortunate distaste for the physical, and the tendency to
divide body and soul, especially prevalent among American believers.
Our inclination to compartmentalize has given way to the idea that
somehow our physicality is of minor importance (or even inherently
sinful), therefore we need to relegate it to the back of the line
behind our soul and/or spirit (as if that were even possible). But
alas, as Taylor reminds us “every
spiritual practice begins with the body.”
God
created his humanity as beautifully complex, yet whole, integrated
beings. We should not try to fragment or compartmentalize our
persons. Our physicality is not evil, rather God created our bodies
with intentionality. Neither is our physical
self
less important to God than our so-called spiritual
self.
Remember, Jesus dwelt among humanity
in
the flesh.
He touched
the
leper with
human hands.
He suffered and died in
a body.
He rose again physically.
Indeed, our hope lies in our own bodily
resurrection
as well. Therefore, our bodies, and our attitudes toward them, matter
to God.
Why
is this important? Because when we endeavor to minister to people we
need to minister to them wholly.
If somehow we believe that certain parts of the human existence are
less important, we may be tempted to neglect select felt needs.
However, Jesus models for us the proper way to care for humanity.
Jesus preached to the masses, and
he fed the multitude. Jesus taught in the synagogues, and
he healed the sick. Jesus mentored his disciples, and
he washed their feet.
Taylor
calls this the “daily practice of the incarnation.” During the
Last Supper, Jesus gave his disciples “concrete things to do –
specific ways of being together in their bodies – that would go on
teaching them what they needed to know when he was no longer around.”
As the body
of Christ, the Lord invites us to the
daily practice of the incarnation.
That is to say, to heartily proclaim
and to practically demonstrate
his wondrous good news to his beloved humanity.
Such
is our heart for the people of Mexico City, especially those held
captive in life-threatening addictions or oppressed by human
traffickers. Stuart and I covet your prayers and appreciate your
financial support. May we lovingly participate in the daily practice
of the incarnation as Jesus so wisely taught us to do.
May
we humbly ask you to please
prayerfully consider a monetary donation today.
After a year of itinerating, we still have a lot of ground to make
up. But every
one-time gift or monthly commitment brings us closer to our return to
Mexico City. Thank you!
Printable PDF (Summer 2014)
