Love With Skin On
Any religious definition of goodness that leaves the body behind is incomplete. There is a hymn by the prolific (and highly regarded) hymn writer Brian Wren that says, “Good is the body for knowing the world; sensing the sunlight, the tug of the ground; feeling, perceiving, within and around; good is the body, from cradle to grave; Good is the flesh that the Word has become.”
When was the last time you can remember being told, in church, that your body is good, or that God takes pleasure in it? Guess maybe it depends where you go to church, but it would be fair to say that for many of us, it’s been a while. Yet the story that Christianity is grounded in reminds us that God trusted (and trusts) flesh and blood to bring divine love to earth. And who couldn’t use a little more divine love?
So this week we’ll explore that a bit – why it matters and what it might look like to begin to believe that God not only loves our whole selves, but invites us to love others in that same manner.
Other Items of Note:
Kids Table – I don’t know if you ever peek into the back corner room to see what our little people have been up to, but last week after our gathering I got a very enthusiastic tour showing me the “heart made of hands” the crew had painted on the wall. “There are my hands, and these are so-and-so’s hands, and here are…..”. Very cool! This Sunday is also a Kids Table morning, so if the preacher really isn’t doing it for you, just drift back there and sneak a look around the corner. It’s awesome!
September 13th – our first Sunday back to a.m. gatherings. Details will follow.
Tim Plett