WEBVTT 00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:15.759 We've been in a series for the past few weeks called This Is My Body, and it's a series looking at our bodies and its scripture and trying to understand how to think about our bodies. 00:00:16.679 --> 00:00:25.160 One of the biggest questions in our society right now is what does it mean to be a human being and what role do our bodies play in our humanness? 00:00:25.160 --> 00:00:30.440 And so we're thinking about that and we're looking at scripture to help guide us in that conversation. 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:38.679 And so for those who are Christians who are here, we are essentially trying to help you build a theology of embodiment. 00:00:40.140 --> 00:00:53.320 So that you can think biblically and live faithfully in this culture where so many of the issues that we wrestle with have to do with the meaning that we attach to our bodies. 00:00:53.320 --> 00:01:12.579 And if you're here and you're not a Christian or if you're listening, joining online and you're not a Christian, the hope is this is one of the ways that we make it evident that the gospel is the best news there is for every aspect of our lives, including and especially our physical bodies. 00:01:13.159 --> 00:01:17.120 It may sound weird to say that there is good news for your body, but the gospel is that. 00:01:17.180 --> 00:01:20.900 It is good news for your body, and I hope that becomes clearer this morning. 00:01:20.900 --> 00:01:26.040 Two weeks ago, we talked about our bodies as being gifts from God, handmade gifts. 00:01:26.700 --> 00:01:32.440 And then last week, we talked about our bodies being made in the image of God and what that means. 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:40.439 And this morning, what we're going to do is we're going to focus on the nature of our embodiment, how we think about our embodiment. 00:01:40.700 --> 00:01:44.040 And we're going to do that looking at Genesis chapter 2, verses 4 through 6. 00:01:44.040 --> 00:01:53.160 So first, we're going to spend a little time looking at the most common view of embodiment that you see in our culture, the most common view of embodiment. 00:01:53.760 --> 00:02:01.980 And then we're going to look at Scripture and we're going to see what the gospel has to say about our embodiment, how the gospel transforms our view of embodiment. 00:02:02.340 --> 00:02:05.660 So let's pray, and then we will get started. 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:10.379 And before I pray, I just want to let the guys in the sound, there's a hissing coming from this monitor. 00:02:10.740 --> 00:02:12.100 I don't know if there's anything you can do about that. 00:02:12.099 --> 00:02:13.219 But let's pray. 00:02:14.239 --> 00:02:18.419 Lord, we thank you for your word, and we thank you for being a God who dwells in our midst. 00:02:19.039 --> 00:02:23.900 And we thank you for the fact that you speak to us in ways that only you can. 00:02:24.579 --> 00:02:28.659 This is a room full of people, and we each need probably something a bit different from you. 00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:36.799 And you're the kind of God who's able, through the same word, to speak to each of us in the ways that we in particular need to hear. 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:40.500 Lord, that you can apply your word specifically to us. 00:02:40.500 --> 00:02:42.439 And so I pray that you would do that, Lord. 00:02:42.639 --> 00:02:46.939 I pray that we would all be able to sit under your word and hear what we need to hear from you this morning. 00:02:47.379 --> 00:02:48.860 I pray this in your son's holy name. 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:49.460 Amen. 00:02:51.099 --> 00:02:56.920 So first of all, a little bit about the common view of embodiment that you might come across in our culture. 00:02:57.240 --> 00:03:00.740 A friend of mine, Ann Snyder, wrote this recently in Comment Magazine. 00:03:00.740 --> 00:03:03.379 She writes, 00:03:03.879 --> 00:03:27.760 In other words, a trend that she observes for centuries now in our society has been the gradual displacement of our bodies. 00:03:27.759 --> 00:03:30.340 Now, this has been happening for a very long time. 00:03:30.439 --> 00:03:31.979 It's not a new idea. 00:03:32.099 --> 00:03:39.199 In fact, there are numerous ancient philosophies and religions that hold a very low view of the physical body. 00:03:39.620 --> 00:03:42.699 Plato famously said that the body is a tomb. 00:03:43.799 --> 00:03:51.699 That our self, our soul, is trapped in this tomb until hopefully it might be liberated. 00:03:52.479 --> 00:03:55.819 The early Gnostic religions held much the same view. 00:03:55.819 --> 00:03:57.419 The body is a prison. 00:03:57.979 --> 00:04:00.959 Many Eastern religions also say this. 00:04:01.579 --> 00:04:03.199 The Bhagavad Gita teaches, 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:07.599 As you put on fresh new clothes and take off those you've worn, 00:04:07.879 --> 00:04:11.719 you'll replace your body with a fresh one, newly born. 00:04:12.620 --> 00:04:17.899 So you can take off your body like an article of clothing and replace it with a new one. 00:04:17.899 --> 00:04:27.539 And then the rise of rationalism during the Enlightenment further solidified this dualism in the Western imagination. 00:04:27.739 --> 00:04:34.879 By dualism, I mean the separation of body and spirit or body and mind. 00:04:35.699 --> 00:04:40.000 And coming out of the Enlightenment, we see this kind of heightened focus on the mind 00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:47.279 and this disregarding of the body as though the body exists merely to serve the mind. 00:04:48.420 --> 00:04:50.180 So we see this trend continuing. 00:04:50.600 --> 00:04:56.480 And then, not surprisingly, technology has followed along and in many ways exacerbated this. 00:04:56.600 --> 00:05:02.279 And often what we see in culture is this interplay between technology and philosophy, 00:05:02.439 --> 00:05:04.000 sort of shaping culture. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:12.500 So inventions such as the telephone, the automobile, the printing press, air travel, 00:05:12.800 --> 00:05:14.879 they all radically changed the world. 00:05:14.980 --> 00:05:15.860 They're all amazing. 00:05:16.019 --> 00:05:17.819 We're not saying these are bad things. 00:05:18.060 --> 00:05:19.439 But how did they change the world? 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:25.439 By giving us ways to overcome the limitations of our bodies. 00:05:26.779 --> 00:05:28.500 And now that's very significant. 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:32.639 The Internet has done the same thing on steroids. 00:05:32.639 --> 00:05:40.360 Our social lives, our work, our entertainment are more and more disembodied as everything goes online. 00:05:40.500 --> 00:05:43.639 Now, there is a material infrastructure to the Internet. 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:45.839 It's just not something that we see. 00:05:46.319 --> 00:05:51.439 It's giant server data centers in a giant warehouse somewhere. 00:05:51.819 --> 00:05:53.899 And miles and miles and miles of cable. 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:55.339 Now, we don't see that. 00:05:55.339 --> 00:06:02.939 What we see is a disembodied virtual reality as everything goes online. 00:06:03.139 --> 00:06:07.719 Mark Zuckerberg has recently announced his vision for the future of the Internet, 00:06:08.219 --> 00:06:11.899 which is actually a virtual world, the metaverse. 00:06:12.059 --> 00:06:16.159 Facebook's going all in on this being humanity's future. 00:06:16.160 --> 00:06:20.439 And, of course, all of this is exacerbated greatly by COVID. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:27.420 You know, COVID comes along and all of a sudden other people's bodies are dangerous. 00:06:29.480 --> 00:06:31.780 Our bodies are dangerous to one another. 00:06:31.920 --> 00:06:33.820 Your physical presence is a threat. 00:06:33.819 --> 00:06:41.439 And so we now live in a world where safety means physical isolation. 00:06:43.459 --> 00:06:49.879 And we've sort of been pushed headlong into this semi-virtual disembodied way of life 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:51.719 that I think has become the new normal. 00:06:52.459 --> 00:06:59.699 A kind of combination of at-home Zoom and public in-person, 00:07:00.579 --> 00:07:03.319 but probably a combination that is here to stay. 00:07:03.819 --> 00:07:07.579 And the more our bodies are displaced, right? 00:07:07.659 --> 00:07:13.500 So these trends are all showing this kind of displacement of the body, as Ann Snyder wrote. 00:07:14.180 --> 00:07:20.319 The more our bodies are displaced, the more open we become to our bodies being replaced. 00:07:21.259 --> 00:07:21.560 Right? 00:07:21.600 --> 00:07:25.519 If our bodies are secondary, if they don't matter, if they're ancillary to our lives, 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:31.379 what do they really matter and why not then replace them or upgrade them 00:07:31.379 --> 00:07:33.680 or do away with them if we don't like them? 00:07:33.819 --> 00:07:39.180 So think about movies like Freaky Friday or Avatar or The Change-Up, right? 00:07:39.279 --> 00:07:42.500 There are dozens and dozens and dozens of movies with the same premise. 00:07:43.159 --> 00:07:47.139 They're all films where people exchange one body for another. 00:07:47.879 --> 00:07:51.019 My family and I recently watched the movie Soul, 00:07:51.379 --> 00:07:53.800 which I have to say I greatly enjoyed. 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:57.579 I mean, it's a wonderful, delightful movie on many levels. 00:07:57.900 --> 00:08:01.079 But the premise of the movie Soul is that before we are born, 00:08:01.480 --> 00:08:07.580 we all exist as spirits who must at some point descend to Earth to inhabit a physical body. 00:08:08.020 --> 00:08:13.420 And so you have all of these sort of proto-souls living in the great before, 00:08:14.540 --> 00:08:18.699 sort of waiting to be ready to go down to Earth and inhabit a physical body. 00:08:18.699 --> 00:08:21.939 I actually think if you polled many Christians in our country, 00:08:22.079 --> 00:08:24.939 they would probably say, yeah, I think that's probably how it works. 00:08:25.599 --> 00:08:28.079 You're up there hanging out with God, and then at some point God says, 00:08:28.300 --> 00:08:31.319 okay, let's get you in a body, right? 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:38.039 And so this movie is, of course, takes this turn that for a lot of comedic effect 00:08:38.039 --> 00:08:41.519 where two spirits end up in the wrong bodies, right? 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:47.480 You have a female spirit in a man's body, and a man's spirit ends up in a cat's body. 00:08:48.079 --> 00:08:53.279 And it's a funny film, and in many ways it sort of makes light of the metaphysics. 00:08:53.799 --> 00:08:57.600 But I want you to see that underneath this and films like it, 00:08:57.799 --> 00:09:01.299 there is a very powerful metaphysical claim being made. 00:09:02.439 --> 00:09:08.740 And that is that your real self, your true self, exists apart from your body. 00:09:08.740 --> 00:09:11.060 But it's separate. 00:09:11.940 --> 00:09:16.259 And if that's the case, then it's entirely possible to end up in the wrong body. 00:09:16.360 --> 00:09:21.320 I've heard many people describe their body as kind of luck of the draw. 00:09:23.820 --> 00:09:27.659 And I say that this is a metaphysical claim, it's a metaphysical belief, 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:31.740 because, of course, we can't prove any of this with science. 00:09:32.299 --> 00:09:36.639 When we begin to try to articulate the relationship between yourself and your body, 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:38.159 we are on the plane of religion. 00:09:38.740 --> 00:09:41.340 We're on the plane of metaphysics and ontology. 00:09:42.899 --> 00:09:45.759 These are what we would call unfalsifiable claims. 00:09:45.860 --> 00:09:49.100 There's no way to scientifically back it, so it's a faith-based belief. 00:09:49.440 --> 00:09:54.100 Nevertheless, that is the way many people in our culture imagine things to be, 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:55.500 including, I think, many Christians. 00:09:56.779 --> 00:09:59.519 So the most common view of our embodiment is this. 00:09:59.519 --> 00:10:01.799 It's to see our bodies as containers. 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:05.419 At best, they contain us. 00:10:05.419 --> 00:10:08.639 At worst, they confine us. 00:10:09.599 --> 00:10:10.259 They're cages. 00:10:10.819 --> 00:10:12.279 They're tombs, as Plato said. 00:10:12.279 --> 00:10:17.799 And as a result of this view of the body as a container, 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:23.339 there's a lot of confusion in our culture when it comes to our bodies, 00:10:23.399 --> 00:10:28.620 because we live in a culture where instinctively we know that our bodies are probably important, 00:10:29.379 --> 00:10:33.679 and yet at the same time we are bombarded with messages that tell us that they're not really that important. 00:10:33.679 --> 00:10:39.239 And so we live in a culture that at the same time celebrates and idealizes the human body 00:10:39.239 --> 00:10:43.459 and denigrates and displaces the human body. 00:10:44.179 --> 00:10:52.339 We live in a culture where, on the one hand, we pour time and energy into making sure our bodies are healthy and attractive, 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:54.899 and we promote body positivity. 00:10:56.259 --> 00:11:02.220 We promote greater and greater acceptance of your body regardless of what it looks like 00:11:02.220 --> 00:11:05.399 or what standards of beauty it might appeal to. 00:11:05.660 --> 00:11:11.420 And yet, on the other hand, right alongside that, we feel more and more disconnected from our bodies, 00:11:11.419 --> 00:11:17.159 and we increasingly see them as obstacles to be overcome or problems to be solved. 00:11:18.799 --> 00:11:26.259 We live in a culture where people who struggle to accept their bodies receive very mixed messages. 00:11:27.240 --> 00:11:31.079 Some people struggle with body dysmorphia, 00:11:32.039 --> 00:11:35.579 and a lot of times, along with that, eating disorders like anorexia. 00:11:35.579 --> 00:11:40.879 That means seeing your body as being ugly or overweight even when it's not. 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:45.699 It's perceiving that something is wrong with your body even if it's not. 00:11:47.099 --> 00:11:50.500 Some people also struggle with gender dysphoria, 00:11:50.759 --> 00:11:53.479 which is seeing your body as being the wrong sex. 00:11:54.759 --> 00:11:57.740 Right now, these are distinct struggles. 00:11:57.899 --> 00:12:02.439 They're distinct struggles, and yet they have a lot in common. 00:12:02.939 --> 00:12:05.559 Both involve the way we perceive our body, 00:12:05.719 --> 00:12:09.000 perceiving your body as in some way being wrong. 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:12.299 Actually, both tend to occur together. 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:16.620 The need for treatment for body dysmorphia and anorexia 00:12:16.620 --> 00:12:20.080 is four times greater among the transgender population 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:21.840 than it is in the general population. 00:12:22.580 --> 00:12:25.759 They both cause tremendous suffering. 00:12:25.960 --> 00:12:30.519 Often, it's a kind of suffering that people feel a lot of shame attached to. 00:12:30.600 --> 00:12:33.759 They feel like they can't talk about it with most people in their lives. 00:12:33.759 --> 00:12:37.000 It's a quiet, hidden, isolated form of suffering. 00:12:37.580 --> 00:12:42.039 And in both cases, it can lead to self-inflicted harm or death. 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:46.220 So these are very serious struggles, very serious issues. 00:12:47.179 --> 00:12:50.559 However, if you're a person who struggles in both of these ways, 00:12:50.659 --> 00:12:54.600 and you go to a therapist, you're going to be told two different things. 00:12:54.600 --> 00:12:57.600 In the case of your body dysmorphia, 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:02.379 treatment is going to involve bringing your feelings in line with your body. 00:13:03.340 --> 00:13:05.100 In the case of gender dysphoria, 00:13:05.300 --> 00:13:08.420 treatment is going to involve bringing your body in line with your feelings. 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:13.600 And so it creates an enormous amount of confusion. 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:15.340 There are even many medical professionals 00:13:15.340 --> 00:13:19.360 who are very confused as to how to treat these conditions. 00:13:19.560 --> 00:13:22.540 As distinct as they are, they're very much related. 00:13:22.539 --> 00:13:24.819 So there's a lot of confusion. 00:13:25.059 --> 00:13:27.240 And when people are really suffering and struggling, 00:13:27.439 --> 00:13:31.259 the last thing you want among people who are trying to help is confusion. 00:13:33.199 --> 00:13:37.059 So what does the gospel have to say about our bodies? 00:13:37.099 --> 00:13:42.899 And how does the gospel offer hope in some of the ways that we've laid out? 00:13:44.120 --> 00:13:46.240 Genesis chapter 2 verse 7 says, 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:49.899 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground 00:13:49.899 --> 00:13:53.320 and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 00:13:53.659 --> 00:13:56.460 and the man became a living creature. 00:13:58.500 --> 00:14:01.919 Sam Alberry wrote a wonderful book on embodiment, 00:14:02.039 --> 00:14:03.899 and he says of this passage, 00:14:04.259 --> 00:14:06.659 God didn't create a soul named Adam 00:14:06.659 --> 00:14:09.100 and then look around for a container to put him in 00:14:09.100 --> 00:14:10.460 like a piece of Tupperware. 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:12.519 Right? 00:14:12.620 --> 00:14:14.379 Which is, I think, what we often think. 00:14:14.500 --> 00:14:14.600 Right? 00:14:14.680 --> 00:14:16.280 That God, we're hanging out with God, 00:14:16.360 --> 00:14:18.160 and God says, let's get to it. 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:19.920 Here's your body. 00:14:20.580 --> 00:14:22.400 You know, enjoy your physical life. 00:14:23.280 --> 00:14:25.379 But what we need to understand here in Scripture 00:14:25.379 --> 00:14:28.980 is there was no Adam that existed before his body. 00:14:30.580 --> 00:14:34.560 Adam is matter and spirit combined as one. 00:14:34.559 --> 00:14:40.399 God starts with matter and then breathes his spirit into it. 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:43.039 And this is something very important 00:14:43.039 --> 00:14:46.199 when it comes to our own understanding of our nature. 00:14:46.679 --> 00:14:49.059 We do not merely have a body. 00:14:50.159 --> 00:14:51.939 We are a body. 00:14:52.899 --> 00:14:58.099 There is no you, there is no me that exists apart from your body. 00:14:59.119 --> 00:15:00.819 We are our bodies. 00:15:00.919 --> 00:15:02.419 Now, we are more than our bodies, 00:15:02.419 --> 00:15:06.599 but we are not other than our bodies. 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:10.439 And so when the Bible uses the word soul, 00:15:10.559 --> 00:15:11.120 because people say, 00:15:11.179 --> 00:15:13.459 well, doesn't the Bible talk a lot about your soul? 00:15:13.699 --> 00:15:15.059 What we need to understand is 00:15:15.059 --> 00:15:18.719 if we read that in a dualistic way, 00:15:18.759 --> 00:15:20.879 we're really seeing it through the lens of our own culture. 00:15:21.459 --> 00:15:24.759 The Bible uses the word soul in a much more holistic way. 00:15:25.559 --> 00:15:27.339 And very often, 00:15:27.919 --> 00:15:30.779 by far the most common usage of the word soul in the Bible 00:15:30.779 --> 00:15:32.159 is referring to the whole person. 00:15:32.419 --> 00:15:34.500 Not just the non-physical part of you. 00:15:37.139 --> 00:15:39.819 God's vision for creation from the very beginning 00:15:39.819 --> 00:15:43.740 was to see matter and spirit joined together. 00:15:43.740 --> 00:15:47.039 The heavens and the earth joined together. 00:15:47.339 --> 00:15:51.199 God and his people in his world joined together. 00:15:51.459 --> 00:15:54.279 That was God's vision when he created all of this. 00:15:54.279 --> 00:15:59.259 The reason that matter and spirit are separate now, 00:15:59.259 --> 00:16:02.360 the reason that there is a sense of alienation 00:16:02.360 --> 00:16:06.199 between matter and spirit is because of sin. 00:16:06.500 --> 00:16:07.860 It's because of brokenness. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:10.100 When Adam and Eve sinned, 00:16:10.939 --> 00:16:12.259 as we said a few weeks ago, 00:16:12.339 --> 00:16:14.079 what was the very first symptom 00:16:14.079 --> 00:16:16.299 that things were not as they should be? 00:16:16.299 --> 00:16:21.620 They felt shame over their physical bodies. 00:16:22.079 --> 00:16:26.259 The very first sign that all is not well in the garden 00:16:26.259 --> 00:16:30.899 is that Adam and Eve are alienated from their own physical bodies. 00:16:31.379 --> 00:16:32.519 And then, right then, 00:16:32.599 --> 00:16:34.219 they begin to use technology 00:16:34.219 --> 00:16:36.699 to try to compensate for that alienation 00:16:37.379 --> 00:16:39.039 in the form of fig leaves. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:42.099 And ever since, 00:16:42.419 --> 00:16:44.719 human beings have been using technology 00:16:44.719 --> 00:16:47.779 to cover or alter 00:16:47.779 --> 00:16:50.279 or even transform 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:53.159 physical bodies we have 00:16:53.159 --> 00:16:55.519 into bodies we think we want. 00:16:58.319 --> 00:17:02.019 So shame over our bodies is a symptom of the fall. 00:17:04.139 --> 00:17:04.659 Disembodiment. 00:17:05.460 --> 00:17:06.799 By that, I mean all of the ways 00:17:06.799 --> 00:17:07.839 that we feel disconnected 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:09.339 from our own physicality 00:17:09.339 --> 00:17:11.000 is a symptom of the fall. 00:17:12.119 --> 00:17:13.819 Feeling trapped in the wrong body 00:17:13.819 --> 00:17:15.019 or feeling that there is something 00:17:15.019 --> 00:17:17.039 profoundly wrong with your body 00:17:17.039 --> 00:17:18.579 is a symptom of the fall. 00:17:19.959 --> 00:17:21.779 And this is why the gospel 00:17:21.779 --> 00:17:24.579 is such good news for our bodies. 00:17:26.199 --> 00:17:27.819 Jesus Christ shows us 00:17:27.819 --> 00:17:30.059 what human beings were created to be. 00:17:30.299 --> 00:17:31.459 This is the season of Advent 00:17:31.459 --> 00:17:33.339 and we are often asking during this season, 00:17:33.679 --> 00:17:35.359 what does it mean that Jesus came? 00:17:35.639 --> 00:17:37.559 What does it mean that the word 00:17:37.559 --> 00:17:38.559 became flesh? 00:17:40.059 --> 00:17:41.460 One of the things that we've said 00:17:41.460 --> 00:17:42.500 it means every week 00:17:42.500 --> 00:17:44.159 is that Jesus shows us 00:17:44.159 --> 00:17:45.839 what a human being 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:47.259 should be. 00:17:48.079 --> 00:17:50.039 And when we look at the essence of Jesus, 00:17:50.220 --> 00:17:51.679 Jesus is fully God 00:17:51.679 --> 00:17:53.259 and fully man, 00:17:53.500 --> 00:17:54.299 fully flesh. 00:17:55.079 --> 00:17:56.579 It is not as though there is some 00:17:56.579 --> 00:17:58.519 part of him that is God 00:17:58.519 --> 00:18:02.099 existing within a kind of fleshly shell. 00:18:03.259 --> 00:18:03.659 Right? 00:18:03.799 --> 00:18:05.639 Many of the heresies in the early church 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:07.140 concerned the nature of Jesus 00:18:07.140 --> 00:18:09.180 and a lot of them tried to say, 00:18:09.380 --> 00:18:11.360 well, he only looked like a human 00:18:11.360 --> 00:18:13.120 or there was a spirit 00:18:13.120 --> 00:18:15.180 but the spirit just put on the body 00:18:15.180 --> 00:18:16.980 but then it took the body off again 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:19.040 and various sort of versions of that. 00:18:20.280 --> 00:18:22.080 Those were considered heresies 00:18:22.080 --> 00:18:23.020 from the very beginning. 00:18:23.580 --> 00:18:24.880 What we see in scripture 00:18:24.880 --> 00:18:26.720 is that Jesus is fully God 00:18:26.720 --> 00:18:27.980 and fully man. 00:18:28.080 --> 00:18:29.300 Every cell, right? 00:18:29.440 --> 00:18:30.300 Every nucleus, 00:18:30.480 --> 00:18:31.520 every proton, right? 00:18:31.519 --> 00:18:33.660 Fully God, fully man. 00:18:36.379 --> 00:18:38.079 And what we see in Jesus 00:18:38.079 --> 00:18:39.660 is the perfect merging 00:18:39.660 --> 00:18:42.539 of spirit and matter. 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:44.980 And after his death and resurrection, 00:18:45.359 --> 00:18:48.139 he still has a physical body. 00:18:48.900 --> 00:18:50.099 And in John chapter 20, 00:18:50.200 --> 00:18:51.579 our gospel reading for this morning, 00:18:51.960 --> 00:18:53.740 when Jesus appears to his disciples 00:18:53.740 --> 00:18:54.839 after his resurrection, 00:18:55.460 --> 00:18:58.559 they note and they see his physicality. 00:18:58.559 --> 00:19:00.599 And then he breathes on them 00:19:00.599 --> 00:19:01.980 and they receive the Holy Spirit. 00:19:02.059 --> 00:19:03.220 You say, well, that's a really weird way 00:19:03.220 --> 00:19:03.779 to do that. 00:19:04.000 --> 00:19:05.099 He could have just laid hands. 00:19:05.519 --> 00:19:06.819 Breathing feels kind of 00:19:06.819 --> 00:19:08.059 like a boundary violation. 00:19:09.139 --> 00:19:11.440 But this is a deliberate allusion 00:19:11.440 --> 00:19:14.220 to Genesis chapter 2, verse 7, 00:19:14.279 --> 00:19:15.240 our Old Testament reading. 00:19:15.339 --> 00:19:17.279 There's a deliberate look back. 00:19:18.119 --> 00:19:18.740 Jesus is saying, 00:19:18.859 --> 00:19:20.220 do you remember that time 00:19:20.220 --> 00:19:23.720 when I first created human beings? 00:19:23.799 --> 00:19:25.139 And I took matter 00:19:25.139 --> 00:19:26.919 and I breathed my spirit into matter 00:19:26.920 --> 00:19:29.500 and that matter became a living thing. 00:19:30.140 --> 00:19:31.240 Well, I've come back 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:33.240 and I'm now breathing my spirit 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:34.360 into you once more. 00:19:34.960 --> 00:19:36.120 And it's a way of saying 00:19:36.120 --> 00:19:37.700 to his disciples and to us, 00:19:38.100 --> 00:19:39.140 I have come to, 00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:41.820 just as I came to create humanity, 00:19:41.820 --> 00:19:43.080 I have now come back 00:19:43.080 --> 00:19:45.160 to recreate humanity. 00:19:46.360 --> 00:19:47.840 This is a new creation 00:19:47.840 --> 00:19:49.620 and it's the inauguration 00:19:49.620 --> 00:19:50.740 of a new humanity. 00:19:51.220 --> 00:19:52.340 And he's bringing us back 00:19:52.340 --> 00:19:53.360 to the first time 00:19:53.360 --> 00:19:55.539 that God breathes spirit into matter. 00:19:55.539 --> 00:19:58.019 And this is a way of saying 00:19:58.019 --> 00:19:59.299 that Jesus came to restore 00:19:59.299 --> 00:19:59.960 our humanity, 00:20:00.079 --> 00:20:01.299 including our bodies. 00:20:01.659 --> 00:20:03.000 And Paul picks up on that theme 00:20:03.000 --> 00:20:04.139 in 1 Corinthians 15, 00:20:04.379 --> 00:20:05.139 where he says, 00:20:05.659 --> 00:20:07.339 just like Jesus was physically raised, 00:20:07.460 --> 00:20:09.680 one day we will all be physically raised. 00:20:10.839 --> 00:20:13.039 And your body will be a glorified body, 00:20:13.119 --> 00:20:14.519 but it will be a physical body. 00:20:15.859 --> 00:20:16.559 And you say, 00:20:16.619 --> 00:20:17.839 well, what about when we die? 00:20:17.920 --> 00:20:19.039 And all that the Bible says 00:20:19.039 --> 00:20:19.980 about when you die, 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:20.740 you go to heaven. 00:20:21.079 --> 00:20:22.079 And what about that? 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:23.039 Well, the truth is, 00:20:23.899 --> 00:20:25.439 that is called 00:20:25.439 --> 00:20:27.240 a kind of intermediate state. 00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:29.899 And it's not good. 00:20:31.039 --> 00:20:31.419 Right? 00:20:31.720 --> 00:20:33.720 For a time when we die 00:20:33.720 --> 00:20:35.519 until Jesus comes again 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:37.779 and everyone is raised, 00:20:37.919 --> 00:20:38.720 for a time, 00:20:39.220 --> 00:20:40.119 spirit and matter 00:20:40.119 --> 00:20:41.139 must be separate. 00:20:41.919 --> 00:20:43.240 But the Bible doesn't see 00:20:43.240 --> 00:20:43.919 that as a good thing. 00:20:43.960 --> 00:20:45.019 It's a necessary thing 00:20:45.019 --> 00:20:45.819 because of the fall. 00:20:48.819 --> 00:20:50.059 But that's why the Bible 00:20:50.059 --> 00:20:51.480 says almost nothing about that. 00:20:52.079 --> 00:20:53.399 If you want to know 00:20:53.399 --> 00:20:54.099 what the Bible says 00:20:54.099 --> 00:20:55.039 about life after death, 00:20:55.179 --> 00:20:56.439 it always points 00:20:56.439 --> 00:20:57.139 to the hope 00:20:57.139 --> 00:20:58.199 of the physical resurrection 00:20:58.199 --> 00:20:59.740 because that's God's plan 00:20:59.740 --> 00:21:01.000 for dealing with death. 00:21:02.240 --> 00:21:03.699 The intermediate state, 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:05.639 we know almost nothing about. 00:21:05.720 --> 00:21:06.240 The Bible says 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:07.359 almost nothing about it. 00:21:07.939 --> 00:21:09.279 And it's an aspect 00:21:09.279 --> 00:21:10.439 of the fallen world. 00:21:11.119 --> 00:21:12.819 It's not part of God's plan 00:21:12.819 --> 00:21:14.199 for new creation. 00:21:16.179 --> 00:21:17.779 And so we need to understand 00:21:17.779 --> 00:21:19.960 that all of the hope 00:21:19.960 --> 00:21:20.460 in Scripture 00:21:20.460 --> 00:21:21.679 points to our resurrection 00:21:21.680 --> 00:21:22.900 where our body and spirit 00:21:22.900 --> 00:21:23.779 will be one again. 00:21:23.900 --> 00:21:24.480 And by the way, 00:21:24.860 --> 00:21:26.440 all of salvation history 00:21:26.440 --> 00:21:28.360 aims in that same direction. 00:21:29.360 --> 00:21:30.880 From the time God created 00:21:30.880 --> 00:21:31.799 the heavens and the earth, 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:33.900 the goal was that one day 00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:34.920 matter and spirit 00:21:34.920 --> 00:21:35.720 would be one, 00:21:36.539 --> 00:21:38.100 God and his people 00:21:38.100 --> 00:21:38.840 would be one, 00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:41.539 Jesus and his bride, 00:21:41.640 --> 00:21:42.160 the church, 00:21:42.220 --> 00:21:42.980 would be one, 00:21:43.660 --> 00:21:45.039 the heavens and the earth 00:21:45.039 --> 00:21:45.860 would be one. 00:21:45.859 --> 00:21:49.279 And that is the vision 00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:51.699 that Jesus enacts 00:21:51.699 --> 00:21:54.119 when he comes to earth 00:21:54.119 --> 00:21:55.299 to give his life 00:21:55.299 --> 00:21:57.539 to make all of this possible. 00:21:57.879 --> 00:21:59.179 So then we think about that 00:21:59.179 --> 00:21:59.539 and we think, 00:21:59.619 --> 00:21:59.919 okay, well, 00:21:59.959 --> 00:22:00.559 what does that mean 00:22:00.559 --> 00:22:01.359 for how we think 00:22:01.359 --> 00:22:03.039 about our embodiment? 00:22:04.199 --> 00:22:05.459 And I would say this, 00:22:05.539 --> 00:22:06.799 the most popular view 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:08.279 is to see our embodiment 00:22:08.279 --> 00:22:09.959 as a form of confinement. 00:22:09.960 --> 00:22:12.680 But a gospel-centered view 00:22:12.680 --> 00:22:13.380 of embodiment 00:22:13.380 --> 00:22:15.460 sees it not as confinement 00:22:15.460 --> 00:22:16.900 but as a calling. 00:22:18.259 --> 00:22:19.340 Embodiment for the Christian 00:22:19.340 --> 00:22:20.240 is a calling. 00:22:21.539 --> 00:22:22.519 It's a calling 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:23.519 that we live into. 00:22:24.120 --> 00:22:24.380 And you say, 00:22:24.440 --> 00:22:24.900 what does that mean? 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:26.120 That's kind of a weird thing to say. 00:22:27.460 --> 00:22:28.940 I have to point to 00:22:28.940 --> 00:22:30.039 Neve Colbrook 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:31.579 for inspiration here. 00:22:31.680 --> 00:22:32.319 She's a Christian 00:22:32.319 --> 00:22:33.819 who has struggled for years 00:22:33.819 --> 00:22:35.920 with an eating disorder. 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:38.200 And one of the core features 00:22:38.200 --> 00:22:39.740 of an eating disorder, 00:22:39.860 --> 00:22:41.460 and those of you who have 00:22:41.460 --> 00:22:42.840 or are struggling with this, 00:22:43.180 --> 00:22:46.000 hopefully this resonates with you. 00:22:46.480 --> 00:22:47.740 One of the core features 00:22:47.740 --> 00:22:48.500 of an eating disorder, 00:22:48.640 --> 00:22:49.600 as I have been told, 00:22:49.980 --> 00:22:51.779 is extreme ambivalence 00:22:51.779 --> 00:22:53.120 about your embodiment. 00:22:53.700 --> 00:22:55.420 Just extreme difficulty 00:22:55.420 --> 00:22:57.080 being in your own body. 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:01.100 And so Neve wrote an essay 00:23:01.100 --> 00:23:02.300 about her recovery 00:23:02.300 --> 00:23:03.460 where she says 00:23:03.460 --> 00:23:04.720 that through her relationship 00:23:04.720 --> 00:23:05.400 with Jesus, 00:23:05.400 --> 00:23:07.080 she has come to realize 00:23:07.080 --> 00:23:07.680 that, 00:23:07.840 --> 00:23:08.740 and I'm quoting her here, 00:23:09.080 --> 00:23:10.960 embodiment is not just a given, 00:23:11.780 --> 00:23:13.320 it is also a calling. 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:15.140 There is a difference 00:23:15.140 --> 00:23:16.860 between living with our bodies 00:23:16.860 --> 00:23:19.040 and really inhabiting them. 00:23:20.100 --> 00:23:21.560 And that really captures it 00:23:21.560 --> 00:23:22.160 in a nutshell. 00:23:22.840 --> 00:23:24.840 If the fall disconnects us 00:23:24.840 --> 00:23:25.620 from our bodies 00:23:25.620 --> 00:23:27.019 and alienates us 00:23:27.019 --> 00:23:27.720 from our bodies, 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:30.400 the gospel seeks to reconcile us 00:23:30.400 --> 00:23:31.420 to our bodies, 00:23:31.519 --> 00:23:33.120 to move us toward greater 00:23:33.120 --> 00:23:34.680 and greater love 00:23:34.680 --> 00:23:35.640 and acceptance 00:23:35.640 --> 00:23:35.660 and acceptance 00:23:35.660 --> 00:23:37.000 of our bodies 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:38.200 so that we don't just 00:23:38.200 --> 00:23:39.299 put up with them 00:23:39.299 --> 00:23:40.860 or tolerate them, 00:23:40.860 --> 00:23:43.140 we inhabit them. 00:23:44.360 --> 00:23:44.920 Fully. 00:23:46.500 --> 00:23:47.100 Right? 00:23:47.240 --> 00:23:48.779 And I think that really needs 00:23:48.779 --> 00:23:50.140 to shape how we, 00:23:50.320 --> 00:23:50.920 as a church, 00:23:51.360 --> 00:23:52.700 view embodiment. 00:23:52.700 --> 00:23:53.779 You know, 00:23:53.819 --> 00:23:55.100 you don't often think of 00:23:55.100 --> 00:23:57.180 inhabiting your body 00:23:57.180 --> 00:23:59.039 as an aspect of following Jesus, 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:01.960 but if what we have just seen 00:24:01.960 --> 00:24:02.759 is true, 00:24:03.400 --> 00:24:04.940 then it very much is a part 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:05.779 of what it means 00:24:05.779 --> 00:24:07.140 to follow Jesus. 00:24:07.880 --> 00:24:10.440 Jesus intends to restore your body, 00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:12.880 and he gave it to you 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:13.420 as a gift 00:24:13.420 --> 00:24:14.680 and it bears his image. 00:24:15.680 --> 00:24:15.880 Therefore, 00:24:16.059 --> 00:24:16.680 as disciples, 00:24:17.100 --> 00:24:18.980 we're called to inhabit fully 00:24:18.980 --> 00:24:20.360 these bodies 00:24:20.360 --> 00:24:22.539 that we've been given. 00:24:24.299 --> 00:24:25.820 So what does that look like 00:24:25.820 --> 00:24:26.860 practically 00:24:26.860 --> 00:24:28.200 for a church like ours 00:24:28.200 --> 00:24:29.559 to embrace embodiment 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:31.039 as a calling 00:24:31.039 --> 00:24:32.120 and view it as a part 00:24:32.120 --> 00:24:34.320 of our life of discipleship? 00:24:34.360 --> 00:24:35.000 And I want to give you 00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:36.559 four ways 00:24:36.559 --> 00:24:38.080 that I think this plays out 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:39.579 in our community. 00:24:40.659 --> 00:24:41.399 Number one, 00:24:42.439 --> 00:24:43.799 this means that we cultivate 00:24:43.799 --> 00:24:44.500 a culture 00:24:44.500 --> 00:24:45.779 of healthy, 00:24:45.980 --> 00:24:47.179 appropriate touch 00:24:47.179 --> 00:24:49.779 in our community. 00:24:49.919 --> 00:24:50.039 Now, 00:24:50.079 --> 00:24:51.439 I know just even saying that 00:24:51.439 --> 00:24:52.919 is probably a bit creepy 00:24:52.919 --> 00:24:54.699 for some of you. 00:24:55.359 --> 00:24:55.659 You know, 00:24:55.720 --> 00:24:56.699 and I'm an introvert, 00:24:56.859 --> 00:24:57.139 and you know, 00:24:57.220 --> 00:24:58.799 I'm very affectionate, 00:24:58.899 --> 00:24:59.259 but I, 00:24:59.419 --> 00:24:59.679 you know, 00:24:59.879 --> 00:25:01.139 like most people, 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:01.419 I'm like, 00:25:01.480 --> 00:25:02.740 I'm okay if we're not 00:25:02.740 --> 00:25:03.519 touching each other. 00:25:03.579 --> 00:25:04.059 You know what I mean? 00:25:05.399 --> 00:25:06.679 But this comes straight 00:25:06.679 --> 00:25:07.819 from Sam Albury, 00:25:08.079 --> 00:25:11.240 I know this sounds odd 00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:12.279 to very many people, 00:25:12.460 --> 00:25:13.359 but this is evidence 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:14.419 that I think this is 00:25:14.419 --> 00:25:15.460 actually pretty important. 00:25:16.599 --> 00:25:16.759 Right? 00:25:16.960 --> 00:25:18.419 If me saying that we need 00:25:18.419 --> 00:25:19.919 a healthy culture of touch 00:25:19.919 --> 00:25:21.159 strikes us as odd, 00:25:21.339 --> 00:25:22.779 it's probably a sign 00:25:22.779 --> 00:25:23.679 that we don't have 00:25:23.679 --> 00:25:24.859 a healthy culture 00:25:24.859 --> 00:25:25.839 of touch. 00:25:26.539 --> 00:25:26.939 And you know, 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:28.099 he says that many people 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:29.099 associate touch 00:25:29.099 --> 00:25:30.399 with being sensual 00:25:30.399 --> 00:25:32.419 rather than familial. 00:25:33.919 --> 00:25:34.759 And I think that's 00:25:34.759 --> 00:25:35.599 very much the case. 00:25:35.599 --> 00:25:37.619 As one person put it 00:25:37.619 --> 00:25:38.299 that he quotes, 00:25:38.659 --> 00:25:39.259 in our culture, 00:25:39.379 --> 00:25:40.819 we are sex-obsessed 00:25:40.819 --> 00:25:42.679 but touch-deprived. 00:25:43.659 --> 00:25:44.579 And I also think 00:25:44.579 --> 00:25:45.399 that that's very true. 00:25:46.559 --> 00:25:48.019 And there are some people 00:25:48.019 --> 00:25:49.419 who, 00:25:49.899 --> 00:25:50.839 because they live alone 00:25:50.839 --> 00:25:52.339 or for various other reasons, 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:55.059 are forced to go months 00:25:55.059 --> 00:25:56.659 or even years 00:25:56.659 --> 00:25:59.119 without ever really having 00:25:59.119 --> 00:26:00.139 any physical contact 00:26:00.139 --> 00:26:01.139 with another human being. 00:26:01.140 --> 00:26:03.620 And I think that's another 00:26:03.620 --> 00:26:04.520 kind of quiet, 00:26:04.720 --> 00:26:06.259 unspoken form of suffering 00:26:06.259 --> 00:26:09.620 that is excruciating 00:26:09.620 --> 00:26:10.500 and can happen 00:26:10.500 --> 00:26:11.640 right under our noses 00:26:11.640 --> 00:26:12.759 and we're not even aware 00:26:12.759 --> 00:26:13.300 that it's happening. 00:26:14.320 --> 00:26:15.280 There are people probably 00:26:15.280 --> 00:26:16.080 in this room 00:26:16.080 --> 00:26:18.100 who may have gone years 00:26:18.100 --> 00:26:19.180 without any real 00:26:19.180 --> 00:26:20.040 physical contact, 00:26:20.380 --> 00:26:21.040 familial, 00:26:21.259 --> 00:26:22.360 loving physical contact 00:26:22.360 --> 00:26:24.040 with any other human being. 00:26:24.320 --> 00:26:26.200 That is debilitating. 00:26:26.360 --> 00:26:27.480 It's dehumanizing. 00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:29.400 And so I think 00:26:29.400 --> 00:26:29.920 that churches 00:26:29.920 --> 00:26:30.799 should be places 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:32.660 where you can find a remedy. 00:26:33.500 --> 00:26:34.920 That churches should provide 00:26:34.920 --> 00:26:36.240 a kind of remedy for this 00:26:36.240 --> 00:26:37.279 by being places 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:38.099 where healthy, 00:26:38.299 --> 00:26:39.220 appropriate, 00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:40.700 familial touch 00:26:40.700 --> 00:26:41.980 is encouraged. 00:26:42.259 --> 00:26:42.380 You know, 00:26:42.420 --> 00:26:43.380 the Bible talks about 00:26:43.380 --> 00:26:44.480 Christians greeting 00:26:44.480 --> 00:26:44.940 one another 00:26:44.940 --> 00:26:45.779 with a holy kiss. 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:47.360 That is a cultural reference. 00:26:48.880 --> 00:26:50.240 I don't want anybody 00:26:50.240 --> 00:26:51.120 trying to kiss me. 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:52.900 No offense, 00:26:52.980 --> 00:26:53.680 I love you all. 00:26:54.019 --> 00:26:55.420 That's not culturally appropriate. 00:26:55.420 --> 00:26:58.180 The principle behind that 00:26:58.180 --> 00:26:59.460 is you should greet 00:26:59.460 --> 00:26:59.980 one another 00:26:59.980 --> 00:27:01.340 in a physical, 00:27:01.620 --> 00:27:02.340 familial, 00:27:02.539 --> 00:27:03.440 appropriate way. 00:27:04.240 --> 00:27:05.259 So a hug, 00:27:05.740 --> 00:27:06.560 a handshake, 00:27:06.940 --> 00:27:07.680 a fist bump. 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:09.460 I know that COVID 00:27:09.460 --> 00:27:10.400 makes this 00:27:10.400 --> 00:27:12.279 more complicated, 00:27:12.820 --> 00:27:13.820 but my hope is that 00:27:13.820 --> 00:27:14.779 our fear 00:27:14.779 --> 00:27:16.480 of our own physicality 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:18.039 would not permanently 00:27:18.039 --> 00:27:18.740 do away 00:27:18.740 --> 00:27:20.519 with what I think 00:27:20.519 --> 00:27:21.740 is a very valuable thing 00:27:21.740 --> 00:27:22.519 that happens here, 00:27:22.620 --> 00:27:23.420 which is the casual interactions 00:27:23.420 --> 00:27:25.580 of hands on shoulders, 00:27:26.100 --> 00:27:27.300 hugs where appropriate, 00:27:27.820 --> 00:27:28.539 handshakes, 00:27:28.960 --> 00:27:30.120 ways of acknowledging 00:27:30.120 --> 00:27:31.200 our physicality 00:27:31.200 --> 00:27:32.120 as a family 00:27:32.120 --> 00:27:33.420 when we come together. 00:27:34.420 --> 00:27:35.640 And I know everybody's 00:27:35.640 --> 00:27:36.640 not comfortable with that, 00:27:36.700 --> 00:27:37.600 so part of this means 00:27:37.600 --> 00:27:38.920 navigating and negotiating 00:27:38.920 --> 00:27:40.380 what people are comfortable with. 00:27:41.180 --> 00:27:41.960 And I recognize 00:27:41.960 --> 00:27:42.920 that this is sort of 00:27:42.920 --> 00:27:44.180 awkward ground 00:27:44.180 --> 00:27:45.100 for most of us, 00:27:45.460 --> 00:27:46.620 but I think naming that 00:27:46.620 --> 00:27:47.160 as a value 00:27:47.160 --> 00:27:48.019 is very important 00:27:48.019 --> 00:27:49.700 if we seek to be a church 00:27:49.700 --> 00:27:51.320 that embraces 00:27:51.319 --> 00:27:52.740 the calling of embodiment. 00:27:54.480 --> 00:27:55.419 Number two, 00:27:55.799 --> 00:27:56.480 I think it means 00:27:56.480 --> 00:27:57.619 we take a gospel-centered 00:27:57.619 --> 00:27:58.500 approach to those 00:27:58.500 --> 00:27:59.319 who are suffering 00:27:59.319 --> 00:28:01.720 in their embodiment. 00:28:02.480 --> 00:28:02.720 I mean, 00:28:02.759 --> 00:28:04.079 I know right now 00:28:04.079 --> 00:28:04.779 that there are people 00:28:04.779 --> 00:28:05.399 in our midst 00:28:05.399 --> 00:28:06.639 who suffer because 00:28:06.639 --> 00:28:07.859 of body dysmorphia 00:28:07.859 --> 00:28:08.740 and eating disorders. 00:28:09.700 --> 00:28:10.819 I know that there are 00:28:10.819 --> 00:28:11.720 people in our midst 00:28:11.720 --> 00:28:12.839 who struggle and suffer 00:28:12.839 --> 00:28:14.099 because of gender dysphoria. 00:28:14.879 --> 00:28:15.700 I know that there are 00:28:15.700 --> 00:28:16.259 people in our midst 00:28:16.259 --> 00:28:17.220 who struggle and suffer 00:28:17.220 --> 00:28:18.579 because of chronic pain 00:28:18.579 --> 00:28:19.720 or chronic illness. 00:28:19.720 --> 00:28:21.500 I know that we have people 00:28:21.500 --> 00:28:22.740 who, because of trauma, 00:28:23.140 --> 00:28:24.539 feel completely alienated 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:25.240 from their bodies. 00:28:27.380 --> 00:28:29.480 The church needs to be a place 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:31.279 where people who are suffering 00:28:31.279 --> 00:28:32.440 in these ways 00:28:32.440 --> 00:28:35.240 are loved and cared for 00:28:35.240 --> 00:28:37.299 with no fear of shame 00:28:37.299 --> 00:28:37.900 or rejection. 00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:39.220 I would love for the church, 00:28:39.299 --> 00:28:39.799 our church, 00:28:39.839 --> 00:28:40.400 to be a place 00:28:40.400 --> 00:28:41.740 where a person 00:28:41.740 --> 00:28:43.120 might be able to talk 00:28:43.120 --> 00:28:44.539 and share these things 00:28:44.539 --> 00:28:46.240 with their immediate community 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:46.920 in the church 00:28:46.920 --> 00:28:48.660 with confidence 00:28:48.660 --> 00:28:49.620 that they're going to be 00:28:49.620 --> 00:28:50.700 embraced and loved 00:28:50.700 --> 00:28:51.279 and understood. 00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:53.519 I would love for that 00:28:53.519 --> 00:28:54.560 to be true of us 00:28:54.560 --> 00:28:56.180 and where, 00:28:56.380 --> 00:28:57.320 through the gradual, 00:28:57.640 --> 00:28:59.200 gentle grace of Christ 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:00.800 and the ongoing ministry 00:29:00.800 --> 00:29:01.880 of the Holy Spirit, 00:29:02.259 --> 00:29:03.320 people move toward 00:29:03.320 --> 00:29:05.060 greater and greater acceptance 00:29:05.060 --> 00:29:06.779 and love for their bodies. 00:29:07.740 --> 00:29:08.100 Right? 00:29:08.140 --> 00:29:09.640 That that is always the goal, 00:29:10.200 --> 00:29:12.279 to embrace the calling 00:29:12.279 --> 00:29:12.960 of embodiment 00:29:12.960 --> 00:29:14.080 and inhabit the bodies 00:29:14.080 --> 00:29:15.080 that God has given us. 00:29:15.079 --> 00:29:17.399 Number three, 00:29:17.480 --> 00:29:18.220 I think that it means 00:29:18.220 --> 00:29:20.980 worship has to involve 00:29:20.980 --> 00:29:22.179 our whole body 00:29:22.179 --> 00:29:23.919 and not just our mind. 00:29:25.079 --> 00:29:26.579 And this is something, 00:29:26.720 --> 00:29:27.699 this is one of the reasons 00:29:27.699 --> 00:29:28.279 that I love 00:29:28.279 --> 00:29:29.419 the Anglican tradition, 00:29:29.419 --> 00:29:30.199 but I think that, 00:29:30.319 --> 00:29:31.099 I think that there's 00:29:31.099 --> 00:29:32.159 a whole lot more 00:29:32.159 --> 00:29:33.319 that we could do 00:29:33.319 --> 00:29:34.659 to embrace this, 00:29:34.720 --> 00:29:34.859 right? 00:29:34.980 --> 00:29:35.500 Including, 00:29:36.019 --> 00:29:37.539 you know, 00:29:37.699 --> 00:29:38.939 raising our hands 00:29:38.939 --> 00:29:39.740 when we worship, 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:40.179 right? 00:29:40.619 --> 00:29:41.559 Responding physically 00:29:41.559 --> 00:29:43.159 when we feel the spirit 00:29:43.159 --> 00:29:44.240 moving. 00:29:45.079 --> 00:29:47.659 the value of the liturgy 00:29:47.659 --> 00:29:48.500 and the sacraments 00:29:48.500 --> 00:29:49.759 is that they give us 00:29:49.759 --> 00:29:50.599 ways to worship 00:29:50.599 --> 00:29:51.720 that are embodied 00:29:51.720 --> 00:29:52.819 and physical. 00:29:53.919 --> 00:29:54.259 You know, 00:29:54.359 --> 00:29:55.240 we process, 00:29:55.779 --> 00:29:56.339 we kneel, 00:29:56.480 --> 00:29:57.000 we bow, 00:29:57.139 --> 00:29:58.019 we cross ourselves, 00:29:58.159 --> 00:29:59.039 we raise our hands, 00:29:59.119 --> 00:29:59.679 some of us do, 00:29:59.759 --> 00:30:00.240 we pray, 00:30:00.559 --> 00:30:01.339 we confess, 00:30:01.539 --> 00:30:02.559 we sing aloud, 00:30:02.899 --> 00:30:04.339 we physically receive 00:30:04.339 --> 00:30:05.379 and eat the elements 00:30:05.379 --> 00:30:06.079 at the table, 00:30:06.460 --> 00:30:06.659 right? 00:30:06.759 --> 00:30:08.139 We jokingly refer to these 00:30:08.139 --> 00:30:09.579 as liturgical calisthenics, 00:30:09.939 --> 00:30:11.359 but they're more than that, 00:30:12.099 --> 00:30:12.379 right? 00:30:12.380 --> 00:30:13.240 These are ways 00:30:13.240 --> 00:30:14.860 of involving your body 00:30:14.860 --> 00:30:16.140 and when you involve 00:30:16.140 --> 00:30:16.760 your body, 00:30:16.960 --> 00:30:17.960 you are making 00:30:17.960 --> 00:30:19.200 theology physical. 00:30:20.300 --> 00:30:21.260 Another way the Bible 00:30:21.260 --> 00:30:22.080 might say it is, 00:30:22.440 --> 00:30:23.520 you're making words 00:30:23.520 --> 00:30:24.320 into flesh. 00:30:27.280 --> 00:30:28.580 Engaging our bodies 00:30:28.580 --> 00:30:29.680 is a recognition 00:30:29.680 --> 00:30:30.940 of our human nature. 00:30:31.220 --> 00:30:32.280 We're not just brains 00:30:32.280 --> 00:30:32.960 on a stick. 00:30:34.800 --> 00:30:36.020 We have bodies, 00:30:36.140 --> 00:30:37.160 we are our bodies, 00:30:37.300 --> 00:30:38.360 all of our bodies 00:30:38.360 --> 00:30:39.240 are meant to be brought 00:30:39.240 --> 00:30:40.600 into God's presence 00:30:40.599 --> 00:30:42.419 and utilized for his 00:30:42.419 --> 00:30:44.179 worship and glory. 00:30:45.859 --> 00:30:46.679 And then number four, 00:30:47.119 --> 00:30:47.779 I think it means 00:30:47.779 --> 00:30:49.019 we adopt practices 00:30:49.019 --> 00:30:50.319 in our lives 00:30:50.319 --> 00:30:51.539 outside of Sunday worship 00:30:51.539 --> 00:30:53.459 that re-embody us. 00:30:55.359 --> 00:30:57.240 If we live in a culture 00:30:57.240 --> 00:30:58.919 and use technology 00:30:58.919 --> 00:31:00.539 that disembodies us, 00:31:00.879 --> 00:31:01.539 and by the way, 00:31:01.740 --> 00:31:02.719 that's unavoidable. 00:31:03.819 --> 00:31:04.639 That's unavoidable, 00:31:05.379 --> 00:31:05.579 right? 00:31:05.639 --> 00:31:06.519 A lot of this technology 00:31:06.519 --> 00:31:07.240 is very mixed 00:31:07.240 --> 00:31:08.539 and brings a lot of benefits 00:31:08.539 --> 00:31:09.639 as well as challenges, 00:31:09.640 --> 00:31:10.500 but most of us now 00:31:10.500 --> 00:31:11.580 couldn't do our jobs 00:31:11.580 --> 00:31:13.240 if we didn't live 00:31:13.240 --> 00:31:13.759 in this culture 00:31:13.759 --> 00:31:14.640 and use this technology. 00:31:14.780 --> 00:31:16.100 So it's here to stay 00:31:16.100 --> 00:31:17.080 and it's continuing 00:31:17.080 --> 00:31:18.220 to move in that direction. 00:31:20.100 --> 00:31:21.500 So for most of us, 00:31:22.060 --> 00:31:24.480 if that is the case, 00:31:25.200 --> 00:31:26.340 it simply means 00:31:26.340 --> 00:31:27.000 that we need to be 00:31:27.000 --> 00:31:28.240 much more intentional 00:31:28.240 --> 00:31:30.640 about bringing balance 00:31:30.640 --> 00:31:31.460 into our lives 00:31:31.460 --> 00:31:34.380 through re-embodying practices 00:31:34.380 --> 00:31:36.960 that help us 00:31:36.960 --> 00:31:37.900 to re-inhabit 00:31:37.900 --> 00:31:38.320 the bodies 00:31:38.320 --> 00:31:38.800 that we feel 00:31:38.800 --> 00:31:39.620 disconnected from. 00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:40.140 You know, 00:31:40.240 --> 00:31:41.000 years ago, 00:31:41.040 --> 00:31:41.580 I came across 00:31:41.580 --> 00:31:42.080 the philosopher 00:31:42.080 --> 00:31:43.120 Albert Borgman 00:31:43.120 --> 00:31:44.320 and he makes 00:31:44.320 --> 00:31:44.960 this distinction. 00:31:45.080 --> 00:31:45.560 He was writing, 00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:45.800 I think, 00:31:45.860 --> 00:31:46.680 back in the 80s, 00:31:46.800 --> 00:31:47.460 but he makes 00:31:47.460 --> 00:31:48.100 this distinction 00:31:48.100 --> 00:31:49.060 between devices 00:31:49.060 --> 00:31:50.220 and what he calls 00:31:50.220 --> 00:31:51.259 focal things 00:31:51.259 --> 00:31:52.680 or focal practices. 00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:53.660 And I love, 00:31:53.740 --> 00:31:54.800 I think it's very helpful, 00:31:54.900 --> 00:31:55.960 it's even more true today. 00:31:56.240 --> 00:31:56.580 He says, 00:31:56.640 --> 00:31:57.280 here's the difference. 00:31:57.640 --> 00:31:59.259 Devices are passive. 00:32:00.420 --> 00:32:01.759 They give us something 00:32:01.759 --> 00:32:03.280 without asking anything 00:32:03.280 --> 00:32:04.780 from us in return. 00:32:04.779 --> 00:32:07.079 So they minimize 00:32:07.079 --> 00:32:08.039 the involvement 00:32:08.039 --> 00:32:08.980 of our bodies 00:32:08.980 --> 00:32:10.379 and they are designed 00:32:10.379 --> 00:32:11.099 with the assumption 00:32:11.099 --> 00:32:13.119 that minimal involvement 00:32:13.119 --> 00:32:14.819 equals greater satisfaction. 00:32:15.839 --> 00:32:16.759 What I find, 00:32:16.920 --> 00:32:17.700 so think of like 00:32:17.700 --> 00:32:18.899 scrolling for an hour 00:32:18.899 --> 00:32:19.500 on Instagram. 00:32:20.819 --> 00:32:21.039 Right? 00:32:21.079 --> 00:32:21.759 That is a device 00:32:21.759 --> 00:32:22.399 that is designed 00:32:22.399 --> 00:32:23.259 to make it as easy 00:32:23.259 --> 00:32:23.799 as possible 00:32:23.799 --> 00:32:25.019 for you to consume 00:32:25.019 --> 00:32:28.139 without any cost. 00:32:29.200 --> 00:32:29.359 Right? 00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:30.019 And what that, 00:32:30.059 --> 00:32:31.359 it makes it profoundly easy 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:32.819 to just veg out, 00:32:33.279 --> 00:32:34.079 space out, 00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:35.479 lose track of time 00:32:35.479 --> 00:32:36.479 and become completely 00:32:36.479 --> 00:32:37.519 forgetful of our bodies. 00:32:38.519 --> 00:32:38.740 You know, 00:32:38.759 --> 00:32:39.399 if you scroll 00:32:39.399 --> 00:32:40.219 for an hour on Instagram, 00:32:40.379 --> 00:32:40.819 you're not aware 00:32:40.819 --> 00:32:41.699 of that time passing 00:32:41.699 --> 00:32:42.379 and you become 00:32:42.379 --> 00:32:43.459 completely forgetful 00:32:43.459 --> 00:32:44.119 about the existence 00:32:44.119 --> 00:32:44.759 of your body. 00:32:44.759 --> 00:32:46.459 You sort of space out. 00:32:47.439 --> 00:32:48.759 That's disembodying. 00:32:50.439 --> 00:32:51.059 And he says, 00:32:51.219 --> 00:32:52.159 focal things 00:32:52.159 --> 00:32:53.679 or focal practices 00:32:53.679 --> 00:32:55.939 ask something of you. 00:32:56.679 --> 00:32:57.959 They cost something. 00:32:57.960 --> 00:32:59.380 They make you work for it. 00:32:59.660 --> 00:33:00.500 And the joy 00:33:00.500 --> 00:33:01.319 and satisfaction 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:02.220 actually comes 00:33:02.220 --> 00:33:03.799 from using your body 00:33:03.799 --> 00:33:05.120 to build skills 00:33:05.120 --> 00:33:05.960 and capabilities 00:33:05.960 --> 00:33:08.160 and produce something tangible. 00:33:08.340 --> 00:33:08.900 So think about 00:33:08.900 --> 00:33:09.660 baking bread, 00:33:09.759 --> 00:33:10.259 for instance. 00:33:11.660 --> 00:33:12.200 Baking bread 00:33:12.200 --> 00:33:13.880 is profoundly embodying. 00:33:13.940 --> 00:33:14.539 I think there's a, 00:33:14.640 --> 00:33:15.660 not a surprise 00:33:15.660 --> 00:33:16.700 that during COVID 00:33:16.700 --> 00:33:18.039 there was a big uptick 00:33:18.039 --> 00:33:19.319 in people who started baking. 00:33:19.840 --> 00:33:20.819 It's because people 00:33:20.819 --> 00:33:22.000 felt so disconnected 00:33:22.000 --> 00:33:23.100 in their virtual world 00:33:23.100 --> 00:33:24.200 that they needed something 00:33:24.200 --> 00:33:25.079 to get them back 00:33:25.079 --> 00:33:26.120 in their own bodies. 00:33:26.920 --> 00:33:27.819 So people started doing 00:33:27.819 --> 00:33:28.659 things like baking. 00:33:29.899 --> 00:33:31.200 So device versus 00:33:31.200 --> 00:33:32.240 focal thing 00:33:32.240 --> 00:33:33.259 or focal practice, 00:33:33.460 --> 00:33:34.579 this would be the difference 00:33:34.579 --> 00:33:35.319 between listening 00:33:35.319 --> 00:33:36.019 to the radio 00:33:36.019 --> 00:33:37.539 or listening to streaming 00:33:37.539 --> 00:33:38.659 music on Spotify 00:33:38.659 --> 00:33:40.659 and playing 00:33:40.659 --> 00:33:41.480 a musical instrument. 00:33:43.279 --> 00:33:43.460 Right? 00:33:43.579 --> 00:33:44.720 One engages you. 00:33:44.879 --> 00:33:46.019 One uses your body. 00:33:46.299 --> 00:33:47.279 This is one of the reasons 00:33:47.279 --> 00:33:48.379 that I love to cook. 00:33:48.740 --> 00:33:49.759 I love to fish. 00:33:50.079 --> 00:33:51.579 I love to go biking 00:33:51.579 --> 00:33:52.359 with my boys. 00:33:52.700 --> 00:33:52.879 You know, 00:33:52.919 --> 00:33:53.779 I don't love to cook 00:33:53.779 --> 00:33:54.879 because I'm necessarily 00:33:54.880 --> 00:33:56.140 the best cook out there 00:33:56.140 --> 00:33:57.300 or I, 00:33:57.500 --> 00:33:58.880 the 99% of the reasons 00:33:58.880 --> 00:33:59.520 I love to cook 00:33:59.520 --> 00:34:01.140 is because most of what I do 00:34:01.140 --> 00:34:02.080 is in my brain. 00:34:02.300 --> 00:34:03.060 It's disembodied 00:34:03.060 --> 00:34:04.140 and it's something 00:34:04.140 --> 00:34:05.640 that gets me out of my head 00:34:05.640 --> 00:34:06.680 and into my body 00:34:06.680 --> 00:34:08.860 where I'm using my senses 00:34:08.860 --> 00:34:10.519 to create something tangible. 00:34:10.519 --> 00:34:12.159 So for me, 00:34:12.259 --> 00:34:13.360 cooking is a profoundly 00:34:13.360 --> 00:34:14.500 spiritual act. 00:34:15.579 --> 00:34:16.579 And I think if we take 00:34:16.579 --> 00:34:17.860 the calling to embodiment 00:34:17.860 --> 00:34:19.000 seriously in our community, 00:34:19.179 --> 00:34:19.960 it means we begin 00:34:19.960 --> 00:34:20.539 to recognize 00:34:20.539 --> 00:34:21.820 all of these things 00:34:21.820 --> 00:34:23.900 as spiritual behaviors 00:34:23.900 --> 00:34:25.639 and spiritual practices. 00:34:25.880 --> 00:34:26.739 We have prayer. 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:27.699 We have reading scripture. 00:34:27.820 --> 00:34:28.400 We have worship. 00:34:28.519 --> 00:34:29.280 We have the sacraments. 00:34:29.340 --> 00:34:29.980 We have solitude. 00:34:30.099 --> 00:34:30.659 We have fasting. 00:34:30.840 --> 00:34:31.880 We have all of these things 00:34:31.880 --> 00:34:32.460 that we do. 00:34:33.119 --> 00:34:34.259 But we also have 00:34:34.259 --> 00:34:35.519 walking and hiking 00:34:35.519 --> 00:34:36.139 and biking 00:34:36.139 --> 00:34:36.840 and climbing 00:34:36.840 --> 00:34:38.139 and playing musical instruments. 00:34:38.139 --> 00:34:38.699 And, you know, 00:34:38.739 --> 00:34:39.079 this year, 00:34:39.159 --> 00:34:39.659 one of the things 00:34:39.659 --> 00:34:40.619 my family's doing 00:34:40.619 --> 00:34:41.940 for Advent 00:34:41.940 --> 00:34:43.279 is we are putting 00:34:43.279 --> 00:34:44.119 a puzzle together. 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:46.000 And I know that sounds 00:34:46.000 --> 00:34:48.500 like a very simple thing. 00:34:48.859 --> 00:34:49.719 I think it's a great 00:34:49.719 --> 00:34:50.539 Advent activity 00:34:50.539 --> 00:34:51.619 because you have 00:34:51.619 --> 00:34:53.719 this kind of unclear image 00:34:53.719 --> 00:34:54.579 that is gradually 00:34:54.579 --> 00:34:55.599 becoming clearer. 00:34:56.019 --> 00:34:56.219 You know, 00:34:56.259 --> 00:34:57.299 it's a kind of great metaphor 00:34:57.299 --> 00:34:58.679 for the weighting 00:34:58.679 --> 00:34:59.679 of the Christian life. 00:34:59.980 --> 00:35:00.839 But for us, 00:35:00.859 --> 00:35:01.679 it gets our kids, 00:35:01.759 --> 00:35:03.079 it gets us off our devices, 00:35:03.440 --> 00:35:04.859 it gets us at the same table, 00:35:04.859 --> 00:35:06.759 and it gets us using our bodies, 00:35:06.760 --> 00:35:08.280 and it gets us working together. 00:35:09.220 --> 00:35:10.300 And it's been awesome. 00:35:11.720 --> 00:35:12.660 All of these, 00:35:12.760 --> 00:35:12.960 I think, 00:35:13.020 --> 00:35:14.680 we see as spiritual practices 00:35:14.680 --> 00:35:15.700 that help us 00:35:15.700 --> 00:35:17.880 inhabit fully 00:35:17.880 --> 00:35:18.880 the bodies 00:35:18.880 --> 00:35:20.660 that God has given us. 00:35:21.780 --> 00:35:23.660 So during this Advent season, 00:35:24.820 --> 00:35:26.300 whether you go for a run 00:35:26.300 --> 00:35:27.120 or paint 00:35:27.120 --> 00:35:28.340 or bike 00:35:28.340 --> 00:35:30.100 or bake some bread 00:35:30.100 --> 00:35:31.480 or whatever it might be, 00:35:31.480 --> 00:35:33.460 I hope you recognize that 00:35:33.460 --> 00:35:35.000 as a spiritual practice 00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:36.559 that is reconnecting you 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:37.320 to your body, 00:35:37.460 --> 00:35:38.840 which is a good thing. 00:35:39.619 --> 00:35:40.960 Because the truth is, 00:35:40.980 --> 00:35:41.619 as we said, 00:35:42.039 --> 00:35:43.559 you are your body. 00:35:44.699 --> 00:35:46.019 You are your body. 00:35:46.719 --> 00:35:47.679 So in a way, 00:35:48.260 --> 00:35:49.340 becoming reconnected 00:35:49.340 --> 00:35:50.039 with your body 00:35:50.039 --> 00:35:51.000 is really a way 00:35:51.000 --> 00:35:52.420 to become reconnected 00:35:52.420 --> 00:35:53.440 with yourself. 00:35:54.940 --> 00:35:55.539 Let's pray. 00:35:57.960 --> 00:35:58.360 Lord, 00:35:58.420 --> 00:35:58.940 we thank you 00:35:58.940 --> 00:35:59.800 for your word, 00:35:59.960 --> 00:36:00.679 and we thank you 00:36:00.679 --> 00:36:02.199 for our bodies, 00:36:02.199 --> 00:36:03.699 and we thank you 00:36:03.699 --> 00:36:04.379 for your body 00:36:04.379 --> 00:36:06.419 that was broken 00:36:06.419 --> 00:36:07.519 so that ours 00:36:07.519 --> 00:36:08.199 might be healed 00:36:08.199 --> 00:36:08.779 and restored. 00:36:09.599 --> 00:36:10.299 And we pray 00:36:10.299 --> 00:36:11.279 that in a little while 00:36:11.279 --> 00:36:12.319 when we come to your table 00:36:12.319 --> 00:36:13.519 to receive your body 00:36:13.519 --> 00:36:14.159 and your blood, 00:36:15.199 --> 00:36:16.739 that in our receiving 00:36:16.739 --> 00:36:17.439 of your body, 00:36:17.539 --> 00:36:18.139 our bodies 00:36:18.139 --> 00:36:19.299 might be made more whole, 00:36:20.419 --> 00:36:21.739 that we might be healed 00:36:21.739 --> 00:36:22.659 of our alienation 00:36:22.659 --> 00:36:23.599 and our disembodied, 00:36:24.299 --> 00:36:26.119 that we might experience 00:36:26.119 --> 00:36:26.819 our bodies 00:36:26.819 --> 00:36:27.739 the way you do, 00:36:29.000 --> 00:36:29.319 Lord, 00:36:29.320 --> 00:36:31.019 as being intimately 00:36:31.019 --> 00:36:31.800 and spiritually 00:36:31.800 --> 00:36:32.980 connected to your body. 00:36:33.940 --> 00:36:34.580 And I pray 00:36:34.580 --> 00:36:35.300 that in your body 00:36:35.300 --> 00:36:35.860 we would find 00:36:35.860 --> 00:36:36.440 the wholeness 00:36:36.440 --> 00:36:37.000 that we see. 00:36:37.740 --> 00:36:38.539 And we pray this 00:36:38.539 --> 00:36:39.360 in your son's name 00:36:39.360 --> 00:36:40.120 and for your glory. 00:36:40.460 --> 00:36:40.680 Amen.