Monday 21st April
Read Psalm 115:1-8
“Not to us, Lord, not to us
but to your name be the glory,
because of your love and faithfulness.
2 Why do the nations say,
‘Where is their God?’
3 Our God is in heaven;
he does whatever pleases him.
4 But their idols are silver and gold,
made by human hands.
5 They have mouths, but cannot speak,
eyes, but cannot see.
6 They have ears, but cannot hear,
noses, but cannot smell.
7 They have hands, but cannot feel,
feet, but cannot walk,
nor can they utter a sound with their throats.
8 Those who make them will be like them,
and so will all who trust in them.” (NIVUK)
There are many ancient traditions that consider the body to be but a cage for the soul. To be truly human is to be free from the constraints of the flesh. Scripture paints a rather a different picture. Our resurrection hope is an embodied hope. Not necessarily bodies like those we possess now, that decay and ultimately fail, but spiritual bodies that transcend the physical frailty of today and are fit for purpose when heaven meets earth.
Therefore, scripture encourages us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, devoted to worshipping Him in spirit and truth. Worship involves our whole bodies, all five senses, and is tangible and real in ways we sometimes forget. Ancient Christian traditions have embraced sight, sound, touch, taste and smell to worship God and glorify Him.
We see part of the basis of this ‘whole body’ worship tradition grounded in Psalm 115. Those who worship idols, which possess none of the human senses we associate with life, become themselves lifeless and dead. Over the next five weeks we will explore ancient and modern Christian disciplines that reflect this truth – we are to worship God with our whole bodies and offer back to Him the life that He has granted us in Jesus. Life from the dead.
