Body...

Genesis 2.7 (NRSV) then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.

Lent is a time in the church when we focus on our need for God. It is truly one of the most vulnerable seasons in the Church calendar. Lent beginning with Ash Wednesday actually invites us to wear ashes on our heads to remind us that we have been created by God.

There is something very earthy and bodily about ashes and God breathing life into each of us. Much like Advent and the birth of the Christ child, we remind ourselves the body is important. From being a baby, Jesus grew to maturity and became the way that we are reconciled to God and one another. In Jesus’ life, he showed us, taught us, and loved us, and became the embodiment of what it means to be fully human and fully alive. Jesus’ life has always been a radical way of being. So much so that Jesus was taken to the cross and his body was broken for us all and his life blood shed. “God identifies [God’s self] with the suffering Jesus, God takes the guilt and penalty for sin into [God’s self].”* And remember that all this is done to and in Jesus’ own body.

Each Sunday in Lent, the elders and I are going to make the Lord's Supper part of our worship. First Sundays will remain the same with passed trays. On the following Sundays, we will be practicing intinction where we come to the front, tear off a piece of the bread, dip into the cup of grape juice, and then return to our seats. In doing so, we acknowledge the body and its importance to life and faith.

Grace and peace,
Rev. Brian

*Boring, M. Eugene., and Fred B. Craddock. The People's New Testament Commentary. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004. Pg. 560.