|
Written by Kelly Burk and Todd Reish
Created for worship at the Richmond (Ind.) Church of the Brethren Opening Words (Aerobics instructor from drama interrupts pastor to announce that class begins in 5 minutes!) Pastor: He’s a little excited about this morning’s worship. What he meant was "We gather this morning to celebrate our bodies and glorify all that God has created."
Drama Participants: (are too slow for the instructor) Instructor:(some what irritated, half whining) Come on class we are wasting valuable time. Participant 1: Don’t you think we should begin with prayer? Instructor: The way I see it missy, with me as your instructor you ain’t got a prayer. OK let’s begin… (bouncing around, almost out of control) Participant 2: (very polite like) Um, excuse me but shouldn’t we be a bit more careful while we exercise? We might get hurt. Instructor: (acting tough) Look here dude, anybody can run a marathon but not everyone can do this, NO PAIN NO GAIN!!! Come on people get with the program. Participant 2: This guy is nuts!!! Participant 1: I’m not sure this is what God had in mind. - We open our arms wide, pointing our fingers outward toward those around us. Hymn Invocation Scripture Reading - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Children's Story We thank you God for giving us our bodies. Help us to treat our bodies like a temple. Help us to love ourselves and our bodies. As we love our bodies and ourselves show us too how we can love those around us. Amen Scripture Reading - Ephesians 5:28-30 Reflections The Ephesians scripture just read about relationships between husbands and wives may seem like an odd choice for this morning’s service. What struck me about it was this line offered as a given: "For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church." My reaction to this text is to laugh and reason that its author certainly wasn’t imagining life in the United States today. Because no one living here in this time would consider it a given that people nourish and tenderly care for their bodies. The opposite is more likely. Taking care of our bodies is for many of us a source of constant frustration. Some are not able to be physically active due to disease or chronic pain. Others struggle to be motivated. Many don’t even try. Clearly, our culture is not conducive to healthy living. We feel so busy, we claim to not have time to cook, so we eat out and find that cheaper and faster typically equates to less healthy. And while we know portion sizes are out of control, we more or less expect to leave meals feeling stuffed. Physical exercise in our culture isn’t much easier. With the exceptions of Kenya and Ethiopia, seldom is anyone seen jogging in developing countries because physical labor such as carrying water, tending to the fields, and washing clothes by hand is a daily reality. I’ll never forget a young adult workcamp I led in Honduras ten years ago. The village was building a one-room school house and our work assignment for six days straight was to carry lumber up a half mile hill because there were no vehicles. Up and down the hill we went all day. Despite my raw shoulders and sore back, that was one of the easiest workcamps I ever led in that every night the participants were fast asleep by eight o’clock. Europeans walk a lot. Not around a track but to actually get places. The semester of college I spent in England, I walked four miles a day just to school and back. We thought nothing of it. Here, a person can easily live a full and active life without taking more than a few steps a day. There are drive through’s for everything - fast food, pharmacies, banks, even milk here in Richmond. Rarely do you see people walking places - perhaps that’s because if you try, an average of four cars will pull over to offer you a ride. The point is - there is very little about our culture today that encourages healthy living. And so, it has to be intentional. We have to chose to eat well and walk instead of ride. I was blessed to be raised in a family that encouraged exercise. I never once saw my father ride an escalator. He always chose the stairs. Aerobics classes, running, and lifting weights several times a week was simply a way of life. Unfortunately, so was over-eating. We all know we should eat well and exercise. I haven’t said anything you don’t already work hard at or feel plenty of guilt over. And so why encourage this Association of Brethren Caregivers program? We figured it couldn’t hurt - most of us could be taking better care of our bodies. It also sounded like fun. I suspect this invitation for Brethren to Lighten Up is as much about our attitudes as our bodies. Brethren tend to take things very seriously. I know. I’m guilty. And so in a spirit of light-heartedness, I pass along some fitness advice from a very reliable source - the internet: Question: Will sit-ups prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle? Prayer of Confession Forgive us, God, when we are negligent; empower us when we are overwhelmed and afraid; inspire us to live healthier lives; and teach us to be gentle with ourselves and others. Through your strong and gracious love, we pray, Amen. Hymn Video Clip "What’s Your Niche?" by the Association of Brethren Caregivers Scripture Reading - 1 Peter 3:3-4 Reflection Unfortunately I have a very clear remembrance of hearing my mother saying, "What did you do that for?" I don’t remember what I did that deserved such a response from Mom but in the same clarity of Mom’s words I remember thinking, "When I am a parent I will never say that to my children." I cannot count for you how many times I have uttered the words, "What did you do that for?" Not long after Brenda and I had begun dating we entered into a typical second or third date topic. I asked Brenda where are our soul located. After she explained that it the bottom of the foot I repeated the question with a bit more clarity. To this second question Brenda struggled but being the problem solver that she is she decided to ask Don Miller, the leader of our denomination at the time. Don’s answer still haunts me today. To the question, "Where is your soul?" Don’s answer was, "It is imponderable!" So we have "What did you do that for?" At times this question also seems to be imponderable, at least to every child who has been asked? Let me ask another question, "What is your niche?" But before we ponder that let’s go back and ask the same old imponderable question in a different way. "Why do we do the things we do?" It may be difficult to imagine how this is all going to tie into our text of 1 Peter. A great tool for studying the scripture is to read the passage from several different translations. One great byproduct of this using this tool is it allows me to keep buying bibles. For once I really didn’t like any of the translations so I made up my own and here it is. 1 Peter 3:3-4 "Don’t gussy up, at least not in front of the mirror, but gussy up your soul, where ever that is!" "Why do we do the things we do?" Is it making sense yet? Oh so many questions! In 1949 my father had just graduated from high school and was living in White Bear Lake, Minnesota west of St. Paul. He decided to buy a three speed Raleigh bicycle and entered into an adventure that would take him from White Bear Lake to Akron, Ohio where he had grown up. And of course Dad, later in life, would regale me with wonderful stories of this marvelous journey. There was the time he was incredibly thirsty and was out of water. In those days it wasn’t as easy to find refreshment, so Dad jumped a fence and milked a cow. Another story Dad loves to tell and he still beams as he recalls the story of receiving a speedy ticket… while riding his bike through a small Wisconsin town. "Why do we do the things we do?" "What did you do that for?" Here is my personal answer to those questions. I rode from Maine to Florida on a bike, I rode across Indiana in one day and spent about 15,000 miles on a bike during my life’s journey because my father illustrated to me that his trip changed him from the inside out. Indeed my trip as well gussied up my insides. And almost every time I get on my bike something happens deep inside me that refreshes and cleanses. The writer of 1 Peter was talking about how a wife should present herself to her husband and to others. But I also believe that the author was saying that we need to look good and feel good inside and it is out of the joy of being gussied up inside that we can offer ourselves to God. One of the niches I found in my life was riding a bike. It makes me feel good, most of the time, and it provides wonderful exercise. What is your niche? It doesn’t have to be biking; it doesn’t have to be running a marathon or climb a mountain. When looking for a niche you will need to once again ask, "Why do I do the things I do?" To find a niche that will last, is to answer the question with, "I am doing it for myself", "I am treating my body as a temple." I have found a niche that will help me become a better person. We struggle; I believe, when we do things out of what we think others are expecting. Lighten Up Brethren is an opportunity for each of us. It is a chance for us to find a niche, find something that will help our bodies, maybe make us feel better about ourselves and it sure seems if we are treat our bodies as a temple, it would also be pleasing to God. We should be exercising for the sake of our bodies and what a beautiful gift our bodies are. So go ahead and ask the questions, "Why do I do the things I do", "What is my niche." And I pray that your answer is not to adorn your outside but is about making what is inside better and healthier. AMEN Opening Sharing - What’s your fitness niche? Pastoral Prayer Invitation to Respond Hymn Benediction
|
|
