Lent 1, March 6, 2022: Embody Worship  

For this Lenten 2022 season, the theme of this series will be embodiment. In a time when we have not been able to safely gather our bodies in person, now that the pandemic has lightened, we long for embodiment… hugging, looking into each other’s eyes, eating together, are all gifts that we haven’t had for a while. I hope this series on embodiment as it follows the Lenten Revised Common Lectionary is a good guide on your journey!

Worship is embodied. In faith communities, we gather and bring our bodies to worship the One who created us. We join our voices in singing as we feel the reverberations of the organ in our bodies. We bring gifts to offer to God, raising them in the air during our Doxology, in praise to God from whom all blessings flow. 

When we can, we hug each other and shake hands, or smile and share the sign of Christ’s peace with each other. Maybe we share a meal after Sunday’s worship with folks of the gathered community. Members joining by livestream are able to share prayer concerns through Facebook, light a candle at home as our Christ candle is lit, and text each other the peace of Christ. 

The physical actions of worship include touching, kneeling, standing, passing, embracing, lifting, bowing, feasting, fasting, singing, reciting, and offering. These actions work to unify our bodies, beliefs, hands, minds, faith, deeds, theologies, and practices; they coalesce in a holy way to lead us to community.

The ways that we bring our bodies, minds and hearts to God in worship make a difference in our spiritual journeys. The faithfulness of bringing our bodies, minds, and hearts back to worship, over and over again, and create rhythms that hold us in times of worry, sadness, loss, or fear. This kind of faithful worship also helps us deepen community with people in our village who can hold us in those difficult seasons of life. The Servant Song by Richard Gillard contains these lyrics: 

“We are pilgrims on a journey, we are travelers on the road;

we are here to help each other, walk the mile and bear the load.

I will hold the Christ-light for you, in the night-time of your fear;

I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.

I will weep when you are weeping; when you laugh I’ll laugh with you.

I will share your joy and sorrow, till we’ve seen this journey through.” 

May our embodied, faithful worship invite us fellow-journeyers to live in community where we laugh and weep together, holding each other till we have seen this journey through. 

Scripture: Deuteronomy 26:1-11, Luke 4:1-2 

Song: Listen to Beautiful Things by Gungor

Write or draw a prayer that embodies your own unique worship of God.