Honoring the Body

This week's sermon topic is the Christian practice of honoring the body. I'm calling it "Known in the Biblical Sense" with Psalm 139 as my scripture text. How does one honor being 'fearfully and wonderfully made' as an individual and in relationships? Where do we cross the line from sacredness to vulnerability; honor to dishonor?

There is so much to explore in body 'projects':

• adornment ~ clothes, like tatooing, piercing


• shaping ~ steriod use, eating disorders, exercise for health or compulsion


• being shaped by our bodies ~ I'll always be a 5'2" Euro- American woman, no changing that, how has that shaped who I am, how I operate?


• Feeding the Body ~ why has it taken 40+ years to figure out how to eat normally?


• The Sexual Body ~ I want my sons to be good lovers. Does that mean they should go out and practice, practice, practice? No - they should honor their own body and the body for whom they care with love, offering as much freedom as possible. Freedom means being able to develop physically, emotionally, and spiritually into the person God intends.


• The Suffering Body ~ touch is important in healing (not curing). What kind of touch helps another heal? Who are untouchables in our lives?

It takes a body to know God. We experience, feel, taste, touch, hear, see, and express with our bodies. Without bodies there would be no relationships.

God bless our bodies for we are fearfully and wonderfully made!