enjoy

I love fall. Maybe it's because I was born in October, but I love this season: the colors in the trees, the way the sun never quite gets directly overhead, and the cool air on the skin even when the sky is bright blue.

Worship is a physical experience. The most central act of Christian worship is eating and drinking. Jesus makes himself available to us through his body and blood. Even waiting in line to take the communion elements is a bodily experience. I'm aware of the fact that I am standing in line, that there are others worshiping with me, that we are together the body of Christ in this particular place. Christians from other countries may not understand the words of the songs or the sermon, but they can eat and drink with us and we can be the body of Christ together.

The wedding ring vows from the old Book of Common Prayer said, "with my body I thee worship." I am an embodied soul, and my body is meant to worship God. Even my bodily aches and pains remind me that this is not how God designed my body to be and that my body is groaning along with all of creation for the coming day of redemption (Romans 8:18-23).

God didn't give us a body as a temporary nuisance. Our physical shortcomings are temporary, but not our bodies. We're going to be stuck with our resurrected bodies for the rest of eternity. And that goes for Jesus, too. Our physicality is meant to be a means of delight for us and for God, a means of worship and participation in God's joy. When he created the world he saw that it was good. It wasn't just correct or OK or not bad. It was the paragon of goodness, a delight, a source of joy.

Well, enough preaching. Last night, just before I fell asleep, I was struck with the thought that being a Christian is something God wants me to enjoy. It's not enough to be a Christian because it's the right thing or because I owe it to God because he sacrificed so much for me. There is something deeply joyful about being a Christian, something that brings out the joy in every aspect of life, that brings hope to even my physical and spiritual shortcomings. Joy is the second fruit of the Spirit, right after love (Galatians 5:22-23). If God is truly present in my life and I am cooperating with his transforming work in me, then joy is the result. And I am meant to experience that joy as an embodied soul.

It's another beautiful fall day. Enjoy it.