Over spring break I lost my bible. I'm pretty sure the day of presentation written in there by my parents is June 30th 2003. It's not just any bible, I've spent my most significant years of my spiritual growth reading that copy of the Word. I admit as much as the other bibles I have are just as much God's Word it has been a struggle to get as much out of time in them. Hopefully I will find my old NKJ somewhere someday but I bought an ESV yesterday that I've really enjoyed so far. (Nonetheless, if anyone happens upon a blue bible that's falling apart in either Galveston, B/CS, Frontier Camp or anywhere in between please let me know!)
I bring this up because of a few reasons. Ben Stuart of Breakaway Ministries last night had a tangent about the physical. He mentioned how as the church we have a tendency to over spiritualize Christianity. We forget that God made the world and all the physical existence and that it is good. So when we do this I feel like, for me personally, I start to phase out the value of physical ability, appearance, and behavior. These things matter (hah, get it? They matter because they... yeah forget it.) and we shouldn't detach them from how we live spiritually. We, as humanity, are the coming together of both the spiritual and the physical. When we were made in God's image we were given souls, we are the grand finale of the Conductor's great symphony of creation of the physical realem. We can't suppose that our lives aren't directly linked the the physical world around us. We are emotionally and spiritually affected by the physical. The position that you pray in doesn't matter as far as being acceptable but it being on your knees means something. I don't have to have a bible similar to my old one, the way it's tall and thin, but the new one is familiar and comfortable to handle and read. Also it's green, and has a cool cross design on the cover.
We can't write off ritual or tradition as weird symbolism of olden days. We take the bread and the wine, we eat and drink in remembrance of a physical death. One goes on his knee to propose to a girl to form a relational bond. We are baptized into water as a testimony of faith in the unseen. We cry when we're sad. There is a clear physical connections to the relational/spiritual/emotional aspects of life.
I don't know if there's a word for it yet, but I am the sort that views everything as significant or potentially significant. As a significantist, I have a good memory... I can also be sappy at times. All this to say, I don't think it's wrong to value the physical. There are little things in this world that mean something to me. From a hat to a train ticket, and I know I'm not alone in this. God knows this and blesses us by it. He gets us, I don't think we realize that enough. Of course we know that all will be burned away someday and we are only left with God and us so we need a good balance, which is almost always the case. God created a world full of opposites, most of them can oppose or complement each other. For example: the present case of physical and spiritual but also male and female, night and day, work and relaxation, sleep and wakefulness, talk and silence, truth and grace in their own way and etc. These are all good things (note that some opposites are not) but too much of/emphasis on one over another would be wrong. So much of life is a balancing act of our prospective and my prayer is that ours as individuals and as a church will be godly. For we walk by faith and not by sight.
I bring this up because of a few reasons. Ben Stuart of Breakaway Ministries last night had a tangent about the physical. He mentioned how as the church we have a tendency to over spiritualize Christianity. We forget that God made the world and all the physical existence and that it is good. So when we do this I feel like, for me personally, I start to phase out the value of physical ability, appearance, and behavior. These things matter (hah, get it? They matter because they... yeah forget it.) and we shouldn't detach them from how we live spiritually. We, as humanity, are the coming together of both the spiritual and the physical. When we were made in God's image we were given souls, we are the grand finale of the Conductor's great symphony of creation of the physical realem. We can't suppose that our lives aren't directly linked the the physical world around us. We are emotionally and spiritually affected by the physical. The position that you pray in doesn't matter as far as being acceptable but it being on your knees means something. I don't have to have a bible similar to my old one, the way it's tall and thin, but the new one is familiar and comfortable to handle and read. Also it's green, and has a cool cross design on the cover.
We can't write off ritual or tradition as weird symbolism of olden days. We take the bread and the wine, we eat and drink in remembrance of a physical death. One goes on his knee to propose to a girl to form a relational bond. We are baptized into water as a testimony of faith in the unseen. We cry when we're sad. There is a clear physical connections to the relational/spiritual/emotional aspects of life.
I don't know if there's a word for it yet, but I am the sort that views everything as significant or potentially significant. As a significantist, I have a good memory... I can also be sappy at times. All this to say, I don't think it's wrong to value the physical. There are little things in this world that mean something to me. From a hat to a train ticket, and I know I'm not alone in this. God knows this and blesses us by it. He gets us, I don't think we realize that enough. Of course we know that all will be burned away someday and we are only left with God and us so we need a good balance, which is almost always the case. God created a world full of opposites, most of them can oppose or complement each other. For example: the present case of physical and spiritual but also male and female, night and day, work and relaxation, sleep and wakefulness, talk and silence, truth and grace in their own way and etc. These are all good things (note that some opposites are not) but too much of/emphasis on one over another would be wrong. So much of life is a balancing act of our prospective and my prayer is that ours as individuals and as a church will be godly. For we walk by faith and not by sight.
They matter . . . you made me laugh. And you're right--both the physical and the spiritual matter. When you eschew the physical, you enter the realm of gnosticism. Colossians (and lots of other parts of the NT) actually tackle gnosticism pretty with some fierceness.
ReplyDeleteSignificantist. Great word. Important concept.
I love it when you write and post . . . and post the link on fb.
Really true, really wise, really encouraging words! Thanks for your great thoughts!
ReplyDeleteSometimes I get very frustrated and discouraged with the physical side of this world, as it's that part of this realm where sin most obviously reveals its hideous visage. When I feel this way I find myself longing for the "not yet" part of His Kingdom which is "now". Your words are a good reminder that God's original creative intent was always (still is and I believe always will be) for us to live in fellowship with Him in a physical world - in the Garden, as it were.
It's important, so very important, to remember that it's not the physical aspects of this world that are the problem. The problem is that this physical world is now FALLEN. Yet we must never forget that the fallen state this world is in is temporary and it serves a powerful purpose:
"For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God." Romans 8:20, 21
Thanks Michael, for your eloquent reminder to live joyfully in this physical world, not focusing too much on its present, imperfect, "now and not yet" state!