Practice Introduction & Teaching
During this term, we’ll once again celebrate Advent beginning near the end of November bringing us right up to Christmas. It’s hard to believe but we’re just a few months away from this reflection that has an annual return within the rhythms of Missio Dei Church specifically and the Church Calendar generally. The incarnation of God is miraculous, marvelous, and worthy of our reflection. Jesus, the fullness of God took on a body and came to live amongst humanity embodied. It never gets old. Bodies matter, and the embodied presence of God in Christ Jesus changed everything for all eternity. By faith through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, we have received the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God dwells within our bodies. As we live our lives in relationship the Spirit of God within me bears witness with the Spirit of God within you. Those of us united by Christ and in Christ have been invited into participation in the life and love of God. We live out this invitation as embodied souls who live in communion with God and community with God’s people. Embodied souls, relate to and experience the life and love of God with other embodied souls. We are transformed by the presence of Jesus within us, and within one another, and the presence of Jesus within us means that this transforming presence is brought into every single interaction we have.
Embodiment is a major theme throughout scripture, the embodiment of God in Christ being the hallmark of this theme. The Apostle Paul says that the hope of glory is “Christ in us” (Colossians 1:27). So much is spoken about embodiment throughout Scripture and we want to spend the next three months considering many of these passages, and practicing some disciplines that will help us come back to our bodies. The embodied presence of God’s people is the hope for human dignity and human flourishing in our world. Romans 12:1 invites us “to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God”
Over the next few months, we’ll explore several practices that I believe will help us do just that. We’ll practice slowing down through the sabbath, we’ll practice paying attention to what is going on around us by considering our experience of life through our five senses, and we’ll practice expressing praise through gratitude journaling, and affirmational expressions as embodied souls and with embodied souls! My hope for this term is that we slow down, pay attention, and put words to our gratitude for one another. Brene Brown captures the progression of this terms practice pretty well when she says, “I don’t have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness––it’s right in front of me if I’m paying attention and practicing gratitude.” The goodness of God surrounds us in so many ways, may we slow down, pay attention and express gratitude for it!
All of these practices will serve the end of growing more at home in our own bodies so that we can be more truly present in relationships with other people as they learn to grow more at home within their bodies.
MONTHLY EMBODIED PRESENCE PRACTICE FOCUS
OCTober
SLOWING DOWN · PRACTICING THE SABBATH
The Pace of our lives can be exhausting, often leaving us feeling like we’re stuck on a hamster wheel of striving and chasing the next thing. This doesn’t leave much space in our life for wonder, worship, or joy. As image bearers of God, we were created in love and for love, and too often we’re moving through life at such a fast pace that we experience great hurdles in receiving the love of God and reflecting the love of God to those around us. God in His grace and love for us provided for us Sabbath Rest. Sabbath is a physical reminder of our deepest rest in Christ!
CLICK HERE for slowing down practice details.
November
PAYING ATTENTION · SENSES JOURNALING
Our inability to pay attention often leaves us living in the past through nostalgia and/or regret or living in the future through idealism and/or fantasy. When we are living in the past or living in the future we can not be present with the real people and present for the real moments we are living. Paying attention invites us to come back to our bodies, and pay attention to what is happening around us and within us. As we do, I believe we’ll begin to grow awareness of how we are showing up in relationships and being received in relationships.
CLICK HERE for paying attention practice details
DEcember
EXPRESSING PRAISE · GRATITUDE & AFFIRMATION
Slowing down makes it easier to pay attention. Attentiveness is the gateway to gratitude, and gratitude is the gateway to transformation. This is true spiritually, physiologically, psychologically, and emotionally. Gratitude is a central theme throughout Scripture. Gratitude also has the power to change the atmosphere of any relationship, any home, or any context where it becomes a regular part of the culture. I’ve seen this firsthand many times in many ways in a variety of situations and contexts..
CLICK HERE for expressing praise practice details