More on disposition and the Christian community -"Let the Bones Dance" by Marcia W. Mount Shoop.
As we live into our redemption, we need intentional practices that explore how we have resisted our own embodied redemption. Confession of sin and
repentance, for instance, can be more than words read on a printed page and a few seconds of silence during worship. "Because Christ shows us his wounds, we can begin to show him ours." This vulnerability and trust transform us from those who bury our pain to those who embody it in our communal life together. This transformative orientation to Christ and to one another needs more open spaces than many mainline church communities have been willing to clear for it. What if we let our embodied truths find expression, healing, and promise in church? What if we began to feel our way and not just think and do our way into Christ-living? Our collective journey of faith can find its integrity in the truth about who we are. During the rite of healing on the second Sunday of each month, after people have come to the Lord's Supper, we allow space for them to then go to one of the praying/healing stations. I have always thought that it allows for what I think is this kind of embodying of communal life. After reading this piece I wondered if I need to once again remind folks that they do not have to be 'sick' to come to one of the stations. Rather, we come to be made whole. We are all broken - in many ways. This 'healing' time can be open to be one in which those who are burdened with their own brokenness can come an hear the Word of forgiveness and the reminder of God's eternal peace and presence. Sometimes when I have the opportunity to e one of the lead praying people at a station, I see that there is more going on than a simple blessing. I rest my hands on the person's head and the assisting person lays hands on the person's upper back/shoulders. By then end of the prayer there may be signs of deep emotional involvement in the public/private/corporate space and time dedicated to healing. It is not unusual for tears to be present - or big bright smiles. The body experiences the wonder of an individual's body coming to rest and healing. Connection: When you have the time and willingness, allow yourself to have someone pray with you - lay on hands and pray. Nothing has to be 'wrong' - in fact you simply need to be open to hear a word of peace and wholeness and life. Gather us as one, O God and heal us again in the midst of the community. Amen. |
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