one finger one thumb one arm one leg one nod of the head stand up sit down keep moving:
what language does your body speak in church? what's the connection between physical and spiritual position?
how do bodies speak when words fail?
throw some shapes at this month's grace - every body welcome.
there will be a traidcraft produce stall in the cafe afterwards, as part of fairtrade fortnight 2007 [26th february - 11th march].
feed your body fairly!
steve's photos on flickr here
mark's got a good duck photo here
clear benches out of centre, leave nowhere to sit - prevent people from using remaining benches
hide beanbags in aisle behind pulpit for dragging out later
screens to each side as usual - words to songs and liturgies projected
eucharist: set up in middle of space after the peace with 'fat eucharist' [burger and sugary drink] and 'size zero eucharist' [cigarette and bottled water] either side [steve will buy bread and wine and fat and thin parts]
service sheet text:
The theme of this month’s service is Body
We will be thinking about how we use our bodies to relate to God and to each other in God’s presence.
Please excuse the temporary absence of any furniture. This is entirely deliberate and will be rectified soon enough…
We will be celebrating Holy Communion later. While you are waiting to begin worshipping, you may want to consider how you will be physically expressing yourself during the various stages of communion.
What do you want to express during: The Confession? The Absolution? The Peace?
Are you ready to begin?
Good. Now stop slouching … and is that gum in your mouth? Spit it out at once …
cafe:
Wei Hei has offered to run a fairtrade stall at Grace as it is during fairtrade fortnight. So fairtrade wine for the café would be appropriate.
1. start with empty space [nowhere to sit, posture stations set up]. people enter and are standing
2. greeting [steve]
Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.
3. welcome to grace [steve]
4. songs - ?, 'this is my body' [jonny]
5. posture stations:
announce stations/where they are, give time for congregation to visit them [steve]
each needs an explanatory sheet/instructions
5.1. discipline/attention/endurance [richard]
5.1.1 pew - sit up straight
5.1.2 prayer stool/kneeler - kneel
5.2. prostration, stretching out - face down:
prostration [steve collins]
kneel down on the floor
bend forward until your forehead touches the floor
stretch out and lie face down
this is the posture of complete submission
abasement
desperation
self-negation
abandonment of self to another
anguish
a pouring out of the inner self upon the ground as an offering
at the feet of god, or another person
in various ordination rituals, the candidate will prostrate themselves
at the feet of the bishop as a sign of submission and self-gift
to the will of God and the church
most churches don't have room for this
the pews or chairs are in the way
the floor is hard and grubby
such nakedness of the soul is embarrassing to the one who prays
and to the rest of the congregation
emotions and clothes will be dishevelled
but the dirt and discomfort is part of the point
this posture implies a need so great
that dignity and comfort are forgotten
have you ever prayed like this?
in church? privately?
prostation bible readings:
Matthew 26:36-39
Exodus 34:5-8
2 Samuel 12:15-17
Luke 8:42-47
5.3. prostration, stretching out - face up
'in the bathtub' relaxing before god - rubber ducks, large beanbag
Jesus, loofah of my soul [Ben Cohen]
I was always a bit of an anxious soul when it came to approaching God. I still can be…
A wise Christian counsel gave me a very helpful piece of advice.
“You need to find somewhere you’re truly comfortable and relaxed.
“Try praying in the bath. It’s hard to get too uptight and anxious while you’re lying there with the bathwater sloshing over the side.”
There are certainly times that sitting upright, back straight, hands together, eyes closed is exactly what’s needed for the discipline.
At other times it’s a good hot bath. Or sitting on a discarded sofa in the back yard with a glass of Jack Daniels (or non-alcoholic equivalent!).
Where could you truly relax, to talk to God - however briefly?
Help yourself to a duck and sit yourself down in the “relaxation zone”. Have a think where you could truly relax in God’s presence…
Name him (or her) and place him/her on the flat palm of your hand.
Now take your new pet home and use to remind you of God in those little laid back moments…
5.4. standing
Praying with your body 1 [ben cohen]
Do you ever feel that something in your life is so overwhelming that you don’t know how to pray about it? Where do you start? How can you stop? Try this simple exercise:
Think of something that you want to bring to God in prayer.
Stand with your body upright. Hands raised above your head, lightly touching.
Now, slowly, deliberately, describe a wide circle with your arms until your hands meet again at your waist.
While you trace the arc, bring to mind each different aspect of the need or situation - let them pour into your mind freely.
It’s as if each facet of what you are praying for is an hour of the day, or the branch of a circular tree.
Take as long as you need to do this; to bring everything to mind.
Then, when you have created the prayer circle, roll it up into a tight ball and hand it back to Jesus Christ.
If you’re feeling brave, keep your hands held out and see what He hands back in return!
Praying with your body 2 [ben cohen]
Praying or worshipping God with your body has gained a reputation among some people as being a bit, well, “woosy” ie for weedy wets. But in Biblical times, there doesn’t seem much that is twee about how they responded to God.
They would throw themselves on their faces in contrition…
Beat their breasts…
And they would “rent their garments asunder”; literally rip their garments in anguish.
It was a sign of rupturing relationship. The High Priest tore his garment at the perceived blasphemy of Jesus’ response
to the question “are you the Son of the Most High?”
Take a piece of fabric with you for the communion. When we confess our sins and receive absolution, tear the cloth with all your might.
There was another symbolic tearing of fabric in the Gospels. When Jesus gave up His spirit to God on the cross, the curtain in the temple - separating humankind from the Holy of Holies - was torn in two. It allowed God’s grace to pour out on the whole World.
The tear of contrition can also be the tear of grace…
5.5. modern seat - the anti-posture posture
The modern seat [steve collins]
sit down
cross your legs
maybe lean forward a bit to pray
the modern church seat is about individual comfort.
it's the non-posture posture.
it says that what you do with your body doesn't matter much spiritually
so park your body and put it in neutral
comfortable but not too much because we don't want you to fall asleep
as if you were on public transport or in a car
[try kneeling on the tube and see what happens]
of course it's ideal for people whose postures are limited by age or infirmity
but all this reinforces the idea that
your body is something to forget about in church
it won’t be required here
there aren't really any bible references for this one
6. then set up the beanbags in centre as usual - get congregation to bring them out of aisle
- bring back some benches too [steve to direct]
7. bible readings - verses illustrating use of postures - several voices to read
8. confession [dean]
think about what posture you wish to confess in
rip fabric obtained from posture station
9. tearing prayer [steve collins]
we have torn ourselves
torn relationships
torn society
torn the earth
and torn away from you
you took our wounding and separation upon yourself
giving your body and your bond with God to be torn instead of us
and at the end,
as you were torn from life itself,
the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom
the curtain separating us from god was torn
10. absolution [dean]
11. the peace - [dean]
12. 'communion bread volleyball' [ben] - get the congregation to play volleyball with an [unconsecrated] loaf of bread. anyone who drops it has to eat a piece before hitting it up in the air again [amazingly, people do this!]. after five minutes of edgy hilarity ben explains that this was to dramatize in a humorous way that it matters how we give out the bread and wine. the actual communion took place with a different loaf and in a more conventional manner.
13. eucharist [dean]
Communion L:iturgy
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
Father, we give you thanks and praise
that through your Son Jesus Christ
you have created all things.
All that we can see, touch, smell, hear or taste
was made by you, and you saw that it was good.
You give us breath and speech,
that we might sing your praise:
Holy, holy, holy Lord.,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
But we have distorted the work of your hands.
By hating each other we have mocked your creation.
By hating our own bodies we have hated you.
And so your Son took on flesh to revel in your world and to heal it.
Born of a young girl, he walked among us.
He delighted in the warm sun on his face and in the sweetness of honey.
He told stories of foxes and their holes, extravagant feasting,
and the tender embrace of a father for his estranged son.
Through tales of the physical he taught us about the spiritual.
Through his death on the cross he abolished false distinctions between the two,
and offers us fullness of life.
On the night that he was betrayed,
at supper with his friends
he took bread, and gave you thanks;
he broke it and gave it to them, saying:
My body for you.
Take, eat; remember.
At the end of supper, taking the cup of wine,
he gave you thanks and said:
My blood for you, a sign of forgiveness.
Drink; remember.
Send the Holy Spirit on your people
Gather all who share this loaf and cup
to the feast where there is no size zero and no obese,
and our true beauty is revealed.
Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Spirit,
with all who stand before you in earth and heaven,
we worship you, Father almighty,
in songs of everlasting praise:
Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours for ever and ever.
Amen
14. blessing [dean]
[steve collins]
some questions to ponder:
is jesus too fat for the catwalk?
should we ban size zero saints?
do they encourage christians to develop eating disorders?
what is a healthy weight for a christian?
why are we worrying about people being too thiin in a society in which people are too fat?
does the one create the other?
if the poor are fat and the rich are thin, what does that say about the food we eat?
is there a connection between the health of our bodies and the health of the planet?
can christians have cosmetic surgery?
why don't evangelists look sexy, if sex sells?
how come friar tuck isn't in the latest version of robin hood?
what happens when the you of you isn't the you you see in the mirror?
_____________________________________
bodies - imperfect and perfect
broken/damaged/disfigured bodies
when bodies break down - how do we deal with it?
disability/death
acceptance of brokenness in old traditions/societies
now we expect to cure
ageing - how we deal with loss of youth - legislation against ageism reveals how we are prejudiced for youth
does scattering/dissolution of extended families rob us of models for ageing?
no more nurturing grandparents - they are busy unlocking equity, spending, having a second youth! they want to be young now, rather than embracing the traditional roles of the old.
do extremes of thinness and obesity reveal inner problems as well as physiological? ie the person is an agent in making themselves that way
exposure to images of beauty - there is a narrow range of aspiration - too narrow for most to achieve - not just about sexual beauty - bodies display values such as self-discipline
the old christian cycle of fast and feast - has become binge and detox - detox written up as a 'spiritual' thing as well as physical
diet books - getting you to believe in new values diet wrapped in a lifestyle package that motivates you - the prospect of a 'new you" gets you through the boredom
but christian discipleship is not in our own strength - whereas a lot of body discipline in the world is about our own control and strength
the images we are sold - link into innate biological preferences that are hard-wired into us, but now are pandered to all the time
[it's similar to how we are built to like sugar, but only to get it rarely - now we get sugar all the time and it makes us ill]
fashion - how does it affect us beyond biological preferences?
is it a matter of sex or a matter of power in society?
makeovers and makeover programmes - 'would like to meet' etc
can be redeeming if they go deep enough
there is a connection between how you look/dress and who you are, who you perceive yourself to be
[which is neglected by world-denying forms of christianity]
a change of appearance can be transformative in other ways
it's about expressing/discovering who you are at all levels
_____________________
the theme running through all our discussions is how we connect the physical with the spiritual
the issue for our service is how do we connect the practical and conceptual
what to do/take away from service?
many christians have suffered from a spirituality detached from body - in head, or emotions
"bodies as living sacrifices" was a positive evaluation of the body
religions that govern the body are not necessarily anti-body
but are making the point that spiritual and physical discipline go together
religious rules are a statement that what you do with your body matters
[religions that say 'do what you like with your body' are actually saying that the body is worthless]
we need to dig out the stuff in the traditions to explore for the service:
praying with body
fasting/feasting
jewish stuff which doesn't have the dualism of some christian thought
is there any helpful monastic material?
we need to concretize our thoughts into things people can do and take away, not abstracted discussions
can we look at pictures of different shaped bodies
maybe different ethnicities/types
to see varieties of human possibility and widen our consideration away from the usual western media images in our heads
[steve collins]
body image:
eating disorders
diets
cosmetic surgery
transvestism
gender dysphoria
wigs/makeup/corsets/weights/diet plans
physical discipline as spiritual discipline:
sex
fasting
exercise
asceticism
ageing:
illness/disability:
how do we value damaged bodies?
what is body prayer for people with disabilities?
sign language
senses:
sight
hearing
touch
taste
smell
as modes of spiritual encounter
_____
or start with empty space
people come in and are standing
intro
invite people to try out different postures
posture stations
then open up issue of posture - get a beanbag, think about posture, who you sit with
think of 3 or 4 ways of praying - eg kneeling, prostration - give people a number and a position
twister prayer
posture stations - straight/disciplined ones as well as comfy/slouchy ones
can we find examples of biblical prayer postures eg gethsemane stretching/prostration
jesus walking
prophets
sitting at the feet of teachers
covering of head - differs from time to time, tied to cultural ideas of showing of respect
standing up, sitting down
medieval - standing, gazing on hosts, listening, smells, kneeling - not pews
what posture do you wish to confess in?
ben: section before eucharist
heart things - that we've be moved by
1. communion - how it's done - body language of eucharist
2. body prayer
play bread volleyball with cheap sliced bread
eucharist:
fat eucharist - big mac, sugary drink
size zero eucharist - cigarette, bottled water
normal eucharist
we are not told to think a particular thing but to eat, drink, bathe etc
treating the spiritual and the physical as one thing