"Wisdom is to the soul what health is to
the body."
There is this thing called a Fitbit. I clip it to my belt
everyday and have done so for a year and a half. The Fitbit measures the number
of steps one takes in a given day. I am not forced to wear a Fitbit, but I do
anyway. The actual data is not that important. What I mean is that a physician
doesn’t review the data nor do I get special prizes for walking more steps. A
trainer doesn’t affirm me when I reach a certain number, but this little device
motivates me to take the scenic route or walk up the stairs or to take an
evening walk around my neighborhood. The Surgeon General recommends that everybody
walk 10,000 steps per day. For some people that is an easy task. For instance,
a postal carrier would have no problem getting that many steps by doing his or
her job. For a priest (at least this priest), it is more challenging. There are
hours in every day when I accumulate only a handful of steps. My average number
of steps per day is only 5,000. That means that there are some days when I take
a measly 2,500 steps and other days that I get 6,000. And on occasion, I hit
the Surgeon General’s goal.
That is why it was amazing that in the week that I was the
program director at Camp EDOW, I took105,000 steps. That was, by far, the most
steps that I have had in one week. Hitting that kind of number is pretty
exciting for someone who wears a Fitbit. Now, as I said, I am not forced to
wear it, but I do because it is motivates me to a healthier lifestyle. There
are many other health choices that we all make including the foods we eat, the
drugs we consume, the activities we choose, the amount of television that we
watch, and many other things.
It is culturally positive to consider the many ways that we
can improve our health like, for instance, Michelle Obama’s healthy eating
campaign and the Surgeon General’s step recommendation. Generally, no one is
going to think less of you for taking the healthy path; they might consider you
a role model. There are an ever-growing number of ways to take care of our
physical health. Look around when you drive (or walk, run, or ride) around town
and notice the many different ways that people spend time and money making
their bodies trim and healthy. You might see a jogger, or people playing
tennis, or the neighborhood dance and yoga studios, or the fitness clubs,
swimming pools and diet centers tucked into buildings and between houses. We
have been taught from the earliest age what is and is not healthy and many of
us choose relatively healthy habits that will allow us to optimize our life
span.
At the same time, there are just as many people who overlook
the many needs of the soul. There are an ever increasing number of people who
are willing to voice the view that religion is a waste of time (I am not saying
that there are less taking care of the soul, just that they are more willing to
say so. The culture is accepting of that way of life.) Some see Sunday morning
or other times spent in religious institutions as time not spent making money,
exercising the body, sleeping, or being entertained. And there are few places
(at least in the Episcopal Church), which keep track of attendance, so there’s
no guilt in skipping in favor of something else. There are others who discount
religion because it boils down to a faith that is too hard to grapple with in a
scientific world. And there are still others who point to psychology, video
games, social media and other cultural phenomena as the new medium for taking
care of the soul.
If wisdom is to the soul what health is to the body then why
is the care of the soul so abysmal. I’m not saying that it was ever really good
(in recent history). Granted that there was a time when a higher percentage of
people attended church or another religious gathering every week. But
attendance is not the measure of soul fitness that I am talking about.
I don’t want to point fingers at the reasons people don’t
practice religion because I see the point. I don’t agree with them, but am
convinced that the Church has failed to adequately describe what it means to
believe, why it is important, and what are the most foundational understandings
of God. If people today don’t understand the benefit, they won’t do it. They
are too busy to think otherwise. For the sacramental churches, of which the
Episcopal Church is a part, Christianity is boiled down to major transition
points marked with religious ceremonies like baptism, confirmation, marriage
and burial. The spiritual development that takes place between these moments is
rarely conveyed and therefore people lose interest.
In addition to not teaching the faithful practices and their
benefits, Christians have also been defined by certain Christian mouthpieces
who try, unsuccessfully in my opinion, to speak for all Christians. The most
famous ones focus on personal salvation and defining a moral framework with the
goal of feeling superior to the great unwashed. This Christian framework avoids
struggling with the difficult questions and avoids the modern and ever changing
culture that surrounds the Church. In other words, it is cut and dry and clean
in an era filled with ambiguity and nuance.
For both the sacramental and the more fundamental churches,
eternal salvation is the overarching goal. Whether it is attained through an
infant baptism or a more mature commitment. Being saved is neither the end of
the religious experience nor the culmination of Christian development. I was
baptized as an infant and Confirmed in my adolescence. If that were as good as
it got, I would have lost interest long ago. I would have found an excuse to
avoid worship; I would have passed on reading the scripture; and discerning
God’s call. I would have lived into the cultural paradigm of religious practice
in the 21st century. And that is why I think the Church and the
faithful practitioners have failed, because we have not done enough to share
the great benefits of finding God’s active role within our soul and passing on
the ancient practices that help us to prayerfully discover God so that we can
transform our lives. If spiritual practice and religion were all about
salvation (marked by the sacrament of Baptism), then those who wait to be
baptized on their deathbed have it figured out.
We need to escape from trying to save our soul for eternity
(because Jesus already assures us of that), so that we can discover the
vastness that exists in our soul.
Our lessons today are trying to teach us to take this longer
view of religious practice. In the Old Testament passage, Solomon, thousands of
years later still remembered for wisdom, asks God for insight instead of wealth
or long life or success against his enemies. Consider what wisdom is. It is not
knowledge (in the sense of factual information), wisdom can’t be learned by
reading a book or visiting a library. Experiencing life and reflecting on the
breadth and depth of that experience is the path to wisdom. We as a Church
should be pointing to wisdom as one of the expressions of God in our lives.
Wisdom can be gained through prayer, reflection, and worship. It exists in the
well of our soul. Spiritual practice, religious practices are the key to
unlocking this insight in our lives.
How many people out there bounce from experience to
experience without any sense of direction because they lack wisdom? And the
follow up question is: How many, like Solomon, would choose the joy of wisdom
and the subsequent fulfillment if offered the opportunity? God provides that if
we are willing to jump into a relationship with God that we can connect to our
soul.
In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus talks about the bread of
heaven. It is a somewhat uncomfortable passage because, if taken literally, it
sounds somewhat cannibalistic. Of course that is not what Jesus is talking
about. He is speaking about the power of returning to the well of community and
worship to find the sustenance that will allow us to grow. Yes, some say that
it is the call to share communion in remembrance of Jesus, but it is more than
just the outward sign represented by the bread and the wine of our communal
worship, it is about taking into oneself the power of God, touching the depth
of the soul and taking that nourishment out into the world. Yes, Jesus is
referring to wisdom. Someone said that:
"Wisdom is to the soul what health is to
the body."
Religion, and Christianity particularly, has the methods to
discern this wisdom just like the Fitbit can help in the pursuit of a healthy
lifestyle. Religious practice takes a lifetime and more. It is about carving
out time for prayer and reflection, it is about seeking the wisdom of scripture
and of the community, it is about living one’s life in response to what we
learn and being willing to adjust our practices as we come to know more about
who and whose we are.
We need to escape from saving our soul for eternity, so that
we can find our soul, today.
Forget about the what’s, the rules, and the cultural
expectations and discover and share the whys of religious practice. Care for
the soul as much as you care for the body. Encourage yourself to take on new
practices, to take the scenic route, and delve deeper. Throw a wide net and
discover the many ways that God is active in your life. Be in community and
love your neighbor. If you do, you will discover the elusive wisdom that comes
directly from touching the soul. It is what we offer in this church, it is why
we seek the faith, and it provides the fulfillment that we deeply desire. If
embraced, it will transform. That is what God has to offer. Who is willing to
spread that Good News? Lets do it together.
The Rev. Dr. Kurt Gerhard
St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church
John 6.51-59, 1 Kings 2.10-12; 3.3-14
August 19, 2012
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