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| Image by Zbyněk Hruboš |
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The aging body
A GREETING
Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
your salvation according to your promise.
(Psalm 119:41)
A READING
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.”
(Luke 2:25-31)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”
(Luke 2:35)
A REFLECTION
The ancient church believed that in the Incarnation Jesus healed, or made whole, everything he took upon himself. Jesus made and makes human experiences holy, including the experience of ageing. In Jesus, God ages and ageing is most intimately experienced in our bodies.
Of course, for many of us, this ageing involves disappointment and fear as memories wane and our bodies cannot do what they could years ago –eyes dim, strength slips away, and hearing fades. Thankfully, we have aides that ameliorate these effects, but still, our bodies are saying something holy to us.
Our sacred ageing bodies preach to us. They remind us that death approaches and they counsel us to ask for help, to slow down, to change our expectations, to breathe each breath with gratitude. They remind us that even in death there is hope because each heartbeat is a prayer: Kyrie eleison.
- written by Rev. Dr. Allen Jorgenson for Lutherans Connect.
VERSE OF THE DAY
I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
(Psalm 13:5)
†
In today's reflection, Allen Jorgenson helps us understand how bodies that are aging still hold the mystery of the Incarnation, that moment when the Word became flesh. How much are we tempted to believe that if we are made in God's image, it must mean the earliest and most youthful version of ourselves? And yet, to grow older in the body is not to fall away from our own sacredness, but to deepen it.
Today's reading takes us to the moment in the temple when the infant Jesus is being brought forward for circumcision. Jesus' body is being intentionally changed in order to fulfill the obligations of God's covenant with the people. Simeon, who was an elderly and righteous man immediately recognizes the child as the messiah and begins to praise the baby -- grateful that he was given the chance to see him before he dies. He makes a song of praise to God in thanks for having had the chance to witness who Jesus is. As an older man, whose life has been filled with much purpose, simply holding the Christ child gives him life.
As we age, we may not be happy with our changing capacities. How can we remember that each wrinkle, each limitation, each new dependence is a place where Christ is quietly present, because he has lived inside the limits of the body?
To grow older in the body is to follow the same path that Jesus walked: from independence to surrender. The aging body teaches us that God delights in what God dwells within.
As Allen Jorgenson writes, "our sacred ageing bodies preach to us."
How will yours preach to you today?
†
†
Scripture passages are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition.
†
LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!
The aging body
A GREETING
Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord,
your salvation according to your promise.
(Psalm 119:41)
A READING
Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, “Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
according to your word,
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples.”
(Luke 2:25-31)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul, too.”
(Luke 2:35)
A REFLECTION
The ancient church believed that in the Incarnation Jesus healed, or made whole, everything he took upon himself. Jesus made and makes human experiences holy, including the experience of ageing. In Jesus, God ages and ageing is most intimately experienced in our bodies.
Of course, for many of us, this ageing involves disappointment and fear as memories wane and our bodies cannot do what they could years ago –eyes dim, strength slips away, and hearing fades. Thankfully, we have aides that ameliorate these effects, but still, our bodies are saying something holy to us.
Our sacred ageing bodies preach to us. They remind us that death approaches and they counsel us to ask for help, to slow down, to change our expectations, to breathe each breath with gratitude. They remind us that even in death there is hope because each heartbeat is a prayer: Kyrie eleison.
- written by Rev. Dr. Allen Jorgenson for Lutherans Connect.
VERSE OF THE DAY
I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
(Psalm 13:5)
†
 |
| "Couple," by Louise Bourgeois (2004). Bourgeois is a renowned French-born sculptor who later made her home in America. Her family of origin had a history of tapestry restoration, and a young Louise was often given the task of repairing the bottoms of wall tapestries -- at her own young eye level. Fabric became her metier: in her later years, she especially enjoyed taking existing fabric from her own life, cutting it up and reusing it in new ways. She worked right until her death. This sculpture was made when she was 93. |
In today's reflection, Allen Jorgenson helps us understand how bodies that are aging still hold the mystery of the Incarnation, that moment when the Word became flesh. How much are we tempted to believe that if we are made in God's image, it must mean the earliest and most youthful version of ourselves? And yet, to grow older in the body is not to fall away from our own sacredness, but to deepen it.
Today's reading takes us to the moment in the temple when the infant Jesus is being brought forward for circumcision. Jesus' body is being intentionally changed in order to fulfill the obligations of God's covenant with the people. Simeon, who was an elderly and righteous man immediately recognizes the child as the messiah and begins to praise the baby -- grateful that he was given the chance to see him before he dies. He makes a song of praise to God in thanks for having had the chance to witness who Jesus is. As an older man, whose life has been filled with much purpose, simply holding the Christ child gives him life.
As we age, we may not be happy with our changing capacities. How can we remember that each wrinkle, each limitation, each new dependence is a place where Christ is quietly present, because he has lived inside the limits of the body?
To grow older in the body is to follow the same path that Jesus walked: from independence to surrender. The aging body teaches us that God delights in what God dwells within.
As Allen Jorgenson writes, "our sacred ageing bodies preach to us."
How will yours preach to you today?
†
 |
| Image by Nelson L. |
†
Scripture passages are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition.
†
LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!