Scripps Sunday #92- Chile Edition

May the same magic that unites every part of you, 

so too keep us whole, through our days—

that we would know our bodies, 

that we would feel our emotions, 

and that we would remain near to our interior worlds, 

by the divine spirit which remembers us. Amen.

INHALE: I can listen to my body.
EXHALE: I will stay whole.
INHALE: My body is good.
EXHALE: I will not abandon it.
INHALE: This flesh is divine.
EXHALE: The physical is the spiritual.
 
Confession:
Embodied God,
We confess that we have rent mind from matter, 

been deceived into viewing our bodies 

as tools for productivity 

as opposed to sacred beings 

worthy of love and honor. 

In our spiritualities, we have exalted 

the invisible over the physical. 

In our daily routines, 

we have not cared for our bodies well. 

And that neglect has rippled out 

toward the bodies of others in our midst. 

Forgive us, God, 

and restore in us a sacred attunement 

to our whole selves- 

minds, blood, breath, the hands 

that grip these pages. 
With divine help, 

may we never abandon ourselves again. Amen.
 
Forgiveness
Let your soul receive this rest: 

The same God who knit together 

the physical realm has mercy on your body today. 

Trust that you can be relieved of any guilt for a body 

that doesn’t perform or appear or exist

 in a way others demand. 

Be assured that your body is good as it is, 

forgiven that you would remain whole and embodies, 

with shame forever far from you. Amen.
 

Benediction
With the power of the God 

who comes in flesh for all flesh, 

go in courage to remain in your body, 

that you would stay 

whole in a world content 

to see you torn apart. 

May it be so.

For embodied Healing

God of every ache, Help us to befriend our bodies. 

We confess that it is easy to turn against them

 as the source of our struggle. 

Awaken a compassion, a tenderness, 

toward the parts of us that are changing, hurting- 

remembering that our bodies 

are doing everything they can to protect us, 

to hold back the pain and exhaustion. 

With every ailing and unseen thing, 

guide us toward those 

capable of listening and perceiving 

when we are not okay, 

that we wouldn’t feel pressure 

to pretend or apologize or explain. 

Remind us that we are not a burden 

but a beacon to those 

who are so poorly attuned 

to their own bodies and needs 

that they have forgotten 

what self-compassion looks like. 

Help us exist in the truth of what we need. 

Hold us in love 

as we resist the demands of this world. 

Amen.
-Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies