Scripps Sunday- Alaska Edition #5

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a very important reminder today to say these words out loud and to embrace them wholeheartedly....


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.

-Cole Arthur Riley, Black Liturgies

 

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


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