Ian closed our Lenten series on the body with a tender and powerful story of growing up queer and in the closet as a young person. He shares about navigating shame, desire and anger, hiding his true self and the way he showed up in the world. Listen to his story about being “re-membered” by God, learning to inhabit his body more fully and joyfully, and the practice of remembering his baptism first thing in the morning. 

In our continuing Lenten series on the body, "Jesus Re-Member Me," Aaron reflects on the moment in his childhood when his mind, emotions and body began to split apart and the journey of returning back to wholeness. Centering prayer was the spiritual practice that helped him reintegrate these different parts of himself and he invited us into a 7-minute centering prayer "sit" at the end which we encourage you to do at the end of his sharing. 

As a continuing part of our Lent series on the body, Kirstin reflects on how size is equated with goodness, morality, and competence in our society, and the false and relentless “hope” of diet culture, inviting us to respond to God's invitation to delight and goodness in our bodies in the here and now. 

As part of our Lent series on embodiment, "Jesus, Re-Member Me," Lisha shares her journey - "what happened to her" as she made her way from the dance world to motherhood - the limitations and failures of her body.  Considering her story one of the "quiet ones" - those that hide a brokenness we can't easily see or discern.  

She invites us to consider our own bodies hidden stories and invited us to, over the coming week, consider writing a love letter to our bodies. 

This Lent, we are focusing our spiritual practice on the body with our midweek series "Jesus, Re-Member Me: Lent and the Body." Christine kicked off our series by sharing the story of her body as it intersected with race, gender and spirituality: growing up as the child of Korean immigrants and aspiring to the ideal of white American beauty, the separation of body and spirit in the church, learning to shrink inward and become invisible, and the journey of moving from weakness to power. 

Practice: Spend some time journaling around these questions: 

1. Think back to your childhood. Where did you experience original goodness in your body?

2. As you reflect back on your story, where have you experienced this dis-membering?

3. Where have you experienced this re-membering? Where would you hope to?

On the final night of Epiphany Evenings: Watch For the Light, Lisha led us in an embodied examen prayer based on John 11:1-44, the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. Where are the places in your life where you feel dead and that need to be brought back to life? Follow along with this examen and create space to sit with what is in the presence of God. 

Join Lisha as she leads this embodied meditation about cultivating awareness and knowing perception, listening to our body as a guide for discernment. This meditation was originally led on 2/17/22 at our Epiphany Evenings: Watch For The Light gathering on Zoom. 

The kind of love Jesus talks about in this week's gospel will likely not make it onto any Valentine's Day cards! It's a love that confounds the ways of this world, wider, longer, higher, deeper and stronger than death. Join Jimmy as he reads from Luke 6:27-38 and let God's Word sink into your heart and mind this week. 

In the first reading, listen for a word or phrase that resonates with you. In the second reading, ask God how this reading intersects with your life. In the third reading, respond to God's invitation to you in this word. 

Jesus gets to the heart of his teaching in the Beatitudes, repeating the refrain, "Blessed are you..." -- who are poor, hungry, weeping -- and promises them the kingdom. Join Yahaira as she reads this passage from Luke 6:17-27 and allow this word to sink into your heart. 

In the first reading, listen for a word or phrase that stands out to you. Don't overthink or analyze it but simply sit with it and savor it. In the second reading, reflect on, "Where does this word or phrase intersect with my life or the life of the world right now?" In the third reading, invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you and ask, "What is the invitation to me from God in this?" In the final reading, simply rest in the word that has been given you.

Music: Glimpse of Eternity by Meydän | https://linktr.ee/meydan

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

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This is a live recording of Lisha leading an embodied examen based on the story of Jesus healing the lame man at the pool of Bethsaida in John 5. We bring our minds, emotions, imaginations and bodies into this scene and open ourselves up to what God wants to illuminate and heal in us.