Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple? These words from Paul to the conflicted community within Corinth seem to be resonating with me during this season of my life, and perhaps they will resonate with you as well. 

Do you not know? Paul poses this question following a rich metaphor he has just provided for the Corinthians, a metaphor where Christ is the foundation of their faith, but then the emerging building is shaped by others, such as himself and Apollos. He speaks of the care that must be placed in the shaping of this building so that it can withstand the fires of trials and persecution. He speaks of a building that is not only strong, but beautiful, a building that is gilded with gold and silver, a building encrusted with precious stones, a building that could rival the great Temple of Jerusalem or even the temples devoted to Greek and Roman gods for that matter. Surely this beautiful building, this temple, is worthy to house the Spirit?

I think back to the church that I grew up in. I was a “One church” kind of girl; I think I was well into adolescence before I even stepped foot into a sanctuary other than the one located on Harford Road in suburban, Parkville, Maryland. The sanctuary of Hiss United Methodist is a pretty typical sanctuary: you enter through the double doors into the narthex area, where you would be greeted by ushers before entering the sanctuary. The main aisle is carpeted in a rich red, with rows of polished wooden pews on either side; there is an open area between the first pew (which is usually empty) and the communion rail, behind which is the slightly elevated chancel area, where the pastor and choir sit during worship. Behind them was the altar, flanked on both sides with colorful banners that changed to reflect the colors of the church seasons. Lightly stained-glass windows filtered sunlight into the morning worship services and led one’s eyes up to the tall, gracefully curved ceiling. While not built of gold or precious other precious metals, surely this building could house the divine.

When I was young, probably four or five, I was convinced that Jesus lived in the ceiling. Well, not actually in the ceiling, but rather, suspended from it. Now remember, I had never been in any other sanctuary, so I had nothing to compare ours to; hanging from the ceiling, centered above the communion rail, was a box. A big, body-sized, rectangular box. I thought this box was special; I thought this was where God, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit, or maybe even all three(!) resided, if not all the time, at least whenever there were people in the building. Imagine my embarrassment when I later discovered that the box was actually a part of the sound system and not some divine dwelling place! It was probably around this same time when the meaning of the children’s hand game “This is the church, this is the steeple,” began to click for me. We sang “The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple- the church is not a resting place, the church is the…” people. The people.

Do you not know, that you are God’s temple? 

Do you not know that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

When Paul writes this, he uses the plural for you. Just as he writes of how the community of the church makes up the body of Christ, he talks about how it is within this Christian community that the Spirit dwells. The community is the temple, for where two or more are gathered, there the Spirit is also.

My question for us today is not how are we as a community the temple of God, but rather, can we each, as individuals, be a dwelling place for God? Can the spirit reside in each one of us, pulling and shaping and molding us into the people we are capable of becoming? If the Spirit dwells in us, if we are God’s temple, how should we care for that temple? How should we look at our bodies?

Isn’t it funny, how we pay so much attention to our bodies throughout every moment of the day, but when we enter a worshiping space we almost seem to ignore it? We don’t really talk about bodies in church, do we? If we do, isn’t it often in a negative way, like talking about the “sins of the flesh”? Or, perhaps we address certain parts of the body, but these mentions are often only skin-deep; we talk about the color of our skin in the context of talking about boundaries and barriers that need to be torn down in order to create an authentic, Christian community, but nothing about the bodies that this skin encases. Our bodies are wonderful gifts from God, gifts that are meant to be used and enjoyed. Gifts that are modeled after God’s own self.

In the beginning, when nothing existed but chaos and God created the land and the sea, the sun and the stars, all creeping things and all swimming things; when God made grass green and the sky blue; when God made cows and bears and cats, God saved something special for last. I particularly like the way that Tanya Bennett, the chaplain at Drew, describes this final creation: "When everything else was done, God took clay and formed an image of God’s own self, and breathed into God’s own breath, and said, “You are the one I’ve been imagining. You, and everything you see around you, is my beloved creation. And all of it is good!” 

How often do we look at ourselves as a beloved creation of God? When we look in the mirror, particularly those un-flattering mirrors in dressing rooms, do we see ourselves as the one God has been imagining? Do we see ourselves as vessels of God’s spirit, of God’s love? Or do pick ourselves apart, wishing that our bellies were smaller, our abs firmer, our calves bigger and our arms not so flabby? Do we look at our faces and see Christ reflected back at us, or do we notice the pimples, the blemishes, the crow’s feet? When we finger our hair, do we rejoice in the knowledge that God knows every hair, every follicle, on our heads, so deep is God’s love for us, or do we wish our hair was curly when it's straight, or straight when it's curly, or bemoan the fact that those hairs are turning to different colors or even falling out? When we look at ourselves in the mirror, can we say with joy and thanksgiving that we are fearfully and wonderfully made!? Or do we see an on-going construction project, a project that will never live up to the expectations that we, and society, have placed on them?

I think God loves our bodies; not only for our body’s sake, but for what they house. God loves us- God loves us so much that God came to earth and lived in a human body! And just as we fail to see to Spirit that dwells in each one of us, the people failed to see Christ in the human form of Jesus of Nazareth. How often do we fail to see the glimmer of divinity in those around us? If we were to view ourselves and our neighbors as the strong, beautiful temples that we are, how might we treat our bodies, and spirits, differently? Perhaps we would be kinder and gentler to ourselves; perhaps we would seek to help others be the temple that they are capable of being. Perhaps we would take care of ourselves, and others. Each one of our answers will be different, just as each one of us is housed in unique bodies, with unique stories, with unique callings. No matter how different we may be, both inside and out, there is one thing that I hope we may all be able to say: 

That I am God’s beloved, and I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

In closing, I would like to share with you a text written by Ruth Duck; these words have been set to music and are placed in the Faith We Sing, but for today, I want you to simply listen:

 “Sacred the Body”

“Sacred the body God has created, temple of Spirit that dwells deep inside. Cherish each person; nurture creation. Treat flesh as holy, that love may abide.

Bodies are varied, made in all sizes, pale, full of color, both fragile and strong. Holy the difference, gift of the Maker, so let us honor each story and song.

Love respects persons, bodies and boundaries. Love does not batter, neglect, or abuse. Love touches gently, never coercing. Love leaves the other with power to choose.

Holy of holies, God ever loving, make us your temples; in-dwell all we do. May we be careful, tender and caring, so may our bodies give honor to you.”

Amen.

An Old Paper I Discovered

I was cleaning the other day-

wait, let me rephrase that.

I was attempting to de-clutter the other day (there, that's a bit more accurate).
I decided to tackle some of my old manuscripts that I had stashed away from high school and college, hoping to purge the contents of my file box to make room for more "important" papers.

What I discovered, other than an unwillingness to throw away my work, was an essay that I had written during the summer of 2008, in English 102. 

If memory serves me correctly, the assignment was to pick one poem from several we have been given in a hand out (of course, the hand out is missing) and to write an essay on it discussing how gender roles are depicted in the poem. I found not one, but TWO essays: the second had written, in big, capital green letters 

DO NOT GRADE!

The professor had not graded it, although he had made comments in the margins, proving that he had, in fact, taken the time to read it.

What impressed me about this essay (which is probably not impressive at all to others) is my grasp of sexism. I had never taken a course in gender studies, had rarely discussed this in classes, and at that point had a rather narrow and traditional understanding of gender.

Since I haven't written anything on here for a while, let me indulge myself by sharing with you what the 21 year old version of myself had to say about the poem: What Little Boys Are Made Of

Bed time stories, nursery rhymes and even hymns have been used throughout history to indoctrinate members of society. these pieces of work are often directed at children, who are in the early stages of development and therefore more easily "trainable." The characteristics that these poems suggest children display are blatantly stereotypical by today's standards. While the same nursery rhymes are used today, the audience and the expectations of children's behavior have changed considerably in some reagards, while in others they have remained drastically similar.

The nursery rhyme What Are Little Boys Made Of appears to ask very innocent questions. What are little boys, and girls, made of? How are children supposed to act according to their gender? Boys are apparently made of "snips and snails and puppy-dog tails." When this nursery rhyme was originally written, it undoubtedly described an average boy. Boys would have spent a good amount of time outside; helping their father with chores, working the fields, and exploring their surroundings. It was a way, perhaps the way, of life. Boys were raised to be diligent workers; once they grew older and had a family of their own their life depended on their ability to work. The stanza about young men, however, paints a different picture. Instead of a strong laborer, the poem describes hopeless romantics. The young men are filled with "sighs and leers and crocodile tears." These men appear to have their heads in the clouds, potentially dreaming about anything from a political revolution to the young lady down the street. The second mention of an animal is very interesting. In the first stanza boys are paired with puppies; fun-loving, innocent creatures. In the second stanza, however, the young man is paired with a crocodile, a dangerous, violent beast that is untrustworthy. An interesting depiction of what society believes a boy should grow up to be. While it would be possible for the boy in the first stanza to turn into the man of the second, there is also the possibility that each stanza describes not only differing age groups but also class distinctions. The second stanza describes far more accurately how one might perceive a young man in the aristocracy than a young laborer.

While the men tended the fields or the shop, women stayed at home, taking care of the house, preparing meals, and tending children. The verse about little girls is clearly indoctrinating, in that it says girls are made of "sugar and spice and all things nice." Sugar and spices were kept in the kitchen. It can be assumed that, like these food products, women are also to be kept in the kitchen. However, while the verse on little boys is very clear cut, the verse on girls can be delved into a bit more deeply. Sugar, especially white sugar, was hard to come by hundreds of years ago. It was very expensive, and therefore purchased only by the wealthy or for very special occasions. Many spices were also expensive, due to the fact that they were imported from then exotic lands. What can this say about women? That in order to have the "sugar and spice" one must have money. And, as in all material possessions, the nicer it is, the more money it costs. The nicer the girl, the richer the man must be. The link between women and material objects is made again in the verse about young women, which states that they are made of "ribbons and laces and sweet pretty faces." Again, ribbons and lace were a novelty, not a necessity. However sweet the face, she and society demand that it be adorned with decorations. While "sweet" can clearly be an obvious statement about a woman's physical features, it is interesting how it relates back to the first verse, where girls are made of sugar and spice. If variety be the spice of life, what does this say about young women, who are supposedly a mixture of sugar and spice? Perhaps it hints that underneath a sweet, sugary exterior lies a zest, sourness, or even bitterness, as spices tend to add to food. While there is a small hint as to a girl's emotional character, much more attention is given to the physical and material aspects of woman.

Considering that this nursery rhyme was written well over a century ago, one might argue that it has no validity in today's society. Boys no longer romp outdoors, exploring the mysteries nature provides in the form of bugs and animals. Instead they sit inside, playing video games and watching televisions, their minds being filled with notions of war, crime, and sex. Meanwhile, a girls place is no longer in the kitchen. She is encouraged to participate in previously male-dominated activities, while also trying to assert her femininity by making herself as sexy as possible. Young girls paint their faces with makeup and bare their chests in the hopes of attracting a young (or older) man's eye. The young men of today are not much different than those portrayed in the nursery rhyme; they are unrealistic dreamers, only instead of dreaming of a revolution, they dream of being rock stars. Instead of the young lady down the street, they fantasize about Playboy bunnies. Just as in the poem, young men of today  know how to get what they want, be it through tears, arguments, or violence. Despite the steps made towards gender equality, there are obvious stereotypes that have failed to be destroyed through the years.

While the nursery rhyme What Are Little Boys Made Of still exists in current children's books, it and other nursery rhymes like it are far from being the culprits of the indoctrination experienced by today's young boys and girls. They have been replaced by magazines, movies, and television shows the depict how Hollywood and the larger media feels men and women should dress, act, and treat others. Nursery rhymes have become nothing more than nostalgic remnants of the past. "What are little boys made of? Snips and snails and puppy dog's tails." And little girls? "Sugar and spice, and all things nice."

How nice.