Welcome to the first Sunday of Lent. How are you doing?
In these mean streets where we’re all finding ways to survive and resist the onslaught of malformed systems starting with ableism/white supremacy. No small order. How are you doing?
“Not good,” is a solid reply.
Resistance requires we take inventory on our internal battery. Our body battery. Some call it becoming attuned to our bodies. Try it out. Daily, weekly, hourly, check in with yourself.
One Exercise: A body scan is one way. (If your body is a safe space for you to linger a bit.) Start with your toes and work your way up as you take in deep breaths. Note anything that hurts. Any tightness. Anything weird. How’s your heart? Your soul? Do you feel tired? Energized? This changes on the daily too by the way.
The reason we need to routinely attune to our bodies is because we need to know what our limits are as we engage this era of resistance.
When we resist we are putting our bodies on the line for the sake of justice. This is a deep biblical ethic. Actually, it’s the gospel.
In Romans 12:1 a famous passage some folks had to memorize, when translated properly, speaks to the putting your body on the line as resistance as a clear act of worship!
To translate into the modern vernacular,
“Friends, because of God’s mercies, I encourage you to put your body on the line as a sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. This is your act of worship. Don’t be conformed to the systems of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you can figure out what God’s will is—what is good and pleasing and mature.” Romans 12:1-2
What is God’s will? The book of Romans has a central thesis argument and that’s back in Chapter 1 v 17. God’s will is the gospel and decribed as:
“God’s own power for salvation to all who have faith in God…God’s justice is being revealed in the gospel, from faithfulness for faith, as it is written, The just person will live by faith.”
You will note I am using ‘justice’ instead of ‘righteousness’. These words are interchangeable in the text but today they mean different things. ‘Righteouness’ is more individual and moralistic; ‘justice’ speaks sqaurely to how we can right wrongs in our world in the present.
The take away?
Resistance is not only biblical, it’s the gospel, and when we resist, every time, it takes a toll on our bodies. This is a cost, and one that joins God’s story to usher in a just world. That doesn’t mean it’s right (the cost we incur), but it does mean the effort we put is distinctly joined to God’s purpose.
In other words, resistance is worship.
I hope you linger with that truth throughout this Lent season.