If you are uncomfortable with talking about the human body or about things that relate to bodily functions you might want to stop here. But if you believe that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14) and that the incarnation is not simply a nice, although difficult to grasp, theological affirmation, but an awesome celebration of God having become flesh in Jesus and affirming our humanity, then you might want to read on.
In a recent issue of The Christian Century, Rodney Clapp, a writer on theology and culture penned a column entitled “Bodily Blessings”. In the article he shared how he was dealing with some health issues and that last winter he spent five weeks on a catheter. He talks about the impressions the experience made on him. He talks about the drama of getting older, of the humiliation, vulnerability and humility he felt as a result of this experience. He also relates the joy he experienced when the catheter was removed and he could go to the bathroom on his own. He writes: “What an earthly, elemental, taken-for-granted thing it is: to pee on your own. At the time it seemed perfectly meet and right to offer praise for this activity.”
He goes on to talk about the Christian affirmation of a bodily spirituality grounded in creation, the incarnation, and the ultimate resurrection of the body – all fundamental Christian orthodoxy. While there have been some that have despised the body and tended towards a Gnostic, Greek emphasis on the spirit and the undervaluing of the gift, the earthiness of the human body, this isn’t mainline Christian theology, especially when we take the Incarnation (God becoming flesh in Christ) seriously. He also points out that the rejection of the body is not a part of Jewish understanding of what it means to be human.. He even shares a Jewish morning prayer for saying after the use of the toilet (“The Blessing of Asher Yatzar”) that goes:
Blessed are you, HaShem, our God, King of the universe Who formed man with intelligence, and created within him many openings and many hollow spaces; it is revealed and known before the Seat of Your Honor, that if one of these would be opened or one of these would be sealed it would be impossible to survive and stand before You (even for one hour). Blessed are you, HaShem, Who heals all flesh and does wonders.
Clapp notes that this prayer is all the more amazing since it puts side by side “God’s throne and the lowly toilet seat.” When was the last time you gave thanks to God for being able to go to the bathroom?
As a pastor I have visited with many people in the hospital and at home who miss the small things – being able to scratch an itch but not able to because they are paralyzed or in a body cast; being able to go to the bathroom unaided; wanting to turn over in bed but not being able to because of severe burns. I remember being in Myanmar once with some people one of whom had severe constipation and how she prayed and prayed for relief. But there are other things, simple things that are easy to take for granted until they are taken away – being unable to taste a good meal because we have a severe head cold; being unable to see the beauty of a sunset or the face of one we love because of blindness or something else that interferes with our vision. I am sure that you can think of things that you have taken for granted and only after some event or accident have come to see how much they are missed.
My point is that we are called to thank God for the little things and the “hidden” things just as much for the great events in life for which we so often easily thank God.
What is it that you take for granted? It is the companionship of a friend? Is it a cold drink on a warm summer day? Is it a warm, dry place to rest on a rainy night? A shady spot on an extremely sunny day? Is it a healthy bowel movement? Whatever it is, there is nothing so small in life that we can’t appreciate it and thank God for it. We are fearfully and wonderfully made! Bless the Lord and do not forget all his blessings, even the small ones
