Sermon

St. Philip's Episcopal Church, Durham, NC

February 25, 2007- First Sunday in Lent

The Rev. Vicki L. Smith

I had a moment of spiritual serendipity a week or so ago.  I was using the vast reach of the internet to try to find a quote by C. S. Lewis.  I didn’t find the one I was looking for, but another one crossed my eye and it has continued to hold my attention.  In one of his writings, Lewis wrote: “You don’t have a soul.  You are a soul. You have a body.” 

You don’t have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. 

I was so struck by that because it reverses what we seem to believe.  We say that our souls are important and that our spiritual lives are valuable, that what matters is being beautiful inside and yet our actions clearly show that we feel defined by our bodies.  In fact we almost seem obsessed by our bodies – and not just sports models and athletes.  Whether we like our bodies or despair of them, they define us.  Whether we have six-pack abs, or something that more closely resembles a keg; whether we wear skimpy clothes to show off our assets, or muumuus or their male equivalent to keep everything under wraps; whether we hate pictures of ourselves or enjoy preening in the mirror – it is two sides of the same coin – an overriding focus on our bodies, often, sadly, to the detriment of our souls.

I’m not advocating some kind of dualism that values the soul and disregards the body, or that allows for abuse, neglect or hatred of our bodies.  Our bodies are a gift from God and we are called to be good stewards of that gift – to nourish and care for it.  God has made us both soul and body – both are important, valuable and God-given good.

But we seem so out of balance somehow.  We spend so much more of our resources of time, energy, and attention on our bodies than on our souls. We’ve become so focused on the needs and desires of our bodies, that our souls, which are less demanding, are rather ignored. 

This very modern situation brings additional value and importance to the ancient practice of giving something up for Lent.  Such sacrifice has many values.  Each time we feel tempted to indulge in what we have given up, we are reminded of the depth of Christ’s sacrifice for us and our sacrifices are a small offering to God in gratitude for our salvation.  This giving up something can also help in some small way to restore balance in our perspective and remind us that we are souls, we have a body.

I suspect that if I were to take a poll right now of those who have given up something for Lent, probably 80 percent of you would say you’ve given up chocolate, desserts or sweets altogether.  Other popular choices include coffee, and alcohol.  While those are admittedly small sacrifices, I think that they are exactly the right things to give up for Lent.  They are not health decisions that we should make anyway, though there may well be beneficial health consequences to skipping desserts for 40 days; and we are not giving up necessities.  These are the extras, the things we enjoy but can, if called upon, do without – and that is as it should be.

As we struggle to maintain our Lenten discipline it points out to us just how unbalanced our priorities of body and soul have become.  When we are tempted by Hersheys, Chunky Monkey, or that Grande Mocha latte – the fact that it is to resist them tells us something about how we live and the focus we have placed on our bodies and desires.  To consciously, deliberately, willfully pass up such things restores some balance to our lives – it reminds us, sometimes several times a day – that we are souls first and that the needs of our souls must take precedence over the desires of our bodies. 

Each time we resist temptation it is a small step toward a right relationship with our bodies and a faith-based, spiritual understanding of who we really are.  It is an appropriation of Jesus’ reminder that we do not live by bread alone. 

When we resist these temptations, it is a small step toward paying anywhere near as much attention to our souls as we do to our bodies.  It is progress toward a more balanced life with love for both our bodies and our souls, with nourishment and care for both our bodies and our souls.

Our souls are not extras added on at the last minute like cruise control on a car, our souls are the essence of who we are, the core of our being, our deepest and truest identity.  Giving up some bodily pleasure for Lent helps us remember that – it reminds us how out of focus our lives have become and helps us bring them back.  So I encourage you to give something up for Lent – even something small – as a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice for us, as an offering to God and as a wake up call that you are soul and you have a body.

In Jesus’ name. Amen

© 2006, Saint Philip's Episcopal Church
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 218, Durham, NC 27702
Telephone 919-682-5708, Fax 919-683-1857

Webmasters: Jack Mitchell, David Smith