Rev. Alexandra Mauney
This past week, I helped to facilitate the September meeting of the Monday Book Club, and we discussed Barbara Brown Taylor’s 2009 book, An Altar in the World.
When I think about the books that formed my faith in my teenage years, this book tops the list. Taylor’s insistence on the reverence that surrounds us in the world – not only inside the church sanctuary walls – was nothing short of revelatory for me as a young person coming into my own as a person of faith.
It was a joy to revisit the book with this book club group, and I commend that short text to you if you are looking for a read that will speak to everyday spiritual practices – among them, Taylor names getting lost on a walk, pronouncing a benediction upon a beautiful tree, and even doing the dishes. It’s a lovely book.
One of the joys of reading this book for a third time was encountering anew a beautiful hymn text by contemporary American hymn writer Brian Wren. As far as I can tell, this lovely text, called “Good is the Flesh,” has not yet made its way into any hymnals, but if anyone ever lets me have any say in the matter, I’ll advocate for its inclusion in any future hymnal project!
The poetry speaks to the goodness of our bodies, in all their complexities and contingencies. Wren encourages us to think about the ways that our bodies help us to experience joy and pleasure: resting, receiving a hug, smelling flowers, and tasting yummy food.
But this hymn text also mentions some of the unrulier parts of what it means to live in a body: birthing a child, feeling our own embodied limitation, and experiencing longing for which we may not receive fulfillment.
We don’t often talk about these experiences in church (or as we might say in the South, in “polite company”), but these are all things that make up a rich and full life.
And Brian Wren reminds us that Jesus, too, had a body, and that it was good. What a wonderful reminder of our own connection to the Word made flesh.
I encourage you to take a moment to read through this hymn text as a prayer today. Take your time; savor the words as you would a delicious meal. Once you’re finished reading it, pray a prayer of thanksgiving to God for your own body, for what it can do and how it helps you to know and love God.
Good is the flesh that the Word has become,
Good is the birthing, the milk in the breast,
Good is the feeding, caressing and rest,
Good is the body for knowing the world,
Good is the flesh that the Word has become.
Good is the body for knowing the world,
Sensing the sunlight, the tug of the ground,
Feeling, perceiving, within and around,
Good is the body, from cradle to grave,
Good is the flesh that the Word has become.
Good is the body, from cradle to grave,
Growing and aging, arousing, impaired,
Happy in clothing, or lovingly bared,
Good is the pleasure of God in our flesh,
Good is the flesh that the Word has become.
Good is the pleasure of God in our flesh,
Longing in all, as in Jesus, to dwell,
Glad of embracing, and tasting, and smell,
Good is the body, for good and for God,
Good is the flesh that the Word has become.
Source for text (under copyright via Hope Publishing): https://www.hopepublishing.com/find-hymns-hw/hw2381.aspx
