{"id":4571,"date":"2021-02-14T14:44:44","date_gmt":"2021-02-14T14:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2021\/02\/14\/becoming-more-human-based-on-psalm-501-6-and\/"},"modified":"2021-02-14T14:44:44","modified_gmt":"2021-02-14T14:44:44","slug":"becoming-more-human-based-on-psalm-501-6-and","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/2021\/02\/14\/becoming-more-human-based-on-psalm-501-6-and\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBecoming More Human\u201d based on\u00a0\tPsalm 50:1-6 and Mark 9:2-9"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

\nDo you listen to podcasts? \u00a0I
\nknow some of you do, and I get regular recommendations for great
\nones, which means I often feel guilty for never getting to them. \u00a0I
\ndownload them sometimes, with expectations of listening. \u00a0However
\nbetween being a person who values the space to think that silence
\ngives me, loving classical music when I am in the car, and preferring
\nto learn by reading, I just never get around to podcasts.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThis is true with one exception.
\n After all, I have an exercise bike that I use regularly, and I
\nprefer to be slightly distracted from the challenges it provides me. <\/p>\n

\n
Rather to my own surprise,
\nride after ride, I keep on going back to \u201cThe Enneagram Journey\u201d
\nhosted by Suzanne Stabile. \u00a0The Enneagram is one of those means of
\nmodeling humanity by breaking people up into different types and
\nexplaining how the types are different. \u00a0As with any other model, I
\nthink it is useful until it isn’t, and should be held lightly as
\ncontaining truth without being definitive. \u00a0So perhaps it is odd I
\nkeep going back to this, but the host is mesmerizing. \u00a0She is a
\nwisdom teacher, who uses the Enneagram as her model, and I like
\nwisdom. \u00a0Maybe more so though, she is unfailingly kind and curious.
\nWhile being entirely herself, the only well-known person I can think
\nof to compare her to is Mr. Rogers, but she does her work for adults.
\n I find listening to her soothing and inspiring.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nWhile listening to her podcast
\nthis week, she stopped me in my tracks. \u00a0I had to get out my phone
\nand write down this quote, WHILE ON THE BIKE. \u00a0In passing, she
\nmentioned a suggested spiritual practice and then said, \u201cSpiritual
\nmeaning it will make you more human.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nI believe that. \u00a0I’ve never said
\nit quite that way, but I believe that. \u00a0Spiritual means it will make
\nyou human. \u00a0The goal isn’t to be less human, or less embodied, or
\nless connected, but rather to be MORE so. \u00a0More human, more embodied,
\nmore connected.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nAt its core, this is what
\ntoday’s Gospel lesson is about. \u00a0This may not be what you see at a
\nfirst glance though. \u00a0When Jesus appears in dazzling white clothing
\nwith prophets of old and a voice coming out of a cloud, this may seem
\nto be about the super natural, the beyond earthly, or perhaps the
\n\u201cspiritual realm,\u201d I don’t think it is.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nI think this is MOSTLY a story
\nabout coming back down the mountain to continue doing ministry, and
\nthat the stuff that happened on the mountain was meant to be
\nmotivation and support for the important stuff happening back where
\nthe people were. \u00a0The top of the mountain was an experience of the
\nHoliness of the Divine, as well as an ah-ha moment about the
\nconnection Jesus had to God’s work. \u00a0These experiences are such
\nwonderful gifts when we have them \u2013 connections with God, senses of
\nthe Holy One, ah-has about the wonder of what is.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nAt its best, worship can be like
\na mountaintop experience, rich in sensory experience and openings to
\nexperience the Spirit. \u00a0But like the journey of the disciples in the
\nGospel, the mountaintop is a temporary destination, and the purpose
\nof worship is to go back OUT into the world, refreshed and renewed,
\nfilled with God’s love and ready and able to share it. \u00a0Worship helps
\nus be more human! \u00a0I think in person gatherings are even better at
\nthis \u2013 when we can sing together and breath together, when we can
\ncheck in on each other before and after, when our emotions
\nintermingle, when the children lead us and open our hearts, when we
\nfeel the base notes rumble the pews, when we can smile at each other,
\nand notice how someone is walking differently. \u00a0Put that way, I’m
\nreminded of how incredibly embodied worship is, and can see clearly
\nhow well it helps us be more human. \u00a0But even this online worship,
\nlacking those elements, is still aimed at our humanity. \u00a0The
\nscriptures are ways that people have made sense of their humanity for
\nthousands of years. \u00a0The music aims to connect us with our emotions.
\nThe lyrics of the hymns along with the words of the prayers remind us
\nof the universality of our humanity, and the needs and desires we
\nshare with each other. \u00a0Sermons, at their best, speak to who we are
\nand who we want to be, our humanity. \u00a0We give, out of a sense of
\ngratitude for our lives, and out of a desire to bring more full
\nliving to others. \u00a0The images that the church offers each other to
\nintersperse our liturgy itself are visual art, means of connecting
\nwith our humanity and with the sacredness of our earthly life. \u00a0Not
\nto mention, we start with a breath prayer, and the fact that
\nbreathing is proven to be one of the best access points to
\nspirituality really just proves everything!<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nI could make the same points
\nabout prayer and spiritual practice, but I suspect that will be
\noverkill, so you can either trust me on it, or look at it yourself.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nSpirituality is about being more
\nhuman.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nIsn’t it obvious? \u00a0Isn’t it
\nwonderful? \u00a0Isn’t it counter to some other narratives we’ve heard
\nalong the way?<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThe point of the
\ntransfiguration, no matter how wonderful it was, is the going back
\nDOWN the mountain. \u00a0The point of prayer and contemplation is to meet
\nGod in our humanity. \u00a0The point of worship is to become more human.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nI’ve been slowly reading \u201cThe
\nBody is Not an Apology: The Radical Power of Self Love\u201d by Sonya
\nRenee Taylor. \u00a0(Slowly because it is radical enough to take time to
\nabsorb.) \u00a0Taylor spends a whole lot of time talking about body love,
\nand pointing out that when we hate our bodies \u2013 or even just things
\nabout our bodies \u2013 we end up doing harm to other bodies. \u00a0She is
\narticulate about the imperative work of becoming more deeply embodied
\nand more profoundly human as a good in and of itself AND as the only
\nway we can truly love other people in their humanity and their
\nbodies.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nThat seems like the completion
\nof Stabile’s idea. \u00a0Spiritual means it will make you more human. \u00a0And
\nbeing more human means you are more able to be loving to other humans
\n\u2013 all of whom are God’s beloveds.<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n

\nSo, dear ones, may we become
\nmore spiritual, more human, more loving. \u00a0Amen <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Rev. Sara E. Baron
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305
Pronouns: she\/her\/hers
http:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/<\/a>
https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FUMCSchenectady<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

February 14, 2021<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you listen to podcasts? \u00a0I know some of you do, and I get regular recommendations for great ones, which … Continue reading \u201cBecoming More Human\u201d based on\u00a0\tPsalm 50:1-6 and Mark 9:2-9<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[34,38,28,39,33,1859,1853,1854,1860,1858,399,1852,56,191,1855,1856,1857],"class_list":["post-4571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-fumc-schenectady","tag-progressive-christianity","tag-rev-sara-e-baron","tag-thinking-church","tag-umc","tag-becoming-more-human","tag-enneagram","tag-enneagram-journey","tag-god-loves-bodies","tag-going-back-down-the-mountain","tag-mark","tag-read-women-of-color","tag-schenectady","tag-sorry-about-that-umc","tag-spirituality","tag-suzanne-stabile","tag-transfiguration-sunday"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4571\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fumcschenectady.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}