Sensing God:
The Human Body as a Vehicle of Worship
€ grew up in a significantly rural Methodist
Episcopal Church just prior to its becoming the
United Methodist Church. It was a simple little
place and, to my growing mind, a truly Christian
place. Sunday services were limited to an hour,
and most of the hour was given to the sermon. It was an
auditory worship experience in an unpretentious build-
ing—nothing sought to engage any of my other four
senses. The pastor even kept flowers off the altar; he
thought them to be unnecessary accoutrements and
diversions from his well-prepared, attention-demanding
delivery. We listened.
As do so many teenagers, I embarked on a search to
add meaning to my life and became captivated by the
church of a small, evangelical denomination offering
both morning and evening services, complete with
music! My father was a band leader in the downstate
New York area affectionately called "The Jewish Alps,"
and I considered myself to be somewhat musical as well.
My new church home gave me the opportunity to sing
and use my voice. Still, the only sense employed in wor-
ship was my hearing. And the evangelistic, expository
sermons were even longer!
After Bible college, seminary, and graduate school, I
entered the ministry in that small evangelical denomina-
tion. My training taught me to preach "the whole coun-
sel of God," to do it in a forty-five-minute sermon, and
to always follow the sermon with an invitation. I contin-
ued in that preaching-centered ministry for nineteen
years until, one Christmas Eve, I worshiped in the
Episcopal cathedral in a major Southern city. I was bit-
ten—I smelled incense, watched pageantry, listened to
Scripture, music, and chanting. I tasted bread and
wine—not Welch's grape juice. All my senses were capti-
vated and fully drawn into the worship experience.
I foolishly endeavored to take much of that rich
experience back to my evangelical,free-churchtradition,
resulting in seven years of pastoral-parish frustration.
My congregation wanted their auditory experience; I
wanted my whole self involved in worship.
Then a door opened. Responding to the allure of
using my touch, hearing, smelling, and tasting abilities to
26 ^tP TUE LIVING PULPIT
Jeffrey A. Mackey
sense God, I joined the Episcopal Church. This conver-
sion was almost as life-changing as that I experienced at
age fifteen. I became increasingly aware of others who,
feeling completely unfulfilled in the lecture-hall church-
es they had known from youth, were also making a leap
of faith into the ancient liturgical traditions. The
demand was "let us taste" and we may "see that the Lord
is good." Inspired by biblical passages of prayers rising
with incense to the nostrils of God, they wished to par-
ticipate in this reverential act with sacred odors emanat-
ingfroman actual smoking thurible. They chose to leave
behind those little Wonderbread squares and tiny shot
glasses of Welch's grape juice, to take from a whole loaf
of bread and drink true winefroma common cup. They
chose tofilltheir eyes with the decorations of the church
itself, the glorious colors of clerical robes and garments,
and the flickering light of torches. In combination, these
rituals created an invitation for the whole person to
become fully involved in the sacred experience of wor-
ship.
Scripture is replete with references to worshipers
using their bodies in approaching God. Moses removed
his shoes, Abraham bowed low when his indescribable
visitors approached, David danced before the ark and
Daniel faced Jerusalem to pray. Many people feel that
the growth of Christianity out of its Jewish roots meant
to separate the "new faith"fromthe earthiness and body-
consciousness of the "old faith." Gnosticism was ram-
pant in the two centuries before the coming of Christ, as
well as for several centuries following his death and res-
urrection. In fact, current interpretations of the pas-
sion, Christ's death, burial, and resurrection, are
endowed with metaphorical or allegorical interpreta-
tions from a Gnostic, body-despising theology that cele-
brates the spirit but dismisses the physicalframeas evil.
But the Church would not allow this. Over and over
there is unapologetic affirmation of the incarnation and
celebration of the resurrection. The body as well as the
spirit has value and import to God. Both are employed
to accomplish the will of God and both are called to con-
secration. The theology that speaks of our spirits being
united with the Spirit of God misses a very clear state-
ment of Apostle Paul. Shockingly Paul tells the hedonis­ to the person you look at and say with the full confidence
tic Corinthians, "Do you not know that you are a temple of the ancient Apostle, "That body is the temple of the
of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor Holy Spirit who is in me!" Silly? Yes. But it may just be
3:16) And sure that his hearers would not get his empha­ life changing! The doors these truths open for the
sis, later in the same epistle he writes, "Don't you know preacher are wide and inviting.
that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in
you?" ( 1 Cor 6:19a) Paul uses the Greek soma for "body"
here, and the lesson is clear and conspicuous: he is speak­
ing of the physical body and the many spiritual chal­
lenges it must undertake.
Preaching must be more than words—more than
speaking and hearing. The poet wrote, "I'd rather see a
sermon than hear one any day..." What we see we
remember far more than what we only hear. I seldom
forget the sermons that I can touch and those that raise
my sense of smell! Creatively awakening the senses in
liturgical worship not only increases the intensity of
worship but it also involves the whole person. Our post­
modern age demands that our sermons are able to be
touched, felt, and seen. Doing this creatively in liturgical
worship, engaging each congregant's five senses, not only The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey A. Mackey is Associate
increases the intensity of worship but also thoroughly
Professor of Pastoral Theology as well as the Vice
involves and inspires the total person.
President and Academic Dean of the Trinity
A silly yet productive assignment I often give my
School for Ministry, in Ambridge, Pennsylvania.
doctrines classes is this: When you finish taking a show­
He is the author of Hidden Mirth: The Grace
er tomorrow morning, stand naked in front of a full-
Behind the Goodness.
length mirror. When your hilarious laughter stops, point

GOOD PREACHING
TRANSFORMS LIVES
κ i V

?
>

^ Λ
D O C T O R OF M I N I S T R Y I N BIBLICAL P R E A C H I N G

E very week your congregation looks to you to preach Gods word

in a way that makes it real, touches their lives and gives them
hope. Luther Seminary's Doctor of Ministry Program in Biblical Preaching
gives pastors the inspiration, biblical knowledge and skills needed to present
consistently thoughtful, dynamic and Scripture-based sermons.

LEARN MORE
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