This week, Andrew Taylor-Troutman reflects on words that guide people of faith. Find his blog series here.
A friend was raised in the rigid orthodoxy of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. Now, he meditates at a Buddhist temple on Saturdays and sings in the choir of our Presbyterian church on Sundays. I do recognize the potential to dilute a specific religion by picking and choosing à la carte from multiple ones. However, I think that wisdom from outside sources can help us dive down into the well of our own tradition.
I invited my Buddhist-Presbyterian friend to teach our congregation about the spiritual discipline of meditation. I assumed he would talk about the theology behind the practice; instead, he surprised me. He spoke about posture.
“When meditating in a chair, keep both feet on the floor. Make your shoulders square, back straight, and head level. Keep your eyes open and stare straight ahead at a 45-degree angle. Make a bowl in your lap by resting your open left hand in your right palm, with the tips of your thumbs pressed gently together.”
The two dozen of us gathered in the sanctuary assumed the correct posture. Then he continued:
“Begin to count your breaths. When you get to 10, start again. When you get distracted, start again. Everything is passing. Stop thinking of what you did today, or what you’ll do tomorrow — not that you ever really know!”
He chuckled. “Sorry, friends, that’s a Buddhist joke.”
✜ ✜ ✜
A Roman Catholic priest, a Baptist chaplain and a Presbyterian minister walk into a classroom… unfortunately, the punchline is not funny.
A few years ago, I was part of an ecumenical panel of pastors invited by the nursing program at a community college to talk about our religious traditions, specifically how certain practices might impact healthcare. Instead, our conversation devolved into a debate about the theology of the Lord’s Supper. By the end of the hour, the three of us sat there silently fuming.
As a verb, “posturing” has a negative connotation. It implies insincerity, disingenuousness, even hypocrisy. When Jesus spoke of the hypocrites, he literally referred to those actors who wore masks. I admit I hide behind masks. I wear attitudes like jealousy, pettiness and insecurity. But it’s harder to confess how I can posture with virtues like saying I believe everyone should be welcomed at the Lord’s Table but then dismissing someone who thinks differently.
I wonder what would have happened if, instead of abstract ideas, my brothers of faith and I had talked about physical posture. We all celebrate the Eucharist on Monday morning with patients. What are the bodily aspects of receiving the Lord’s Supper in a hospital bed?
Raise the bed into a comfortable position. During the prayer, you may feel most comfortable in bowing your head and clasping your hands. In receiving the sacrament, keep your eyes open. Make a bowl of your cupped hands to receive the bread. After drinking from the cup, feel free to lick your lips. We can hold hands as we pray the Lord’s Prayer in unison.
Surely, the details of one’s posture are trivial in one sense. On the other hand, we remember the words, This is my body broken for you. Though we disagree on theological meanings, might we find commonality in how we hold our bodies when we receive his? With less posturing and more posture, the Body of Christ could better hold itself together. I know we will get distracted and fail at such unity. But as my friend said, we can always start again.
