(Each Saturday, a faith leader in Franklin County offers a personal perspective in this space. To become part of this series, email religion@recorder.com or call 413-772-0261, ext. 265.)
Now retired (happily so), I no longer preach or teach, both of which I enjoyed. Looking back, I wish now that I had preached and taught more about the beautiful and powerful teaching that our bodies are the temple of God.
Through the centuries, many temples and cathedrals were built to glorify God. Some sadly have been destroyed, while the architecture, design and beauty of those that remain continue to thrill us when we enter these sacred spaces. But a central teaching of Jesus was that God dwelt not in cathedrals or temples, but rather God dwells in our hearts.
In speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus said, “The hour is coming when you will worship God neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem … the hour is now here when the true worshippers will worship God in spirit and in truth, for God seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21-24)
In 70 C.E., the Jewish Temple was destroyed, never to be rebuilt. That site is a holy place to all three monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. But God dwells in a house not made with hands. God dwells in us; we, our bodies, are the temple of God. Which means wherever we go, God goes. When we reach out in love to another person, God, through us, is reaching out to that person. This is the beauty and the power of being the body of Christ, the temple of God. In yoga practice, at the very end, the teacher bows to the students and says “Namaste,” which means, “I salute the divine in you.” The students respond in kind. This simple practice would go a long way toward solving many of the problems we face today.
It breaks my heart (and I believe God’s as well) when people kill others in the name of God, whatever religion. By faith and by culture, I am a Christian. My faith informs my life and the way I live to its very core. It is my truth. But I know and love many people in my life who have found faith and meaning along another path, which I not only respect but I honor.
I love the parable of the blind describing their encounter with an elephant. One who touches its side says it is like a wall, another who holds the trunk says it like the trunk of a tree, another who holds its tail says it is like a snake, and the one who touches its ear says it is like a butterfly. So it is with our encounter with God, we who see by faith and not sight. If we want to argue who has the true religion, let us try to out-love one another. Whoever loves most, wins.
Body, mind and spirit, each of us is the temple of God. To keep my spirit aright, I have for years practiced centering prayer, which is a silent meditation before God. My mind races from thought to thought, and I try patiently to bring my mind back to the quiet center of God. I am not good at it, but I keep at it.
Body, mind and spirit, each of us is the temple of God. Yet we have this treasure in earthen vessels, fragile earthen vessels. I am privileged to be a volunteer at Hospice of Franklin County. These are good and dedicated people who devote themselves to the task of being there for those in their final days as they transition to God’s presence. It is a good fit for me, although I admit I often feel uncomfortable and not sure of myself.
But I remind myself that as a minister, I used to tell people not to worry about what to say or anything else — just be there. That is theology 101: Be there. Being there for people with simple presence is the greatest gift I can provide.
As I sit with someone who is dying, I often find myself wondering when my time will come.
It is still quite difficult for me to believe that my time will actually come (I just cannot seem to wrap my mind and heart around it), and yet I know deep down my time will come. Even as I sit there, two beautiful lines from the Psalms come into my mind and my heart.
Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thou art with me.”
Psalm 139: “When I awake (in life and in death), I am still with thee.”
Rev. Lloyd Parrill and Dottie Parrill live in Northfield. Rev. Parrill served the Trinitarian Congregational Church of Northfield for 35 years, retiring in 2012.