Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

In today’s Epistle, Romans 12:1-8, Saint Paul outlines the qualities of a life offered to God as a ‘living sacrifice’.

Simply put, we are called to live lives of worship, what Paul here refers to as latria, a life that is characterized, literally, by ‘bowing down’ to God. Worship refers to attendance at the Church’s liturgies, certainly, but it refers equally to a style of living that is an ongoing act of worship. Worship is both the highest calling and fulfillment of renewed humanity. There is much to draw from this idea, but let me highlight two aspects of this worship:

Worship is physical. It requires our bodies. This means our daily activity and work can be offered as worship. It also means we should worship God corporately with our bodies — or more precisely, as whole beings, as embodied spirits. As Episcopalians, we thankfully enjoy a liturgy that incorporates a variety of traditional liturgical postures and actions: standing, bowing, crossing, kneeling. Such spiritual ‘calisthenics’ acknowledge the physical dimension of worship.

Paul also points out that worship is counter-cultural. This reality has vital implications for daily life. In a real sense, Christian life is supposed to be contra mundo, lived in contrast to the ways and priorities of non-Christians. Our way of life, of self-offering in worship, become a means of transformation. In this context, Paul commends a ‘renewal of your mind’ through worship. What else is the renewal of our minds, but repentance? When we allow ourselves to be shaped by worship, we will orient ourselves toward God, and living will appear differently from the status quo. When it comes to corporate worship, this line of thought suggests that liturgy should be characterized more by the Kingdom of Heaven than by the world’s patterns. Worshiping together transforms us. It brings us out of our mundane context and vaults us into Paradise.

So, as St. Paul's admonition still remains for us today, to offer our ‘bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God — as our ‘spiritual worship’.

Yours in Christ,
Justin