(NB: preached at evening worship at the Northern Conference Convention, Alberta Synod, ELCIC)
“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food,” and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6: 9-15a, 19-20)

That word just kind of jumps out of you, doesn’t it? You know which one I’m talking about. It starts with an “f.” That “f” word evokes images of forbidden sensuality and carnal escapades that we only dream about in our most savage and primal imaginations.

It’s right smack dab in verse 13, staring at us. And the “f” word I’m talking about, of course, is “food.”

Why? What did you think I meant?

I suppose the “other” “f-word” will make my point just as easily, if not as colourfully. Because as I’ve been reflecting on our theme of “stewardship” I feel that we often neglect to include our most valuable resource - our bodies - as something we need to “steward”. How we treat our bodies can be just as important to our stewardship mandate as how we sustain the land, clean the oceans, capture carbon, manage our finances, or guide our churches.

As you can see I’m not exactly a poster boy for healthy eating. If anything I’m a cautionary tale of how poor nutritional habits and a sedentary lifestyle can wreak havoc on one’s life.

I’m a stress eater. And let’s just say that the last few years have been VERY stressful. And my habits thus far have not helped me in dealing with the stresses of the last half decade. If anything my late-night encounters with the drive thru and Monday Night Football cans of beer have made my stress levels worsen. And by extension, the quality of my life.

And it’s not as if I hadn’t been warned. Information on diet and exercise, the stuff of a healthy lifestyle, isn’t exactly scarce. In fact it’s always in your face, waving a condemning finger, giving you the stink eye each time your arm reaches for that third cookie or second burger.

I knew that 30 minutes on the elliptical is just as effective at battling anxiety and depression as Prozac. I knew that getting 5-10 servings of fruits and veggies a day is just as useful at elevating my mood and giving me energy as any high octane caffeine explosion I can get at Starbucks. I knew that the two of them together would help me put my life back on track better than most counselors or life coaches.

But I chose other, easier, options. And it wasn’t until I had a recent health scare that I realized what I was doing, not only to my body, but to my life. And to those around me.

I began to realize why Paul asks us to honour our bodies. I realized that what I was doing to my body and to myself, was keeping me from living in the faithfulness that God wants from me.

It’s like Paul looked me up and down, grabbed me by the shoulders, shook me, and blared,

 “Are you kidding me??? Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own??? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”

When I read that it was like Paul smacked me across the back of the head. And I knew something had to change. Status quo was not an option.

So, I’ve started making small changes in my diet and exercise routine. I’m eating lots more veggies and am starting to work with a personal trainer. And right away I’ve noticed my energy levels increase, my mood brighten, and my thinking become clearer.

Eating healthily and exercising is becoming, for me, almost as important a spiritual discipline as prayer. It’s becoming clear to me that, as I shed unhealthy pounds, I grow more fully into who God wants me to be.

“...do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.”

I didn’t know that before. But I know that now. I know that good news isn’t just spiritual, it’s also physical. Being good stewards of all that we have draws us closer to God’s understanding of the world and our place in it.

It all starts with ourselves, and the Spirit who takes up residence inside of us, making our bodies Holy; the very dwelling place of God. The temple out of which God changes everything.

Amen.