“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, on the basis of God’s mercy, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable act of worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:1-2, NRSVUE
The Altar of this World
After Romans 12:1-8
Stay
upon the altar—
of this world.
Rise
like warm, spiced incense
amid the stench of empire
and propaganda.
Sing
the doxology
with your life.
Restore
your mind.
Enter into the silence
and open your hands
like Christ's
upon the cross.
Ponder
nothing but mercy.
You weren't meant
to stay silent,
or keep the song
in the sanctuary of brick
and plaster.
Let
your tangled nature,
your whole story,
second by second,
be given.Thanks for reading this week’s poem. It means so much that you would linger over these words—I hope they sparked something in you for the day and the days ahead.
I have so much to say about Romans 12 (and 11), but I’ve decided to let the poem do the talking—it says it all much better than I could labor here with lengthy explanations. You get the point—worship becomes cheap and of little consequence when we limit it to a religious duty in a religious setting. Real worship happens on Monday morning. Real worship happens as you walk, cook, and talk to the delivery person. Real worship happens when we help the turtle across the busy road, or when we chat to the person begging on the street corner. We should never be too busy for these things because we’ve placed our lives upon the altar. We might step down from it now and again, but we know we must get back on. People might think we are crazy. We should take that as a compliment.
The three lines about Christ’s hands being open to the world are inspired by the teaching of Fr. Richard Rohr in a recent CAC podcast. He says, “The crucified Christ has his hands nailed open to say an ultimate, and final ‘yes’ to everything—to the whole world.”
The only thing to do in recognition of such mercy—God’s radical availability—is worship. True worship can’t stay put.
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If you are interested in using words to go deeper, I’ve started a paid subscription option. Posts on a Sunday lectionary text (like this one) are always free. But if you’d like more, I’m publishing an additional poem on Wednesday mornings at 6 a.m. EST with a journal and/or prayer prompt. You can see an example here. In addition, paid subscribers will also be included in my guided writing circle to write prayers and liturgy. September’s writing circle is centered on writing a prayer of dedication. You can come to write a prayer for a new journal, a pen, or a new sanctuary. You can write one for your own personal use or one for your faith community. The more I prepare for that writing circle, the more I’m becoming convinced that we should have a prayer of dedication for everything.