Psalm 119:
Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord. Happy are those who keep God’s decrees, who seek God with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in God’s ways.

Deuteronomy 30:15–20:
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in God’s ways, and observing God’s commandments, then you shall live…

Micah 6:8:
Do justice. Love kindness. Walk humbly with your God.

The history of our ancestor denomination is called The Congregational Way. When I hear way, I think walk. Like Walk This Way by Run DMC and Aerosmith (as one associates quiet often with church..?). Jane Langol pointed out that the Salem Covenant of 1629 speaks of walking together.  With all this talk about walking, it’s almost as if God and the authors of the Bible are not telling us to transcend our bodies, but to move them in ways that show love to God and neighbor.

The Rev. Lizzie McManus-Dail puts it this way: We are not spiritual beings meant to rise above our mortal flesh. God made our bodies and said, “That is good.”[1]

Jesus didn’t show up and give us esoteric nonsense about the hierarchy of angels. He fed stomachs. He touched skin. He pointed to human needs and inspired his followers to look after one another. Consider the lilies. Consider the sparrow. Your needs will be taken care of.

Jesus walked everywhere. People followed him. He walked on water and calmed a storm. He walked into the temple and caused a storm. His harshest words were for those who criticized who he was walking with. The religious leaders of his day were not in his inner circle. Fishermen, tax collectors, women, Gentiles, lepers, all the “wrong” people were.

I love that about Jesus. It’s why I’ve been walking with him ever since.

There’s that little poem about footprints in the sand. The punchline is that when there’s only one set of footprints, that’s when Jesus carried us. I like the added line where the follower asks Jesus, “Well, what about those long grooves in the sand over there?” And Jesus replies, “That’s where I had to drag you kicking and screaming.”

To walk with Jesus is to walk close to his footsteps. To conform your motions to motions similar. All the fruits of his Spirit. Peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against these things there aren’t laws. Yet.

This walk has put me in front of people I never would have met otherwise, from scholars, doctors, and people with impressive resumes to hungry and unsheltered folks, and everyone in between.

Some of the toughest people I’ve met because of church. There was Nancy who was well into her 90s. We talked weightlifting and running. Every morning and evening she’d be in the gym. “If you don’t use it, you lose it.” She’d say. Except for Sunday. Sundays were sabbath, so she just did her evening workout.

There was Bob Tuefel. He was a hilarious man, quick-witted well into his 90s. He also worked out regularly. He used to say, “Getting old is not for the weak.” He was a podiatrist who loved helping people keep moving. He and his wife walked on every continent on Earth, and he was proud of that.

Jen Crockell of this esteemed congregation. She is one of the toughest people I’ve ever met. And one of the fiercest and most committed to her health. I’ve learned from each soul to take care of your body. To keep moving. To love it and care for it like your house, for it’s where your brain lives. Your heart. All your favorite organs really.

The body keeps the score. I’ve been working out more to alleviate stress, and it’s working. But something unexpected happened the other day during a foam-rolling session. I started getting emotional, not because it hurt, but because something else was being released. Just then the instructor said, “You might feel anger or the urge to cry when rolling out. You’re releasing things the body has stored.” It felt like she was reading my mind.

The body remembers. If you’re feeling stuck or heavy, move your body however you can. Swim at the Rec Center. Join Monday night yoga with Jennifer. What a gift that class is.

A mentor once told me that if you’re in a disagreement, it’s often best to go for a walk. You’re side by side, not face to face. That feels less confrontational. You can talk while moving and choose words more carefully. She told me this right before telling me my draft of my ordination paper wasn’t very good.

Augustine of Hippo once said, “It is solved by walking.” What is solved? To find out, you have to start moving.

It, whatever “It” is, is often solved by walking. Or at least words are put around “it.” Or maybe we discover that in community, the it we think is the problem, really isn’t it at all.

May we keep walking together and seeking the welfare of the city. Keep advocating for the poor and the outcast. To walk with others whose stories are not are own. It’s what Jesus did. It’s where our salvation from all that binds us lies. May we continue walking together toward God and toward one another. Amen.

Works Cited

[1] God Didn’t Make Us To Hate Us, page 23.