Brewing Theology is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Psalm 23 When I saw that the Revised Common Lectionary assigned Psalm 23 this week, I thought, “Challenge accepted!” For many of us, Psalm 23 is reserved for funerals and memorial services. Every funeral and memorial service I have officiated has included Psalm 23. The other readings might vary, and the preacher may not even include the psalm in their sermon, but Psalm 23 stands as a bulwark in our times of grief. The psalmist assures us that our dearly departed family or friend “shall dwell in the house of the Lord”[i] while we dwell in grief. But does the psalm more familiar to mid-week and Saturday memorial and funeral services provide us with a glimpse into the good news of the resurrection? Does Psalm 23 have anything to say to us today when we do not find ourselves gathering to grieve but instead are gathered to proclaim Christ resurrected? “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. The Lord makes me lie down in green pastures; The Lord leads me beside still waters, The Lord restores my soul.”[ii] Our physical bodies require more attention and resources than we realize. I was shocked to learn this week that in 2022, in The United States, we spent $4.5 trillion, or $13,493 per person, on healthcare.[iii] This money was spent on keeping us healthy and alive: flu shots, appendectomies, in-grown toenail removals, and heart bypasses. When it comes to cosmetic procedures, we spent over $26 billion on being nipped and tucked.[iv] Add on gym memberships, visits to the barbershop, cosmetic products, and other odds and ends; we spend a fortune on ourselves. The physical nature of your body is just one way you were created in God's image. God cares about the image you were made in more than the amount of money we spend maintaining or attempting to “perfect” what God deemed “good” long before we discovered Botox, facelifts, and hair dye.  After hearing myself preach for nearly seven years, I can hear where it might be easy for some to say that I would argue that God has little interest in our physical wholeness. After all, I can sound like a broken record preaching the same old song of God’s grace. Yes, God loves you just as you are right now, but God loves you too much to leave you just as you are. The beauty of God’s grace is that God is unwilling to leave us as we are. God is interested in everything, whether our soul or physical body. Your whole self is what God loves, not this piece or that piece of you. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, emphasized the importance of holistic well-being, advocating for a balanced approach to spiritual and physical health. He believed that the pursuit of holiness encompassed spiritual disciplines and stewardship of our physical bodies. It is easy to think of the Church as only concerned with the eternal care of our community, but the reality is that because we proclaim that the Kingdom of God is already here, our physical bodies matter as much as our souls. Wesley’s words echo through the ages, urging us to embrace a lifestyle that nurtures both body and soul. Nadia Bolz-Webber, a contemporary theologian, beautifully articulates the intrinsic worth of every human being in the eyes of the Divine. She reminds us, “What God claims to love, do not deem unworthy of that love. What God has called good, do not call anything other than good. What God has animated with God’s breath and endowed with a soul and God’s image, do not treat with anything less than dignity.” It is easy to think that we are the only ones worried about the physical nature of this life. We spend so much time and effort on ourselves that we can forget that the Lord indeed cares for us. Psalm 23 makes clear – through green pastures, still waters, and overflowing cups – that God is not only interested in making sure our physical bodies are raised