Sermon for Sunday, February 8, 2004  

PAUL ON FITNESS AND FATNESS
(THEIR GOD IS THE BELLY)

6th in a series on Re-Discovering Paul

By
Rev. Dr. Harvey C. Martz

Scripture: Philippians 3:17-19 

¹⁷ Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. ¹⁸ For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. ¹⁹ Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things.

 

I had the privilege of sitting in on a very inspiring group meeting last Tuesday night here at St. Andrew. I was in our new weight control group which has been meeting for a few sessions now under the leadership of three St. Andrew members: Julie Wells, Lynn Casey, and Gail Karsian.

There are several really exciting and encouraging facts about this group. They have started out with about 24 members and almost all of those persons have been able to stay with the program. That is remarkable in itself because in most classes like this that this set of leaders have done in other places, the dropout rate is close to fifty per cent because people have good intentions but when they find out that this is going to take some discipline and some work and some life style changes, they give up too soon.

So I am really proud of our own St. Andrew group for its steadfastness. The other inspiring part of the meeting for me is that these fellow members are doing what we all know will help us get control of our lives and our weight and our bodies; They are exploring new way to burn more calories than they take in. They are walking or swimming or going to a rec center and getting themselves out of the rut that we all can get in of not moving very much and eating too much and eating the wrong kinds of things. We gain back control of our lives and lose weight by eating properly and by moving more than we used to.

Our group is doing this and people have lost pounds and started feeling better and feeling better about themselves just after a few weeks!! And I am really impressed. I felt very proud of these folks and I heard people say that the combination of spiritual foundation and the support of fellow church members as well as the information about nutrition and exercise which our leader team is providing is all working together!!

This is a great success and an urgently needed opportunity because in America we are in a national crisis over obesity. Sixty five per cent of us are overweight and half of those folks are obese-thirty pounds above their ideal weight as determined by their physicians. It is a national health epidemic and one that is hurting us all. I have been collecting articles as I prepare to be with our weight control group next week and the headlines are ominous. A USA Today article from last month tell us that extra weight increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and several types of cancer and cost Americans over $75 billion in weight related medical costs in 2003.

Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell told us in Houston two weeks ago that in other countries people die from undereating but in our country people die from overeating.

I have reprinted several other articles for you. One is from the News a few days ago about a plan in the Denver Public Schools to help children gain control of weight and food intake including consuming less junk foods and sugary drinks. There is also a piece telling about the world health organization recommendation that people limit sugar consumption - which is just empty calories - and an effort by the food lobby especially the sugar trade group to keep us eating a lot of sugar. Most of us consume entirely too much sugar and much of that is hidden in prepared foods such as spaghetti sauce.

There is an article in the New York Times last week about how Colorado still has the lowest obesity rate in the nation because of our emphasis on healthy lifestyle but the alarming fact in the article is that in the past ten years our state has had the greatest percentage increase in obesity, more than doubling in the past ten years.

You can take a look at all these for yourself including the piece by the nutritionist that says wisely that it is the small things we can do in our life style change that may be the easiest to sustain and that we should not be discouraged if we have tried before and it hasn't yet worked to get control of our weight and our lives.

When I met with our group last week, we began to ask what help there is in the foundations of our faith and especially in Paul's writings since he is our focus right now. We did not look at Leviticus 3:16 which is a list of how to offer burnt sacrifices to God in Israel and tells us that all the fat belongs to the Lord and that we are not supposed to consume any fat!

Paul is helpful to us in several ways. He says in I Corinthians 3 that our bodies are temples of God's spirit and that we are to respect our bodies and not to neglect or abuse them. He constantly utilizes images of running and boxing in his language; I press on toward the prize, I have run the race, I pummel my body like a boxer to stay fit. And the example that Paul and Jesus and the other leaders set for us is that they moved, they walked!! That was their primary means of getting around and because they walked they were in better condition than we are. Most of us can begin a health and fitness by just walking twenty minutes a day or ten minutes a day. Even five minutes a day to begin with is better than sitting all day.

AND Paul speaks to the question of the day by describing people around him in Philippi as those whose god is the belly - that is, who are controlled by their appetites instead of being in charge of their lives and practicing some self-control.

The question of life style and weight control and self-control and appetites is a very complicated one and is hard for many of us to think about and face and do something about. We had a forty- five-minute discussion on this in our staff meeting a few days ago as I asked for help from my colleagues and we talked about the pressure there is to try and fit into unrealistic body expectations. Everyone is different and our genetic makeup is different and even if we were overfed as infants and toddlers, we will find it difficult to maintain healthy weight all our lives.

We talked in our staff meeting about what food means to each of us and how we use and misuse food to communicate love and self nurture and may other things besides nourishing our bodies. Food itself is very complicated and our Tuesday group identified that instead of using unhealthy foods and unhealthy amounts to indulge ourselves that we can still find some comforting things to put in our mouth that are not so dangerous - we can substitute hot tea for something less healthy.

Our faith does provide some foundation for living in a healthy manner. First, we hear in the Bible that you are worth taking care of. You are a precious person to God. Your body is a holy and sacred trust from God. Paul says, your body is a temple of God's spirit and it is a good gift not to be abused or neglected or forgotten. It was the Gnostic heresy in the early church that wrongly said that the body is unimportant. 

I believe it is immoral to abuse or forget or neglect our bodies so how we take care of ourselves or do not take care of ourselves is a moral issue, and ethical issue for me. It is also an issue of survival. One of the leaders in our weight control group said last Tuesday, "If I don't take care of my body now, where will I live later?"

Our actions or inactions have consequences and the way we treat ourselves or mistreat ourselves is going to catch up with us. In a NBC news report last week we were told that the number one killer of women in America, the number one health risk for women in our country - do you know what it is? It is not breast cancer as dangerous as that is. Breast cancer gets appropriate publicity, but the bigger killer does not get the attention it needs. Heart disease kills more women than breast cancer and it is directly connected to our eating habits and exercise deficit. Actions have consequences and the way we care for or do not care for ourselves will catch up with us now or later.

Our faith not only tell us that our bodies and our health is a sacred trust from God, our faith directs you to care for yourself. Jesus assumes that it is good and necessary to love yourself. Love your neighbor in the same way you love yourself. It is necessary to love one's self to be able to love others. It is important and necessary to do self-care. Our personnel committee here at St. Andrew has seen that issue of self-care as one they work with each staff member about our work, and it one of the agenda items they talk about with us in our periodic evaluations - how are you doing at self-care? Each person is a sacred creation by God and worth caring for - including your weight and your health.

The next thing our faith tells us is that your body was meant for movement. You are designed to be your healthiest when you are active, when you are fit and moving and not when you are a couch potato. The psalm we began with talks about worshiping God with movement, with dance, and when King David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem from the countryside, he danced and leapt joyously into the holy city. One of his wives made fun of him for his spirited dancing and because she was so critical of his exuberant, aerobic dancing, she suffered some bad consequences. (See II Samuel chapter 6). Perhaps she had not read Psalm 150 which we used this morning which encourages us to MOVE and DANCE as we praise God.

Your body was created by God for movement and when we move enough - whatever that is, we will feel better, live longer, and look better. It is almost impossible to maintain weight control without some kind of movement and exercise - I will tell you in a moment about one exception to that in our family that I am really proud of in my mother-in-law. Many people can do some kind of movement and exercise no matter their age. My mother had a daily set of calisthenics and stretches that she practiced ten minutes a day even into her 80's! She was very disciplined and faithful about it and that is probably where I learned some of my commitment to exercise and fitness.

Your body is a temple of God's spirit and you and I are called to care for ourselves and our bodies. Your body was designed for movement. Third, it is very difficult to make a significant lifestyle change on your own - you need the support and encouragement of your peers to keep you on track. To get serious about being healthy taking back control of your life is what we are talking about - not just if we have a weight problem but also if we have been neglecting our bodies by becoming couch potatoes and not moving at all. Lifestyle change is different from going on a crash diet for a few weeks and then resuming all our old bad habits again and regaining whatever we have lost. That sort of cycling back and forth is worst for you than not having lost weight!! It makes it harder to get control again.

It helps to have a peer group. That is a biblical insight also from the book of Acts where we read about the first group of Christians after Pentecost meeting together for support and learning and encouragement. They also ate together - as does our Tuesday evening group here!

We benefit most from being in a support group like our Tuesday evening group to be successful. There are other resources like the St. Andrew group: Overeaters Anonymous which uses some of the twelve-step program philosophy, a health club like the Pilates facilities, and Curves. Several of our church members and staff members are using the Curves clubs because they have found help in being with other women in an atmosphere that is different from a typical rec center. Many of you use the Goodson Center across the parking lot and I have seen you there when I am there. It is difficult to make these changes all by yourself.

One example I can share about the power of groups support and accountability in weight control and lifestyle change is Judy Martz's mother who is 82 now. She is unable to exercise; she can barely walk around her house because of the after effects of a stroke and some chemotherapy a couple of years ago. But Helen decided a year and a half ago that she wanted to lose some pounds. She did not like how she looked when she looked at herself in the mirror. She could not wear some of the clothes she liked to wear. She knew she would feel better if she could get rid of some weight. She is not able to burn any calories through exercise so whatever she would lose would come through eating sensibly and cutting down on her calorie intake. This would be pretty hard, but she has the desire and the self-discipline needed.

She also knew the wisdom of being in a group or program to find support and encouragement and accountability. She joined the program, began to change her eating patterns, and over a period of one year without the ability to exercise, she lost 40 pounds and she has kept it off because she continues to eat sensibly and healthily.

She is just a heroic and inspiring example to me of someone who could have said, "I just can't do this." but who had an attitude of, "Yes I Can" and she did it!

The fourth insight from our faith is that there are some things that are difficult and hard work and those are usually the things in life that are most worthwhile. To regain control of your life and your movement and your food intake will be hard. It will not be, pardon the pun. a piece of cake. It will require change and sacrifice and self-discipline and self-control. Paul says the fruits of a life in Christ are these: love, joy, peace, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self- control. Those come out of our relationship with Christ. This will take work. So don't be seduced by TV ads for abdominal reducing belts that you plug in and they contract your abdominal muscles for you while you sit and watch TV and eat potato chips. They are a total fake. If you want stronger abs and a stronger inner core and less problem with your back, Mark Zwilling and I will show you the exercise we use faithfully after the benediction today up here in front of the altar rail. It will require work and sacrifice; it is not easy. But that is the case with everything in your life that is worthwhile.

Fifth, I want to offer some advice and insights from the Tuesday group members I met with. I asked them what these already successful folks would want others to know from their experience. They said:

• Learn about how many calories you are taking in. You may be shocked. One person said that at one well-known restaurant, the much advertised country fried steak dinner contains 4500 calories!! That is twice the recommended DAILY intake for most adults - in one meal! 

• There is a difference in going on a diet for a while and making some life style changes that you continue to follow all your life. The lifestyle change is what will do the job, not cycling back and forth on one fad diet after another. 

• There is no quick fix, someone in the group said. There is no magic pill that will do this for you in one week. Be ready to stick with whatever you decide to do and make it work for you over time. There is no quick fix. It has taken most of us several years to establish the patterns we have and those will not change in a day or two. 

• You have to be ready to do this. It doesn't matter whether your spouse is ready or your family is ready or your friends are ready or your church is ready for you to change. All that matters is that you have to be ready to make some changes and to gain back control of your life. If you are not ready and motivated, nothing else will help. 

• When I asked persons in the group what had motivated them, I heard two answers: They saw relatives who had weight problems dying prematurely. And they wanted to be healthier and feel better themselves. 

• Set realistic goals, they advised. Don't be over ambitious and set yourself up for failure and then feel doubly discouraged. 

• YOU CAN DO THIS!! The group said. It does not matter if you have tried before and failed several times. Don't have an attitude of "I Can't". Decide to separate the saints from the ain'ts and to be one of the saints instead of one of the ain'ts. 

• Learn to nurture yourself by substituting something healthy for the comfort food that you have been using that will eventually kill you if you keep overdoing it. It's OK to use food as a comfort or for self-nurture. It is better to have a cup of tea than a 300-calorie candy bar. 

• Never super size anything. Say it with me: NEVER SUPERSIZE ANYTHING!!! (except your church pledge)

• I am adding one point from me. It is OK to leave some food on your plate! Your minister is telling you. You don't have to eat everything in front of you just because it is in front of you!! You can even eat a bite or two of that dessert. But the difference between a bite of cheesecake and the whole big slice of cheesecake is about 500 calories. It's OK to leave some food on your plate! Say it with me: ITS OK TO LEAVE SOME FOOD ON YOUR PLATE!!

• Finally, people can do all the right things and still get sick. This is not a magic solution for all the problems of life, I heard. Something will still get each of us finally. But gaining control of your health and your weight will increase your chances of feeling better, living longer; and, the medical research tells us, will likely decrease your susceptibility to high blood pressure, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.

Let me offer some questions to ask yourself as we take seriously Paul's admonition to not let our belly/our appetites be in charge of our life:

• Do you believe you are worth caring for? Do you believe that you are a precious child of God whom God wants to live as long and as fully as possible, that God wants you to love and care for yourself and it is OK to love and nurture yourself and your health and your body? Do you believe that? If you don't, nothing else will work and nothing we have said will matter. 

• How do you feel about your self, your weight, your body? Not, how does our culture say you should look, but how do you feel about yourself when you are honest with yourself? 

• Do you know what your ideal weight is? That should be determined by you and your primary care physician and not by anyone else telling you how you should be and how you should look. Our genetic dispositions, our bone structure and muscle structure and body types are so unique. Do you know what your ideal weight is and how close you are to that? If you are not close, what do you want to do about it? 

• Do you eat only when you are hungry? Do you listen to your body telling you when to eat or do you eat out of habit or to satisfy some other deeper hungers? What does food mean to you? 

• Do you know how many calories you are consuming each day and what your recommended consumption is? 

• How long do you want to live? The way you care for yourself will be one of the factors in that - it will not be the only factor but it will be a strong factor. How long do you want to live and how do you want to feel? How long do you want to be available for your family and your children and your grandchildren? You don't have complete control but you do have some control of that.

Last and most important is what we have already said: Do your believe that you are worth loving and caring for and that God wants you to take the time and do what is necessary for you to have a healthy and vital life? Do you believe that you are a precious child of God who deserves to be nurtured and nudged to be your very best? God believes that about us even when we don't, and because God believes that, we may be able for the first time to stop some patterns that have been harming ourselves and begin to take care of ourselves and our bodies and our weight and our health. Thanks be to God.

 

CHILDREN'S SERMON ON THE TOPIC OF FITNESS AND FATNESS

Phillip Childs, a pastor with Parakletos Ministries in Decatur, Georgia, tells an intriguing story about a class of fourth graders in a public elementary school.  The children were hard at work.  The ten-year-old students were furiously writing, filing their pages with a list of "I Can'ts":  "I can't kick the soccer ball past second base." "I can't do long divisions with more than three numbers."  "I can't get Debbie to like me."  Their pages were full, and they showed no signs of letting up.

Every student was writing his or her "I Can't" list.  The teacher was also doing the same:  "I can't get John's mother to come for a teacher conference."  "I can't get my daughter to put gas in the car."  "I can't get Alan to use words rather than fists."  Why were they dwelling on the negative instead of writing the more positive "I can" statements?  Soon, the answer came.

The teacher stood up and said, "Okay children, let's do it!"  The children ran forward and put all of their "I Can't" lists into a show box. The teacher then grabbed a shovel and the shoe box and marched outside.  The student followed close behind.  They walked to the farthest corner of the schoolyard, and one by one, they all took turns with the shovel.  They were digging a grave!

When the grave was ready, thirty-one ten-year-olds stood there as their teacher placed the shoebox at the bottom of the hole.  They covered it with dirt, and then the teacher said, "Boys and girls, please join hands and bow your head."  They did, and the teacher gave the eulogy.

Friends, we are gathered here today to honor the memory of "I can't."  While he was here with us on earth he touched the lives of everyone, some more than others.  We have provided "I Can't" with a final resting place and a headstone that contains his epitaph.  He is survived by his brother and sisters, "I can," "I Will," and "I'm Going to Right Away."  They are not as well known as their famous relative and are certainly not as strong and powerful yet.  Perhaps some day, with your help, they will make an even bigger mark on the world.  May "I can't" rest in peace and may everyone present pick up their lives and move forward in his absence.  Amen

(North Texas United Methodist Reporter 31 [January 22, 1999]:1)

What a great moment this was.  These students would never forget this.  But they weren't through yet.  The group went back to the classroom and had cookies and popcorn and fruit juice.  The teacher cut a large stone from brown paper.  She wrote the word "I Can't" at the top and "Rest in Peace" at the bottom, and then she wrote the date.  She hung the tombstone on the bulletin board for the rest of the year, and on those rare occasions when a student would feel defeated and say "I Can't" the teacher would simply point to the "Rest in Peace" sign.  The student would then remember that "I Can't" was dead and buried and he or she would then resolve to try harder.

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