Why do we have bodies and what are they for? 🤔

Our bodies are for our neighbors. 💝

When we think about loving our neighbors, it's easy to want to dodge the hard parts. 🏃‍♂️

We might prefer to care about issues happening far away rather than dealing with the messy relationships right in front of us (because it doesn’t take as much work). 🌍

But love has a specific shape – it looks like sacrifice, like Jesus on the cross. ✝️

Our first neighbors are the people God has specifically placed in our lives through vocations: our family, our classmates 🏫, the people you interact with daily.

These are often the most challenging relationships because we see their sins up close (and they see ours 🫣).

It's much easier to love people from a distance or through social media, where there's no real sacrifice required. 📱

But here's the thing: when we spend all our energy on distant causes while neglecting those close relationships, the people who should be receiving our time and attention end up paying the price. ⚖️

Our families miss out when we're busy being angry on the internet. 😠

The good news is that Jesus shows us what real love looks like. ❤️

He had compassion on everyone — both Jews and Gentiles — and backed it up with action. 🤝

Every miracle He performed was a down payment on undoing sin, pointing toward His ultimate sacrifice on the cross. 🙏

When we're wondering who our neighbor is, ask: "Is this someone for whom Christ died?" (Hint: The answer is always yes.) ✨

This means loving people who are different from us, and sometimes even harder, loving people who are just like us. 🌈

Your role isn't to pay the price for their forgiveness — Jesus already did that. 💫

Instead, you get to point them to hope and forgiveness, over and over again, because love isn't a one-time transaction. It's a gift. 🎁

Contributor Deaconess Emma Heinz serves as the Registrar of Higher Things.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #whybodiesmatter

❓What was Jesus doing the first 29 years of his life?

⏳ Jesus's time before he started his ministry was not wasted.

✨ If he fulfilled the whole of the law, even 15-year-old table-making Jesus matters.

🌟 While we often focus on His miracles and teaching, Jesus actually spent more years not doing ministry than doing it.

🪚 Think about it — Jesus was a carpenter's son. He learned the trade from Joseph, making tables and furniture for specific people in His community.

👥 He lived an ordinary life, fulfilled regular responsibilities, and worked with His hands. He was someone's carpenter before He was known as their Messiah.

🌱 You might feel like your life will "finally start" when you reach some future milestone — getting married, landing that dream job, or making a big difference in the world.

💫 But consider this: if Jesus' time as a teenager and young adult wasn't wasted, neither is yours.

👨‍👦 Jesus lived the vocations given to Him — worker, son, friend, citizen.

📚 He grew in wisdom, which means He had to learn and improve at His craft. He probably even made some wobbly tables while learning carpentry!

✨ This means those "boring" Tuesdays when you're just trying to get through your chores? They're redeemed.

🌟 The seasons when you feel overlooked or ordinary? They matter.

❤️ Loving and serving the specific people God has placed in your life today is meaningful work.

🌍 (And by the way, it's not your job to change or save the world . . . Jesus already did that!)

🎓 Whether you're a student struggling through trigonometry, a parent changing diapers in the middle of the night, or a worker making spreadsheets, your current role has value.

💝 Your worth isn't measured by how many people know your name or how big your impact seems — it's found in faithfully living out your current vocations, serving your specific neighbors in love.

✝️ Christ's death redeems our imperfect efforts in any calling and at any age.

Contributor Deaconess Emma Heinz serves as the Registrar of Higher Things.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

Why should we take care of our bodies? 💪

Our bodies are a gift from God 🎁, and while they're not perfect (thanks to sin) 😔, they’re still worth taking care of.

But here's the interesting part: we’re not caring for our bodies to prove our worth to God or anyone else. Instead, we’re maintaining them so we can better serve others. 🤝

Think about it: when we’re exhausted 😴, hungry 🍽️, or unwell 🤒, it’s much harder to be there for our neighbors.

Just as Jesus grew "in wisdom and stature," we too are called to maintain our physical selves — not for vanity's sake 💅, but for service. 🙌

We might struggle with this concept from two different angles:

💃Body image issues — trying to meet impossible standards.

🫠Neglecting our bodies entirely — thinking only spiritual matters count.

Both extremes miss the point: our bodies, minds, and souls are all connected. 🧠💖💪 When one suffers, they all do.

Consider something as simple as sleep. 😴 God created day and night for a reason. When you get enough rest, you’re better equipped to love and serve others.

The same goes for eating well 🥗 and staying active 🏃‍♂️.

It’s not about looking like Captain America 🦸‍♂️ or following the latest fitness trend — it’s about being healthy enough to fulfill our vocations.

This balance can be tricky. ⚖️

Society pushes us to prove our worth through constant busyness 🏃‍♀️ or perfect appearances 📸.

But remember: your worth isn’t in what you can do or how you look. It’s in what Christ has done for you. ✝️

Your body, broken as it may be 😔, is redeemed by Him 🙏 and will be restored in the resurrection. 🌅

So care for yourself — not too little, not too much.

✔️ Get enough sleep 😴

✔️ Eat well 🍎

✔️ Stay active 🚶‍♂️

When we take care of ourselves, we’re better able to love our neighbor ❤️ as Christ loves us. ✝️

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

Contributor Deaconess Emma Heinz serves as the Registrar of Higher Things.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

🤔 Ever wonder what Jesus was like as a teenager?

🏃‍♂️ There's actually only one story about teen Jesus in the Bible when He ditched his parents to hang at the temple, schooling all the religious leaders.

😅 When his worried parents finally found him, he hit them with the classic "didn't you know I'd be at my Father's house?" - the kind of response that would've gotten most of us grounded.

🙏 But here's what's interesting: despite being literally God, Jesus still submitted to his parents and grew up under their guidance.

👨‍👦 He even honored his stepdad Joseph, no "you're not my real dad, I don't have to listen to you" drama. This shows that family dynamics — even holy ones — are messy.

🤝 Think about your own relationship with your parents. You're probably dealing with the classic tension between honoring them and asserting independence.

✨ The good news? Even Jesus's family wasn't perfect (except for him). His parents didn't always get it right, and that's okay.

💭 Here's something you might not have considered: in Christian families, reconciliation isn't just about kids apologizing to parents. Both sides can admit when they've messed up.

💬 You can go to your parents and say, "Look, we're both God's children here. Can we work this out?"

(It's like a mini-version of what happens in church — forgiveness going both ways.)

❤️ Your parents aren't perfect, but God works through imperfect people.

🌱 When they're being annoying about homework, curfews, or making you eat vegetables, remember: they're trying to take care of you, even if they sometimes mess up.

🤗 The whole parent-child relationship isn't about being flawless — it's about learning to forgive and grow together.

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

Contributor Deaconess Emma Heinz serves as the Registrar of Higher Things.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

Ever thought about how weird it is that God became a baby? 🤔 Not just any baby, but a fetus? 👶

If God could choose any way to enter the world, why start as a tiny cluster of cells? 🧬 Why not just appear as a fully-grown adult, like a superhero dropping from the sky? ⚡️

God chose to experience everything humans do, starting from the very beginning. ✨

And it wasn't glamorous – Jesus wasn't born in a hospital with pain meds and doctors. 🏥

His mom Mary gave birth in what was probably a cave, and then they had to run away to Egypt because a king wanted to kill him. 🏃‍♀️ Pretty messy start for the Son of God, right? 😅

There's this old church teacher named Tertullian who said something profound: "That which Christ did not assume, he did not redeem." 📚

In other words, God became everything that we might think is too messy or shameful, because he wanted to save all of it – not just the nice, clean parts of being human. ❤️

Some people struggle with this idea. They'd rather imagine Jesus as some kind of spiritual being who never really had a physical body (that's called Gnosticism). 👻 It's easier to think of him floating above all the mess of being human. But that misses the whole point. 🤷‍♂️

Jesus didn't come as Superman in a cape. 🦸‍♂️ Instead, he chose to be vulnerable – first as a fetus, then as a baby, and ultimately as someone who died on a cross. ✝️

This tells us something about what real faith looks like: it's not perfect or Instagram-worthy. 📱 Real faith is messy, just like real churches are messy – because they're full of real people with real problems. 💫

The amazing thing is that God promises to be present in all this mess. 🙏 He doesn't say "Clean yourself up first."

Instead, he invites you to church where he can remind you over and over again who you are (his child! 👋) and what he's done for you. ✨

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

Contributor Deaconess Emma Heinz serves as the Registrar of Higher Things.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #jesus

🎙️ Welcome to Season 2 of "Why Bodies Matter" with Pastor Harrison Goodman and Deaconess Emma Heinz!

🎬 In this season premiere, we're diving deep into Christianity's first and most persistent heresy: Gnosticism.

📚 But don't worry – we're not just rehashing ancient church history.

✝️ This season explores how Jesus himself addresses Gnosticism through his life, death, and resurrection.

⏳ We'll examine why those "silent" 30 years before Jesus' ministry matter, and what his fully human experience – from embryo to carpenter to crucified Savior – is all about.

Our hosts unpack how Gnosticism shows up in two main ways:👇

1️⃣Either rejecting the physical world as evil while seeking purely spiritual enlightenment

2️⃣ Embracing physical pleasures because "only the spiritual matters"

💫 Both miss the truth that Jesus became fully human while remaining fully God, redeeming both body and soul.

🌟 Throughout this season, we'll explore how Jesus became like us so that we could become like Him.

❤️ We'll discover why the simple truth of Jesus dying on the cross and saying your sins are forgiven isn't just "enough" religion — it's the right amount.

👉 Join us for what promises to be an engaging, occasionally amusing, and meaningful exploration of why our physical existence matters to God.

❓Have questions or topics you'd like us to address in future episodes? Drop them in the comments below!

Contributor Rev. Harrison Goodman is the Higher Things Content Executive.

Contributor Deaconess Emma Heinz serves as the Registrar of Higher Things.

#higherthings #lcms #lutheran #Jesus

Season 1, Episode 10: Bodies Matter in Resurrection
Special guest, Pastor Matt Popovits joins Erica Sorensen and Pastor Harrison Goodman to discuss
why “The Resurrection” is such a big deal- Jesus’ and ours! Pastor Popovits and our hosts delve into how our bodies matter in the resurrection both before and after the resurrection, and the comfort of the only opinion on us that truly matters, Christ’s!

“Because the resurrection happened to Jesus, we can take Him at His word and know it’s going to happen to us.”
-Rev. Matt Popovits

Guest Bio: Pastor Matt Popovits is a speaker, writer and teacher. He is the host of a brand new podcast called, Make It Simple. He also serves as Lead Pastor of St. Mark Houston, in Houston, Texas. Prior to serving in Houston, He has served as a church planter, and Lead Pastor of OSNY, a family of neighborhood parishes in New York City. as staff writer for Homiletics, a worldwide resource to pastors providing insights and ideas for preaching and teaching, and is a frequent speaker at churches and events around the country. To find out more about his ministry, visit his website: https://www.mattpopovits.com/

https://www.amazon.com/Tough-Call-Little-Making-Decisions/dp/0692746447 by Matt Popovits

Bible Links: https://www.esv.org/verses/2+Corinthians+5:16%E2%80%9317/ , https://www.esv.org/Revelation+21/ , https://www.esv.org/1+Corinthians+6/

Higher Things is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Please consider supporting our podcast by donating today: https://higherthings.org/about/giving/

Season 1, Episode 9: Bodies Matter in Death
Special guest, Pastor Michael Mohr joins Erica Sorensen and Pastor Harrison Goodman to discuss the art of dying, our culture’s misunderstandings of death, and what death actually means for those in the church. We are called to live our lives in a way that prepares us for death every single day.

“The communion rail, that’s where I get to commune with my mother again.”
-Rev. Michael Mohr

Guest Bio: The Rev. Michael Mohr serves as president of Central Illinois District (CID) for the LCMS. Michael has served several congregations in the past several years: Christ Memorial Lutheran Church in Affton, MO, Trinity Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau, MO, Zion Lutheran Church in Poplar Bluff, MO, and Grace Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church in Strasburg, IL.
https://www.cidlcms.org/index.html

Bible Links: https://www.esv.org/Luke+7/ , https://www.esv.org/John+11/

Higher Things is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Please consider supporting our podcast by donating today: https://higherthings.org/about/giving/