Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
do you have any study bible recommendations? or translations you prefer? i’m trying to delve deeper into biblical understanding but i hate how calvinist/evangelical every study bible i’ve found so far is.
I don’t have much experience with study bibles, but here’s a blog post I found on choosing one. The study bibles we have in my house are The New Oxford Annotated Bible and The Lutheran Study Bible. I’d encourage my followers to recommend study bibles they use in the replies/reblogs!
I currently use a bible journal, which is just a bible with huge margins for taking notes/writing thoughts. Here’s the one I use. It’s the New International Version, which I’m really enjoying.
Here’s the best overview I’ve found on the different translations. I always encourage everyone to read a wide variety of translations to get a feel for them. Bible Gateway is a great way to explore different translations. Those of us who aren’t scholars or experts can’t fully know the extent to which each one is “perfectly translated,” etc. (if there even is such a thing). Everyone has something different that’s most important to them-- whether it’s gender-neutral language, more poetic language, more literal, word-for-word translation, or more dynamic stories/dialogue. The Bible is the living, breathing, word of God and each translation brings different emotions and different aspects the translators lifted up.
Wishing you all the best on your faith journey!
<3 Johanna
Got some new tattoos yesterday and idk smth about the gentle process of cleaning and tending to them (as they are, yknow, open skin wounds at this stage until they scab over and heal) and the fact that the ointment I use after washing smells of olive oil and other herbs really has me thinking about how when they took Jesus down from the cross, they washed him, cleaned his wounds, and tenderly wrapped him in burial linens alongside the customary funeral spices and oils. Imagine handling the body of your messiah, cold and empty. The process of taking down the cross with him still attached. Having to wrench out the nails before they could collect him. The caked blood (and possibly non caked blood, still oozing out of where the nails were removed for just a moment longer), the smell of death and sweat and bodily fluids. Did Jesus close his eyes when he died, or did the tender souls who took him down have to do that for him? Imagine the grief, the pain, the ache that dominated everyone involved as they set about preparing him and placing him in the tomb. Imagine Our Lady, seeing her son’s body, horrifically damaged and limp. The few who might have had hope left that he would step off the cross or come back seeing that hope diminish and struggle like a candle in the wind as nothing happened. As the days passed, and the tomb remained shut.
Today, Holy Saturday, is about the stillness of that moment. Of ongoing funeral rites, which continue tomorrow through the myrrh-bearing St Mary Magdalene and other women who would then go on to be the first to preach Christ resurrected. Of grief. Of silence. Of loss. There is no risen savior—not yet. There is no immediate balm for sorrow. Do you think they went home after, their hands still smelling of funerary spices and oils, the remains of his blood still on their hands from cleaning out his wounds, and broke down? Do you think that Mary sat, holding something of his, he who was her baby boy before he was a king, and just let herself grieve? Do you think Peter laid in bed the next morning, catatonic, haunted by his denial and the loss of someone so dear to him? Do you think John sobbed, believing the Last Supper to have been the last time he reclined against Jesus’ bosom, and regretted not lingering for longer? Do you think that the apostles wept even more when, shocked and betrayed by Judas’ actions, they learned that their dear friend, traitor or not, had hanged himself? Do you think Lazarus sat there, alone at the table, before Martha and Mary rose for the day, pondering his own time in the grave?
Today teaches us that grief requires a pause. It demands to linger and sit with us. It requires us to stare it in the eyes. And that grief lingered for three days, growing and growing as they all processed the loss and devastation. Scattered, adrift, afraid. Yes, we know the end to the story. We know that tomorrow we will sing praises and celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. But they did not know that. All they knew was the tomb. And the tenderness of preparing a body for death. The love which goes into cleaning someone’s wounds and ensuring a dignified burial for he who loved the world so much.
Easter comes soon. But today, let us wait. Let us sit in our grief. In our loss. Let us not rush things. He is dead, and everything is awful. And it’s okay for things to be awful, even when we know that they won’t always be that way.
Do you think that he took his time, instead of rising up immediately, because people needed time? Needed to let it sink, needed to process the violence and horror of what had just happened, needed to feel the void left by his presence? Needed to take time tending to him, in the small ways they could, and mourn?
Let yourself grieve today. And tend to your wounds.
But more importantly, remember that they did not grieve alone. There was more than one set of hands preparing Jesus for the tomb. One of his final acts was to give Mary and John to each other, saying here, be together, do not go into this darkness alone. So when you are able, make sure to also tend to the wounds and grief of others. To allow others into your own life, and let them tenderly handle your injuries as well.
Tomorrow, he rises. But today, we have nothing but Death, staring us in the face, demanding that we look. That we process. That we linger.
On Easter, the biggest Love ever known rewrote the cosmos, balanced the moral scales of the universe, and defeated death. Love reigns supreme! It has freed us and made all things new and possible.
This Good Friday I want to share my favourite poem by Jay Hulme, a queer, trans and Christian poet
God as a carpenter. Jesus as a familiar to wood and nail. The beauty of all Creation evident and true even in pain.
image and image description taken from Jay Hulme on Twitter
Preamble: Christians have a tendency to skip from the humble majesty of Palm Sunday directly to the light and joy of Easter. I think it's important to wade in that week, from the high of Palm Sunday, the justice of Holy Monday, all the way to the grief of Good Friday before we celebrate the resurrection.
Who Is This For?: Christian Witches, obviously, but also people curious about Christian Witchcraft, those who are ex-Christians looking to reframe Holy Week, or closeted witches with Christian families.
This is inspired by my denomination, United Methodism, but also the scripture and general themes of Holy Week. Guide Under The Cut.
Theme: Victory, Humility, Preparation
Scripture: Matthew 21:1–11
Element: Air
Color: Green and Purple
Witchcraft Practice:
Palm Magic: If you can, bring home a palm and dry it. Use it in protective charms or, as is more traditional, burn it and save the ashes until Ash Wednesday. If you don't practice Lent, perhaps do the former.
Candle Spell: Light a gold candle for spiritual leadership and guidance. Call upon Christ as King.
Affirmation: “I welcome the Divine into my life with joy, humility, and reverence.”
Theme: Righteous Anger, Justice, Cleansing
Scripture: Matthew 21:12–17
Element: Fire
Color: Red or White
Witchcraft Practice:
Home Cleansing: Smoke cleanse your space with rosemary, cedar, or frankincense. Clean physically and energetically.
Justice Work: Light a red candle and ask the Spirit to reveal what needs to be cleared from your life.
Ritual: Write down what corrupts your inner temple (habits, fears, lies). Burn it in a heat and fire safe bowl.
Theme: Wisdom, Discernment, Truth
Scripture: Matthew 21–23
Element: Water
Color: Blue
Witchcraft Practice:
Tarot or Oracle Reading: Ask what divine wisdom you need this week. If you do read scripture, read Jesus' words.
Anointing: Mix frankincense and/or myrrh in oil, anoint yourself, and meditate. (Or just use what you have. I have frankincense and mrryh on hand)
Spell: Anoint a blue candle with your frankincense myrrh oil. Burn it for wisdom. Write an incantation, look one up, or read from scripture (Paslms 1 or 14, maybe)
Theme: Betrayal, Shadow Work, Awareness
Scripture: Matthew 26:14–16
Element: Earth
Color: Black or Brown
Witchcraft Practice:
Rest: If you find yourself overwhelmed by the ritual of Holy Week, you may take Wednesday to rest. It is likely what Jesus did. If not, read on.
Shadow Work Journal: Reflect on where you’ve betrayed yourself or others, and where healing is needed.
Protection Spell: Protect yourself or your sacred space in a way that feels natural. I don't feel in touch with a lot of protection magic personally, so I'm not going to recommend anything specific here. I'll do what I do, you do what you do. (If this is your first time working with protection magic, a handy little Google will get you where you need to go)
Theme: Service, Communion, Divine Love
Scripture: John 13:1–17, Luke 22:19–20
Element: Water
Color: White
Witchcraft Practice:
Ritual Meal: Share bread and wine/grape juice. Speak blessings over each element, infusing them with intent. A personal favorite of mine is supporting people of Middle Eastern heritage by buying their traditional foods from the immigrants who make it themselves.
Foot Washing: Do this for yourself or a loved one as a ritual of humility and healing.
Anointing Oil: (From Tuesday if you have more) Bless your hands and heart, asking for love and compassion to flow through your actions.
Theme: Sacrifice, Death, Descent
Scripture: Matthew 27:1-56
Element: Spirit
Color: Black (Alternatively, none. Some churches abstain from color to emphasize the somber nature of the day)
Witchcraft Practice:
Death Meditation: Light a black candle and sit in silence. Contemplate what needs to die within you.
Binding Spell: Bind a representation of something toxic (a string, piece of paper) and bury it.
Veil Work: The veil thins at the Cross. Connect with ancestors or guides through prayer or divination.
Theme: Waiting, Mystery, Holding Space
Scripture: Matthew 27:57–66
Element: Earth
Color: Grey
Witchcraft Practice:
Silent Vigil: Keep an hour of silence.
Tomb Ritual: Visualize the tomb. Rest in the dark. Something is beginning.
Burial Spell: Bury something symbolizing the old you. Name it. Say goodbye.
Theme: Rebirth, Joy, Triumph
Scripture: Matthew 28
Element: Fire and Light
Color: White and Gold
Witchcraft Practice:
Sunrise Ritual: Greet the dawn. Light candles or a fire. Chant or sing.
Resurrection Spell: Plant seeds, literally or symbolically, for new life. Fill the growth with intent.
Celebrate: Feast. Dance. Laugh. Give thanks to the God who stands with us
Postamble: I'm a bit of a universalist. I don't think Christ's death is something that saves us from hell. I celebrate Holy Week as an act of worship and devotion. My practice does not reflect the joy many of my evangelical siblings embody once Christ is dead on Friday. I wade through Good Friday and Holy Thursday in reverent mourning. His end is not my beginning. His end is a testament to the cruelty human beings are capable of.
I hope this inspires you. Take some of it, all of it, or none of it.
the trick to being a good Christian is to see everybody/everything asa little piece of god. hugging my boyfriends cat right now and all I can think when I bury my head in his purring tummy is "there's a little bit of god in there. this is what being close to god feels like is being close to love and this cat is full of it"
titsay
germansingergirl
jacobvanloon
dailybridgerton
dededos
