SERMON: A HEALING TOUCH
“Jesus took her by the hand and lifted her up.”
These words say a lot about the healing touch of Jesus, as he cared for and cured many sick and lifted them out of the clouds of depression, pain, loneliness, misery or demonic possession. Jesus lifted them into life again. Jesus reached out his hand, took them by their hand, lifted them up and made their world a better place.
I have quoted this song so many times during my years as a pastor, whenever the Gospel talks about a healing touch, a helping hand and uplifting voice.
“Reach out and touch somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place if you can…”
It is such a simple song, with such a simple chorus, but it is as true as the Gospel.
This simplicity of the human touch is reflected in one of Hanne Stovring’s beautiful paintings: “The Road of Life”. Images of a family holding hands, images of somebody reaching out and touching somebody to encourage and comfort.
“Jesus took her by the hand and lifted her up.”
The Gospel tells us about the healing touch of Jesus, and the song also tells us of the simplicity of life and our human interactions. How we with our healing touches can imitate Jesus.
How often have we not relied on somebody to take us by the hand and lift us up? There was nothing more soothing and comforting as a child to be able to hold your parents’ hand and literally be lifted! Through life we rely on this helping and healing hands: to encourage us, to embrace us, to comfort us. How often have we not been helped, yes even saved, by the helping hand of another who reached out, touched us and lifted our bodies and spirits up…. And made this place a better place to be.
How often have we not been praying for somebody to come and give us a hand and lift us our of our misery and pain?
How often have we not prayed to God to come and take us by the hand and lift us up?
Taking somebody by the hand, lending somebody a helping hand, holding somebody’s hand in the hour of pain, grief and fear, - this is one of the most fundamental human healing touches we know.
To hold somebody’s hand sometimes say more than words and soothes a heartbroken soul.
To take somebody’s hand and pick them up, lift them up and move them out of their misery is a gracious act of love and care.
So, to listen to the Gospel telling us the story about Jesus reaching out, taking the hand and lifting the woman out of her misery – is such a profound deep human story, that we all can relate to. And it is good to know that this is in fact our God, the God of grace and mercy who we believe in and pray to.
A God who sees us and touches us.
A god who encourages us to reach out and touch somebody’s hand and make this world a better place, because we can.
As Benny Andersen writes in another often-quoted poem:
“Live while you’re living
and don’t be envious
But wish the living all the best in life
A hand can be clenched as well as be opened
Use it for caressing and not for hitting
Tomorrow is the possibility
of yet another day
Where nothing is quite the same as before.”
A touching hand is not just a physical touch but even more an emotional, spiritual and healing touch.
And now listen again:
“Now Simons mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. Jesus came and took er by the hand and lifted her up….” ….. and it continues: “Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.”
“She began to serve them….”
A healing touch does not only cure us and lift us up from our misery, - a healing touch truly raise us and lifts our spirits to serve others. To do what others did for you: to help, to give a hand, to serve and to be a good neighbor.
Simon Peter’s mother-in-law is one of the many unnamed women of the Gospel. She might be an unlikely icon as her story is only recorded in these two verses, and like a lot of women in the bible, we do not even remember her name. But what we do know is that having been touched by Jesus, she is raised to a new higher calling of serving others. She got up, healed and she served. And she continued to do so even if she is not mentioned afterwards. She is one of those unnamed icons of service and humility.
“Reach out and touch somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place if you can….”
Given our experiences with COVID19 over these last several months, we all have a lot more interest in health and staying healthy. Unfortunately, that also have meant that we have not been able to reach out and touch somebody’s hands, embrace, hug and visit as we usually would.
Our shared calling to serve others has been restricted as we have not been able to gather so freely as we normally do. As a church we miss worshipping together, singing together and eating together. We miss reaching out our hands in greetings and healing comfort.
But we can touch each other’s with our spirit, thoughts, prayers and even through social distant presence. Even through these virtual services, we hope that we touch each other.
Jesus is renowned to be an exceptional healer. When he cures someone from a disease, he always restores them, not only to health but also to hearth. So, the several people in todays Gospel and beyond, possessed by demons or spirits or crimpled or feverish or depressed, will return not only to their families whole and sane, but they will also be enabled to pick up their lives again and practice again as good neighbors in their communities.
This is what we long for and pray that the Covid19 vaccine will do for us. Protect us and enable us to return to our normal lives and way and encounters.
The NEXT hymn today, will be the beautiful song
"You Raise Me Up". It is indeed a beautiful song originally composed by the Norwegian-Irish duo Secret Garden. But the recordings that truly made this song popular was with singer Josh Groban in 2003 and Irish boy band Westlife in 2005.
“When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until You come and sit awhile with me.
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be
Through the Gospel, through the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion, through our Lord’s Prayer, through our faith and hope, we are touched by Jesus and raised up to be more than we through we could be.
“He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.”
Jesus comes and take us by the hand and lifts us up to be more than we thought we could be and to serve and make this place a better place.
So, reach out and touch somebody’s hand
Make this world a better place because you can.
Amen.