Who touched me? It
is a powerful question in scripture. The unclean, outcast, worn down,
sick and tired of being sick and tired woman touched the hem of Jesus' garment.
She had courage, she was bold, and she believed. I find that rather
amazing given her condition of twelve long years. I admit that I am short
of perseverance in the face of illness. How did she ever muster
the ongoing energy to be faithful, to be hopeful, to keep on keeping on?
Many of us at some time
or another have found ourselves as outsiders in a family or community, or maybe
we are outsiders to ourselves these days.
Many of us may long to know what it feels like to find our way back, or
to hear the invitation that Jesus offers us, to return and be restored.
Some of us may have had
the experience of slipping alongside a crowd, hoping not to be noticed, and yet
hoping to be noticed, hoping for some way in. It seems significant that no one notices the
woman on the edge of the crowd, at least no one except Jesus.
That tells us something
about the people God notices in our own time and place. God is still speaking
to us today, calling us to participate in the mental and spiritual healing of
others and the bringing back of those who are beyond our borders and boundaries.
The still-speaking God
keeps challenging my comfort zones, those areas of protection and comfort, of
assumptions and privilege and invades my so called "sacred space"
when it has become nothing more than a private comfort zone and a barrier to
keep others out.
Perhaps God wants me to
see that I can only be a wounded healer if I help others to acknowledge how
wounded and scarred we all are in this our human relationship. This is a reality, a daily dynamic that plays out in the
life of a congregation in less than wholesome ways. We forget that we are all wounded healers,
dealing with life in a myriad of ways, and we fail to cut each other the grace,
the slack when it is needed.
If I am honest, I am that woman, I am that desperate, I am reaching out just to touch the hem of his garment.
Will my faith make me whole?
Or, more aptly, will Jesus' ability to heal make me whole in this search?
If I am honest, I am that woman, I am that desperate, I am reaching out just to touch the hem of his garment.
Will my faith make me whole?
Or, more aptly, will Jesus' ability to heal make me whole in this search?
On this I shall lean: The Lord will sustain us on our sick beds, our wanderings in the wilderness, in the dark moments as well as in the light.
Human touch is invaluable. Countless scientific studies demonstrate the importance of touch - Harlow's infant monkeys, massage in premature infants, skin-to-skin contact between mother and infant, hugs, holding hands, cuddling with a mate or child, a hand on the shoulder of the ill or the elderly. Even touch from pets is valuable – the cat rubbing against your leg, petting your dog who is settled in your lap. How much more valuable and healing must it be, then, to touch or be touched by God? I pray that we might all be touched by God during this Lenten season.
ReplyDeleteHope... the woman persevered.
ReplyDeleteShe was fortunate that such a man as Jesus went public.
How many others who harbor such talents and spiritual gifts shudder them away...? and for good reason. Look at what happened to Christ. We'd be lucky enough to witness a poor man's Thomas these days, much less a man who has mastered his passions and greater faculties. We still know where the nails are... yes?
That being said, Christ did lay a foundation from which to build his ministry upon. He went from the manger, to John, to the wilderness, and so on. The vintner must make sure the fruit is ripe.
Christ was both graceful and humble... two things which are difficult to master and put together. I find it is more akin to an art which one practices.
Humility is practiced by those who hate being right all the time and Grace is practiced by those who are right, yet patiently wait for justice to do its work. Some will be salvaged and others will be taken away, wheat and the tares. There is a reason why some cannot be reached.
The woman went to Jesus of her own freewill and Christ, operating in a state of grace recognized what was not able to be seen with the eyes.
Story also reminds me of the widow's mite.
We all our 'wounded' to a degree, yet I don't think it necessary to indulge in pain. Understand it is there, but know that it too is limited. We all can overcome
ReplyDeleteare, whoops! See, this early in the morning, my grammatical ability is severely wounded.
ReplyDeleteVery meaningful meditation, Joy. Thank you for sharing it with us and reminding us of our own limitations as well as our potential to serve as wounded healers in our world. Your words have touched this pastor's heart and prepared it for this Lenten Season.
ReplyDelete