April 10, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in
doubt…read the instructions”
(What did Jesus instruct His
disciples then and now…?)
Acts
3:1-10 AMP
Mark
6:53-56 AMP
Psalm
30
“Touch…Heal…”
There is a new age…a new trend in
healing called touch healing. Now you don’t actually touch the person.
Wikipedia tells us that:
“Therapeutic
touch (commonly shortened to "TT"), known by some as
"non-contact therapeutic touch" (NCTT), is a pseudoscientific energy
therapy which practitioners claim promotes healing and reduces pain and
anxiety. "Therapeutic Touch" is a registered trademark in Canada for
the "[s]tructured and standardized healing practice performed by
practitioners trained to be sensitive to the receiver's energy field that
surrounds the body;...no touching is required."”
Also there are a lot of people who are
receiving the alternative to medicine called Reiki. The Definition of Reiki is:
“A
healing technique based on the principle that the therapist can channel energy
into the patient by means of touch, to activate the natural healing processes
of the patient’s body and restore physical and emotional well-being.”
I don’t think there is anything wrong
with these alternatives. Our doctors seem to be giving all too many pills and
not healing anyone. But what do these look like? What would happen if we were
to go and have one of these treatments? Example time…I have had both treatments but I may exaggerate a little just to get my
point across… show example of both...I think we as Christians are more hands on
than hands off…or are we? OK…now think about Jesus. How did most of His
healings happen?
We are all on a reading journey as we
read the instructions that Jesus gave the first disciples and what He intended
all to follow to do. Now Jesus wants us to “go and do likewise”…to take His
example and follow it. Some of the instructions may not be words but actions
that Jesus showed His disciples. Now I hope you all brought your bibles this
morning. If not there are some in the pews. I want us each to look up the
instructions…for ourselves…instead of me reading them to you. Who knows, maybe
after we are done it is something we will continue to do… just sayin.
Let’s back track for a moment. The first
instruction was on Easter Sunday to a woman called Mary Magdalene…Go, tell. Just that simple…go tell the
disciples I am alive…tell them you have seen me…tell them to Galilee and they
will see me. Go and tell…ministry is an action. The next were stay…wait…witness (stay where they were
and to wait for the Holy Spirit, then to witness to and for Him all over the
world).
Now the next instructions or actions may
be kind of hard for some people, touch…heal.
It can be hard to touch someone we don’t like. It can be hard to touch one of “those”
people...Pastor trying to see where his
congregation was at on loving their neighbor. One Sunday he entered his
church…after not showing for a week, wearing dirty cloths…unshaven. He walked
in and everyone just stared and avoided him. He went to sit down front and one
of the ushers shouted from the end of the pew…please sit in the back. So he
went to the back and sat in a pew by himself…no one would come near him. So as
the service began He walked again to the front of the church and into the pulpit.
Now the congregation was shocked and horrified that this dirty bum would do
this and then he began to speak. “: good morning my church brothers and
sisters. Today’s message is on loving your neighbor where they are and not
where you want them to be. They hung their heads in shame…”
We are called to touch lives and in the
touching bring healing. Now Jesus went around and people were healed either by
His touching or theirs… Listen to one of these accounts… found in Mark 6:53-56…read scripture together… Everyone who
touched was healed…all of these lives were touched and healed… Can you imagine if we decided we wanted to
be the fringe...the tassel of Jesus’ robe? How much healing do you think would
happen?
It is in Jesus’ name and by His power we
are healed. The disciples knew this and Jesus had sent them out to
heal…baptize…witness. I love the story of Peter and John as they were going up
to the temple one day. The story is in Acts 3:1-10. Let’s read it together to
hear what Jesus would have us do in His name as we follow Him…read scripture together…
Now people going up to the temple were
all ceremonially cleaned and ready to enter. Maybe that is why no one ever
stopped to help this man before but Peter knew a better way…The Way as they
called it…Jesus’ way and even though Hhe was going into the temple they touched
and healed this man and because of that…he walked…no he leaped praising God. How many do we pass in our “clean state” and
feel that we would just get all dirty if we touched and healed…? Who is sitting
waiting for a healing in their life?
Go, tell…stay, wait, witness…touch,
heal…these seem pretty simple things to do right? So why are there so many
still waiting for our healing touch…for Jesus’ healing touch through us? Why
aren’t we telling of the great Physician of our soul? Why are we not witnessing
to the saving Grace? We as the body of Christ…as the hands, feet, voice and
image of Christ in the world…need to understand the instructions and follow
them to the point of us truly being that image of Christ. Now we are not
perfect and we will forget at times. But we are less apt to forget if we read
the manual of Immanuel…God with us. May be if we begin to touch the lives of
those around us with what we have to offer through Jesus…as did Paul and John…maybe just maybe there would be more leaping
and praising God in the lives who are waiting for the Healer…our Risen Lord,
Jesus Christ. Perhaps then we too will be touched and healed by those who we
heal. I don’t know…what do you think?
Amen.
April 10, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt…read the
instructions”
(What did Jesus instruct
His disciples then and now…?)
Acts 3:1-10 AMP
Mark 6:53-56 AMP
Psalm 30
sermon, “Touch… Heal…”
text:
video:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
“God’s Whisper” blog
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
April
10, 2016
&
April 3, 2016
Stetson Memorial UMC
Sermon Series:
“When in doubt…read the
instructions”
(What did Jesus instruct
His disciples then and now…?)
Acts 1:1-14 NKJ
Psalm 150:1-6
sermon,
“Stay…Wait…Witness”
text:
video:
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
April
3, 2016
&
March 27, 2016
Stetson
Memorial UMC
Resurrection
(Easter) Sunday
Acts
10:34-43 AMP
John
20:1-18 AMP
sermon,
“On the Third Day”
text:
video:
by
Pastor Ruth Foss
Children’s Message from Mystery Box
by Pastor Ruth Foss
Stetson
Memorial United Methodist Church
Resurrection
(Easter) Sunday
March
27, 2016
All
of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000,
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013,
2014, 2015, 2016. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for
usage. See all 41,180+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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