The Touch Of His Hand
Sermon
The Man From Galilee
Sermons and Orders of Worship for Lent and Easter
Object:
A little girl named Charlotte went with her grandmother on a shopping trip downtown. When she returned home her parents were talking with her about the trip, what she had seen, how she liked it. They asked her if she had been afraid among all those people and cars as she crossed the street. She said, "No. The big policeman held up his strong hands and all the cars stopped and Charlotte crossed over."
Jesus the carpenter had hands bronzed by the sun, strong hands. And with those great, strong hands He came to be the hands of God lifting up a fallen humanity.
Early in His ministry Jesus was in the Decapolis, the ten cities around the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The people brought to Jesus a man who was deaf and dumb, and "they begged Him to put His hand on him." Later Jesus healed a boy possessed by a spirit which caused him to fall on the ground. Jesus "took him by the hand and lifted him up." A woman was brought to Jesus and accused of adultery by a mob. But Jesus knelt down and with His hand wrote in the sand. When they put Jesus to death they drove great nails through those hands of mercy and kindness. When he rose from the tomb He said to His disciples, "Behold my hands." And, when He left them, "He lifted His hands and blessed them."
Then we read this passage from Matthew's gospel. Jesus was at His headquarters for His Galilean ministry, the city of Capernaum. While staying in that city He had a room in the home of Simon Peter, the fisherman. That house was located only about a block away from the synagogue. So it was a convenient place for Jesus to stay.
Matthew tells us that after Jesus had delivered the Sermon on the Mount near Capernaum, He came back to town where He met a Roman centurion. This man asked Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus agreed to go to his home, the man said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be healed." Jesus marveled at this man's faith, and said, "Not even in Israel have I found such faith" (Matthew 8:10b). And, He said to the centurion, "Go; be it done to you as you have believed" (Matthew 8:13a).
Then Jesus and Simon Peter went home. When they got there they discovered Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a high fever. Jesus went into her room, and Matthew gives us these two sentences to describe what happened: "And He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she rose and served them."
In those few words Matthew tells us so much about what Jesus did for people everywhere, and what He still does. It is very simple, and simply this.
I.
The touch of His hand cured her sickness. His hand cooled her head. We know very little about this person. We know her illness was not something permanent. It was a high fever. We do know Jesus saw that she was sick with this fever. No one had to tell Him, or ask Him to go do anything about it. Jesus did what He always did. He responded to the human situation, the human need. He touched her hand with His hand, "and the fever left her."
The touch of His hand still cures us. Sometimes it is a physical illness. There are many examples of people who have been healed of some physical illness when the doctors saw no cure. And many times the doctors have said, "This is not my doing." Sometimes it is not the touch of any human hand, but the touch of God's hand.
Sometimes it is an emotional illness, an illness of the mind. Barbara Brokhoff told about a lady who is listed in the book, Who's Nobody In America. Her name is Mildred. She has been under the care of her therapist for a number of years. But he still calls her Sarah.1 No wonder she was in therapy. Sometimes that is where we need God's touch.
Sometimes it is an illness in relationships. The headlines are full of it every day: strife between nations, groups, classes, races, families, individuals. All the world needs the touch of God's hands.
Whatever it is, none of us are immune from various kinds of illnesses. All of us live all the time in a danger zone.
A man who lived out in L.A. had an unhealthy fear of driving on the freeway. He refused to do it. He talked with his doctor about it. His doctor said, "You need to break out of this fear which cripples your life. Go out there at some time of the week when it is safe. Try it at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. The Protestants will be in church, the Catholics will be at mass, and the Jews will be on the golf course since the Sabbath is over." So the next Sunday he tried it. He pulled out onto the freeway at exactly 11:00 a.m., and was run over by a Seventh-Day Adventist.
Life is dangerous for all of us. And because it is, we still need the touch of His hand to cure our illnesses, to cool our heads, to shape and reshape us, to mold and mend us.
In his book, The Power of Holy Habits, William H. Hinson wrote about the painter who said to a carpenter, "Do your best and I will caulk the rest."2
We still need the touch of His hand to cure what is wrong with us.
II.
The touch of His hand made her steady. His hand put her on her feet. Matthew writes that the fever left her, and "then she arose." Jesus put her back on her feet and made her steady. No longer was she weak and disoriented. Now she was in control.
The touch of His hand still makes us steady. My goodness, we need that today.
One Sunday I heard some parents coming into Sunday school. One mother said, "We were talking about what state we live in, and my youngest said we live in a state of confusion."
Many of us do these days. Many of us are caught up in a whirlwind of constant activity. I heard about one Methodist preacher who was so busy he wore his suits out from the inside.
Living in such times we need something to hold us steady. We need the hand of God because of everything going on around us. We need the hand of God to hold us steady. The steady hand of God will enable us to get back on our feet in the face of all the things which would overwhelm us and in spite of life's disappointments, many of which have the power to flatten us out. We need the steady hand of God in our lives and the steadying influence of Christ. Saint Paul urges us, "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Then when we stand, we discover the miracle which has taken place. When Jesus enables us to stand, then we stand for God.
In one of his books Dr. Wallace Chappell tells the story of William Carey, who has been called the father of the modern missionary movement. When he was young he attended a meeting at his church and asked a question about people in the world who had not been converted. Someone said, "Young man, sit down. If the Lord wishes to convert the heathen, He will do it." Wallace Chappell wrote that he sat down, "but the day came when he stood up."3 And when he stood up, he became a great missionary for God.
When Jesus enables us to stand, we find ourselves standing for Him. We still need His hand to make us steady. That brings us simply to this.
III.
The touch of His hand enabled her to serve. His hand put her hands to work. Matthew writes that she "served them." Now back on her feet, she served those who were there.
The touch of His hand still enables us to serve. That is the only motive for giving ourselves to the Church of Christ and the Kingdom of God. There is no other reason for us being here.
Carlyle Marney, the great Baptist preacher, said, "The reaction to who he is puts us in church always."4
Not only does it put us in Christ's church, it also puts Christ's church in us. It does something to the way we look at life. It gives us a different set of values. It makes us want to be servants.
The touch of the hand of Christ upon us gives us a different understanding of our own hands. Hands which could be used for taking become hands used for giving. Hands which could be used for hoarding become hands used for sharing. Hands which could be used for holding down become hands used for lifting up. How will you use your hands?
There were two young men who wanted to become artists. Neither of them had the money to go to school. While both of them wanted to paint, one of them knew the other clearly had more talent. So he offered to work while his friend went to school. The student studied and learned, while the other worked long and hard in the heat of the sun. With the passing of time the hands of the artist became skilled, while the hands of the laborer became scarred. One night the artist saw his friend sitting by a window praying. And he decided to paint those hands which had been sacrificed so his skill could be perfected. Today we call them "The Praying Hands." Hands turned down to the sod and turned up to God have now become an inspiration to millions. How will you use your hands?
When I was a boy I was impressed by the stories my father told in his sermons. Perhaps I was not even aware at the time of the impression they made upon me, but I still remember many of them today.
I remember him telling about a young woman who was a servant for a wealthy family. There was an invalid in that home and she took care of that person. She was a devoted Christian, but rarely was she ever able to attend church and serve God through the church. She was often concerned about this. She became seriously ill, and it was learned that she had an illness from which she would not recover. The minister came to see her, and they talked about her illness and her faith. She expressed her concern about her lack of involvement in her church, and how little she had done. She asked the minister how Jesus would even know her name. He put his hand upon hers and said, "Just show Him your hands." Her hands had become for some other person the hands of God -- and God would know her by those hands.
Would you open your life to the touch of the Master's hand so that He would be able to use your hands?
____________
1. Barbara Brokhoff, Trouble on the Mountain (CSS Publishing Co., Inc.: Lima, Ohio, 1986), p. 14.
2. William H. Hinson, The Power of Holy Habits (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1991), p. 70.
3. Wallace Chappell, The Trumpet's Certain Sound (Wallace Chapel Ministries: Nashville, 1987), p. 44.
4. Carlyle Marney, The Carpenter's Son (Abingdon Press: Nashville and New York, 1967), p. 52.
Morning Prayer
Lent 3
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we come before Thee today with thanksgiving and songs of praise for all Thou hast done for us, with us and in us.
We come seeking the touch of Thy hands upon us and the touch of Christ, who came to be the expression of Thy love in this world. In this time of the year we remember how He touched the lives of hurting humanity all across Galilee, in cities and towns, highways and byways. And we know He came for us as well.
We thank Thee for this, O God, and for the wonders of Thy creation, for the beauty of the world, the rising of the sun in the east and the setting of the sun in the west. We thank Thee for the flowers of the field, the birds of the air, and every living thing. We are thankful for the gift of life, and that Thou hast created us in Thine own image to be like Thee, to be Thy children, to be heirs of Thy kingdom.
Continue to bless us with gifts of love, mercy, and grace. We ask not for the things we want, but only for the things we need. Thou knowest them. Give us the willingness to serve, to help, to heal, to hope. Give us all the faith we need, and we need a lot. Give us the willingness to forgive and forget, for unless we do both we have done neither.
Bless our church family. Bless our children and youth, for they are precious to Thee and to us. Bless our families and those among us with no families near. Bless our sick, those in sorrow, and those who are troubled. Make them whole. We make this our prayer in the name of Him who is all things to us. Amen.
Children's Message
Lent 3
Give Him Your Hand
I am so glad to see each of you here this morning. Today I want each of you to hold up your hands. Look at them really good. We can all do a lot of good with our hands.
Today in our scripture lesson we will read about Jesus touching a person's hands and then lifting her up with His hand. The touch of Jesus' hand made many people well.
Hands are still important. Today we shake hands with people we meet. Sometimes we will pat someone on the back with our hand when we want to congratulate them or wish them well. The American Indians would greet another person by holding up one hand. Sometimes we wave at another person across the street.
Still, the best thing all of us can do is to give our hands to Jesus. A number of years ago there was a popular song which was played often on the radio about this very thing. The song was "Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water."
The hands of Jesus will help you today. He will still the waters when you feel like you are caught up in a storm at sea. He will take you by the hand and lift you up. He will put His hand on you when you are afraid. He will help you find your way when you feel like you are lost.
So, I want to ask all of you to give Him your hand. Now, let us all hold each other's hands. Do you see how close our hands are? We are all together, holding hands and holding on. You hold onto Jesus just this tight, because He is holding onto you.
May we pray. O God, take us by the hand, and keep your hands on us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Discussion Questions
Lent 3
1. Ask someone to open the session with a prayer.
2. Have a member of the group read Matthew 8:14-17.
3. Having asked them ahead of time, let members of the group share various sections of the chapter.
4. What was the significance of Jesus touching people?
5. What happened to this woman Jesus touched, and what did she do?
6. How has your life been touched by Jesus?
7. What has been the result of it?
8. How have you passed on the touch of Jesus?
9. Let each person offer a prayer, and then close with a benediction by the leader.
Order Of Worship
11:00 a.m.
Third Sunday In Lent
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Prelude
Chiming the Hour
Introit
Greeting
Leader: In returning and rest you shall be saved;
People: In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
Hymn of Praise
"To God Be The Glory"
Affirmation of Faith
The Apostles' Creed
Welcome and Sharing
Children's Message
"Give Him Your Hand"
WE TURN TO GOD IN PRAYER
Joys and Concerns
Morning Prayer and the Lord's Prayer
WE GIVE TO GOD
Prayer of Dedication
Offertory
Doxology
WE HEAR GOD'S WORD
Hymn of Preparation
"There Is A Balm In Gilead"
Anthem
Reading of the Scriptures
Matthew 8:14-17
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
The Message
"The Touch Of His Hand"
WE RESPOND TO GOD
The Invitation to Christian Discipleship
Hymn of Invitation
"O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee"
Benediction
Congregational Response
WE DEPART TO SERVE GOD
Postlude
Jesus the carpenter had hands bronzed by the sun, strong hands. And with those great, strong hands He came to be the hands of God lifting up a fallen humanity.
Early in His ministry Jesus was in the Decapolis, the ten cities around the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The people brought to Jesus a man who was deaf and dumb, and "they begged Him to put His hand on him." Later Jesus healed a boy possessed by a spirit which caused him to fall on the ground. Jesus "took him by the hand and lifted him up." A woman was brought to Jesus and accused of adultery by a mob. But Jesus knelt down and with His hand wrote in the sand. When they put Jesus to death they drove great nails through those hands of mercy and kindness. When he rose from the tomb He said to His disciples, "Behold my hands." And, when He left them, "He lifted His hands and blessed them."
Then we read this passage from Matthew's gospel. Jesus was at His headquarters for His Galilean ministry, the city of Capernaum. While staying in that city He had a room in the home of Simon Peter, the fisherman. That house was located only about a block away from the synagogue. So it was a convenient place for Jesus to stay.
Matthew tells us that after Jesus had delivered the Sermon on the Mount near Capernaum, He came back to town where He met a Roman centurion. This man asked Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus agreed to go to his home, the man said, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof. But only say the word, and my servant will be healed." Jesus marveled at this man's faith, and said, "Not even in Israel have I found such faith" (Matthew 8:10b). And, He said to the centurion, "Go; be it done to you as you have believed" (Matthew 8:13a).
Then Jesus and Simon Peter went home. When they got there they discovered Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a high fever. Jesus went into her room, and Matthew gives us these two sentences to describe what happened: "And He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then she rose and served them."
In those few words Matthew tells us so much about what Jesus did for people everywhere, and what He still does. It is very simple, and simply this.
I.
The touch of His hand cured her sickness. His hand cooled her head. We know very little about this person. We know her illness was not something permanent. It was a high fever. We do know Jesus saw that she was sick with this fever. No one had to tell Him, or ask Him to go do anything about it. Jesus did what He always did. He responded to the human situation, the human need. He touched her hand with His hand, "and the fever left her."
The touch of His hand still cures us. Sometimes it is a physical illness. There are many examples of people who have been healed of some physical illness when the doctors saw no cure. And many times the doctors have said, "This is not my doing." Sometimes it is not the touch of any human hand, but the touch of God's hand.
Sometimes it is an emotional illness, an illness of the mind. Barbara Brokhoff told about a lady who is listed in the book, Who's Nobody In America. Her name is Mildred. She has been under the care of her therapist for a number of years. But he still calls her Sarah.1 No wonder she was in therapy. Sometimes that is where we need God's touch.
Sometimes it is an illness in relationships. The headlines are full of it every day: strife between nations, groups, classes, races, families, individuals. All the world needs the touch of God's hands.
Whatever it is, none of us are immune from various kinds of illnesses. All of us live all the time in a danger zone.
A man who lived out in L.A. had an unhealthy fear of driving on the freeway. He refused to do it. He talked with his doctor about it. His doctor said, "You need to break out of this fear which cripples your life. Go out there at some time of the week when it is safe. Try it at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. The Protestants will be in church, the Catholics will be at mass, and the Jews will be on the golf course since the Sabbath is over." So the next Sunday he tried it. He pulled out onto the freeway at exactly 11:00 a.m., and was run over by a Seventh-Day Adventist.
Life is dangerous for all of us. And because it is, we still need the touch of His hand to cure our illnesses, to cool our heads, to shape and reshape us, to mold and mend us.
In his book, The Power of Holy Habits, William H. Hinson wrote about the painter who said to a carpenter, "Do your best and I will caulk the rest."2
We still need the touch of His hand to cure what is wrong with us.
II.
The touch of His hand made her steady. His hand put her on her feet. Matthew writes that the fever left her, and "then she arose." Jesus put her back on her feet and made her steady. No longer was she weak and disoriented. Now she was in control.
The touch of His hand still makes us steady. My goodness, we need that today.
One Sunday I heard some parents coming into Sunday school. One mother said, "We were talking about what state we live in, and my youngest said we live in a state of confusion."
Many of us do these days. Many of us are caught up in a whirlwind of constant activity. I heard about one Methodist preacher who was so busy he wore his suits out from the inside.
Living in such times we need something to hold us steady. We need the hand of God because of everything going on around us. We need the hand of God to hold us steady. The steady hand of God will enable us to get back on our feet in the face of all the things which would overwhelm us and in spite of life's disappointments, many of which have the power to flatten us out. We need the steady hand of God in our lives and the steadying influence of Christ. Saint Paul urges us, "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."
Then when we stand, we discover the miracle which has taken place. When Jesus enables us to stand, then we stand for God.
In one of his books Dr. Wallace Chappell tells the story of William Carey, who has been called the father of the modern missionary movement. When he was young he attended a meeting at his church and asked a question about people in the world who had not been converted. Someone said, "Young man, sit down. If the Lord wishes to convert the heathen, He will do it." Wallace Chappell wrote that he sat down, "but the day came when he stood up."3 And when he stood up, he became a great missionary for God.
When Jesus enables us to stand, we find ourselves standing for Him. We still need His hand to make us steady. That brings us simply to this.
III.
The touch of His hand enabled her to serve. His hand put her hands to work. Matthew writes that she "served them." Now back on her feet, she served those who were there.
The touch of His hand still enables us to serve. That is the only motive for giving ourselves to the Church of Christ and the Kingdom of God. There is no other reason for us being here.
Carlyle Marney, the great Baptist preacher, said, "The reaction to who he is puts us in church always."4
Not only does it put us in Christ's church, it also puts Christ's church in us. It does something to the way we look at life. It gives us a different set of values. It makes us want to be servants.
The touch of the hand of Christ upon us gives us a different understanding of our own hands. Hands which could be used for taking become hands used for giving. Hands which could be used for hoarding become hands used for sharing. Hands which could be used for holding down become hands used for lifting up. How will you use your hands?
There were two young men who wanted to become artists. Neither of them had the money to go to school. While both of them wanted to paint, one of them knew the other clearly had more talent. So he offered to work while his friend went to school. The student studied and learned, while the other worked long and hard in the heat of the sun. With the passing of time the hands of the artist became skilled, while the hands of the laborer became scarred. One night the artist saw his friend sitting by a window praying. And he decided to paint those hands which had been sacrificed so his skill could be perfected. Today we call them "The Praying Hands." Hands turned down to the sod and turned up to God have now become an inspiration to millions. How will you use your hands?
When I was a boy I was impressed by the stories my father told in his sermons. Perhaps I was not even aware at the time of the impression they made upon me, but I still remember many of them today.
I remember him telling about a young woman who was a servant for a wealthy family. There was an invalid in that home and she took care of that person. She was a devoted Christian, but rarely was she ever able to attend church and serve God through the church. She was often concerned about this. She became seriously ill, and it was learned that she had an illness from which she would not recover. The minister came to see her, and they talked about her illness and her faith. She expressed her concern about her lack of involvement in her church, and how little she had done. She asked the minister how Jesus would even know her name. He put his hand upon hers and said, "Just show Him your hands." Her hands had become for some other person the hands of God -- and God would know her by those hands.
Would you open your life to the touch of the Master's hand so that He would be able to use your hands?
____________
1. Barbara Brokhoff, Trouble on the Mountain (CSS Publishing Co., Inc.: Lima, Ohio, 1986), p. 14.
2. William H. Hinson, The Power of Holy Habits (Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1991), p. 70.
3. Wallace Chappell, The Trumpet's Certain Sound (Wallace Chapel Ministries: Nashville, 1987), p. 44.
4. Carlyle Marney, The Carpenter's Son (Abingdon Press: Nashville and New York, 1967), p. 52.
Morning Prayer
Lent 3
Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we come before Thee today with thanksgiving and songs of praise for all Thou hast done for us, with us and in us.
We come seeking the touch of Thy hands upon us and the touch of Christ, who came to be the expression of Thy love in this world. In this time of the year we remember how He touched the lives of hurting humanity all across Galilee, in cities and towns, highways and byways. And we know He came for us as well.
We thank Thee for this, O God, and for the wonders of Thy creation, for the beauty of the world, the rising of the sun in the east and the setting of the sun in the west. We thank Thee for the flowers of the field, the birds of the air, and every living thing. We are thankful for the gift of life, and that Thou hast created us in Thine own image to be like Thee, to be Thy children, to be heirs of Thy kingdom.
Continue to bless us with gifts of love, mercy, and grace. We ask not for the things we want, but only for the things we need. Thou knowest them. Give us the willingness to serve, to help, to heal, to hope. Give us all the faith we need, and we need a lot. Give us the willingness to forgive and forget, for unless we do both we have done neither.
Bless our church family. Bless our children and youth, for they are precious to Thee and to us. Bless our families and those among us with no families near. Bless our sick, those in sorrow, and those who are troubled. Make them whole. We make this our prayer in the name of Him who is all things to us. Amen.
Children's Message
Lent 3
Give Him Your Hand
I am so glad to see each of you here this morning. Today I want each of you to hold up your hands. Look at them really good. We can all do a lot of good with our hands.
Today in our scripture lesson we will read about Jesus touching a person's hands and then lifting her up with His hand. The touch of Jesus' hand made many people well.
Hands are still important. Today we shake hands with people we meet. Sometimes we will pat someone on the back with our hand when we want to congratulate them or wish them well. The American Indians would greet another person by holding up one hand. Sometimes we wave at another person across the street.
Still, the best thing all of us can do is to give our hands to Jesus. A number of years ago there was a popular song which was played often on the radio about this very thing. The song was "Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water."
The hands of Jesus will help you today. He will still the waters when you feel like you are caught up in a storm at sea. He will take you by the hand and lift you up. He will put His hand on you when you are afraid. He will help you find your way when you feel like you are lost.
So, I want to ask all of you to give Him your hand. Now, let us all hold each other's hands. Do you see how close our hands are? We are all together, holding hands and holding on. You hold onto Jesus just this tight, because He is holding onto you.
May we pray. O God, take us by the hand, and keep your hands on us. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Discussion Questions
Lent 3
1. Ask someone to open the session with a prayer.
2. Have a member of the group read Matthew 8:14-17.
3. Having asked them ahead of time, let members of the group share various sections of the chapter.
4. What was the significance of Jesus touching people?
5. What happened to this woman Jesus touched, and what did she do?
6. How has your life been touched by Jesus?
7. What has been the result of it?
8. How have you passed on the touch of Jesus?
9. Let each person offer a prayer, and then close with a benediction by the leader.
Order Of Worship
11:00 a.m.
Third Sunday In Lent
WE GATHER TO WORSHIP GOD
Prelude
Chiming the Hour
Introit
Greeting
Leader: In returning and rest you shall be saved;
People: In quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
Hymn of Praise
"To God Be The Glory"
Affirmation of Faith
The Apostles' Creed
Welcome and Sharing
Children's Message
"Give Him Your Hand"
WE TURN TO GOD IN PRAYER
Joys and Concerns
Morning Prayer and the Lord's Prayer
WE GIVE TO GOD
Prayer of Dedication
Offertory
Doxology
WE HEAR GOD'S WORD
Hymn of Preparation
"There Is A Balm In Gilead"
Anthem
Reading of the Scriptures
Matthew 8:14-17
Leader: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
The Message
"The Touch Of His Hand"
WE RESPOND TO GOD
The Invitation to Christian Discipleship
Hymn of Invitation
"O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee"
Benediction
Congregational Response
WE DEPART TO SERVE GOD
Postlude
