Healing and Wholeness Service

April 29, 2007

Healing Hands

Deb Hyder, Parish Nurse

Since the beginning of time, people have been able to express emotions such as love, hate, anger, and compassion by a simple touch. In Luke 15:18, Jesus rebuked his disciples. The disciples were stopping parents from bringing their babies and children to Jesus. They wanted Jesus only to touch them. Here is an example of healing hands. Who in this congregation has healing hands? I believe everyone does. From the first moment our children are born, what do we want to do? Touch them, cuddle them, and kiss them. When I was in college at U.T. I read of a study regarding newborns who must be fed touch as much as food. Studies in orphanages and hospitals repeatedly tell us that infants deprived of skin contact lose weight, become ill and even die. We know that premature babies given periods of touch therapy gain weight faster, cry less, and show more signs of relaxed pulse, respiration rate and muscle tension. Conversely, what happened that first time when you were holding your infant and that little hand gripped your finger? You knew for sure that you were holding something wonderful, didn’t you?

So…parents and babies have healing hands. How about children? As a child did you ever reach out to help someone who had fallen? Do you remember talking to a friend that had heard bad news? Do you sit away from them and look down? NO…. usually you are there looking them in the eyes with your arm around them, comforting them. Do you remember taking friends or a brother or sister’s hand when they were frightened? All of these are healing hands. As we get a little older, in our teen years, there is no shortage of boyfriends and girlfriends holding hands. That small touch is a very intimate way of saying I care about you. Again, healing hands……………..

When Danny and I were married in 1983 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church the Priest wrapped a cloth around our hands and wrists as we said our vows. The priest had explained in our pre marital counseling that this practice is what was called “tying the knot”! In tying the cloth around us, we symbolically became one. In marriage, as we all know, every day is not a “honeymoon” day. We all have our spats. But, once again, with the touch of a hand or a hug everything can be “healed”

For Christmas, John Carter and Alicia bought me a 30-minute message with Denise Martin. The feel of her hands gently caressing my sore, tight muscles are SO healing. Think of the physical therapists we have here at Bethel…Melanie Sherrod and Marci Smith, Nancy King and Linda Preston…their healing hands help us through post surgery healing to regain our muscle strength as well as help us when we have had any muscle injury. Another example……I have never had a migraine headache in my life until about 4 weeks ago. At this time, I called Cathy McDowell to ask if she knew if we had any of our corn pillows left after our youth auction last year. Cathy stated she had just got into town, but would go to our local Co-Op the first of the week and make me a pillow I could keep in the freezer. Well, you guessed it! The next day, she came into church holding a brand new corn pillow. I feel her healing hands at work every time I put a cold corn pillow against my forehead when my migraines strike.

Healing hands might be found more symbolically in mission work. There have been many youths and adults from Bethel would have been blessed to help rebuild flood-ravaged areas of our deep south. The person’s homes we would be working on would be so delighted we were there…they would bring food and drinks, as well as smiles and hugs saying what blessings we were. They just didn’t get it that they were our blessings. Our scripture from 1^st Corinthinians today was especially picked by me because it is important for people to know that since everyone has their own giftedness, everyone has a way that they can use their own healing hands in God’s work. From the youngest to the oldest, we all have healing hands and are commanded by God to use them to God’s glory and not our own.

In James K. Wagner’s book “Blessed to Be a Blessing”, he states: “Other evidence of the Creator’s desire for wholeness and healing is the natural tendency of the body to heal itself when sickness occurs. The medical profession cooperates with the anti-disease factors already present in each human being. Doctors are highly instrumental in assisting and promoting the healing process, but God does the healing. Yes, all healing comes from God, and all persons in the healing arts and sciences are conduits through whom God channels his goodwill. This is the reason the healing ministry of the church works closely with the persons involved in medicine, surgery, psychiatry, psychology, and nutrition. For this reason the therapeutic value of religious faith and spiritual resources are truly appreciated by many members of the allied healing professions. Although spiritual healing does result in restored health, it is not a substitute for medicine or surgery or counseling. Cooperation- not competition-with the total needs of each person is the goal of the church’s healing ministry.

God’s valuing our well-being is also demonstrated through the person of Jesus Christ in healing the diseased person, in mending the broken and fractured relationships, in helping the helpless, in not throwing us away as so much worthless garbage, but rather in saving us. Jesus frequently emphasized God’s goodwill toward us:

It is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one….should perish (Matthew 18:14)

and:

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will you Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)” We truly are gifted, let us go forth with healing in our hands and love in our hearts.

Amen