A Word and a Touch…

Denise and I took our very dear friends Dan and Nicki hiking in the Rocky Mountain National Park on Friday. We hiked a part of the Black River Canyon at the foot of Lumpy Ridge where I took this picture. We have not been able to do any serious hiking since March due to a variety of factors. It was really nice to be back on the trails and especially to share the experience with two very dear friends. I have to admit though, that between us being out of shape from the lack of hiking and our friends coming from Sea Level to 8,000 feet, it did offer some comical moments and comments as we huffed and we puffed and we made our way up and down! Maybe that is why this formation reminded me of an empty tomb… at least the stone was rolled away!

As I looked at it, it made me think of Lazarus’ grave when Jesus called him forth or the empty tomb on Easter Sunday morning. I have been mulling over the passages for the Third Sunday after Pentecost. Both of them have to do with death and coming back to life. At first, I was pondering the word of life that was spoken by both Jesus and Elijah.

The Widow of Zaraphath trusted the word of the Prophet Elijah and took the last of her meal and oil which she was going to make a last meal for she and her son. She was out of food and this was to be a last meal before they starved to death. Instead, she made bread for Elijah and gave him water too. Wow! What a leap of faith. To be honest, I am not sure that I would be as willing as she was to do what she did. Seriously, Elijah? You want me to take the LAST of what we have in the house and make you some bread? Really?

But… unlike this Padre, she said, okay. And Elijah’s promise of a constant supply of oil and meal didn’t run out. What happened next though shook the poor woman to the very core. She did everything that this prophet of God had asked her to do. The oil and meal did not run out. However, the son who she was trying to keep alive… the son who was the only way that a widowed woman could survive with dignity… that son died! No wonder she was upset! How can you do this, Elijah?! God gives us food to eat without end and then my son dies? Really?

Let’s switch our focus for a minute from the widow to Elijah. Can you imagine how HE felt when this woman whom he had saved (along with her son) from the brink of starvation and death came running up to him with the news that her son was dead? That was a time for Elijah to look God square in the eyes and say, Really? You promised to save me from starvation along with the widow and her son only to let him die?! Seriously?

And so it was, with his word on the line, Elijah “stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the LORD, ‘O LORD my God, let this child’s life come into him again.'” (1 Kings 17:21) What spoke to Denise’s heart (she is preaching tomorrow at Westminster Presbyterian in Fort Collins) was how it was the touch of Elijah was just as powerful as his word. As I see it, not only did he cry out to God on behalf of the widow and her son, he literally stretched himself upon the child three times! His words were followed up by his touch and a prayer. Elijah didn’t stand aloof at a distance and say a prayer… he dove into the messiness of the situation and put his entire being into the work and the prayer! It wasn’t just a word… it was a touch from the very core of his being that was incorporated into his prayer and plea.

In the story of the Widow of Nain, we see a similar story unfold. Jesus didn’t ask the woman to make him a meal when she barely had enough oil and meal to make a loaf of bread. When he got there, the son was already dead and on the way to the cemetery! Yet for this widow, the future was going to be the same as it was looking like the Widow of Zeraphath would face. No son, no husband, no family… equals NO future! As the Widow of Nain escorted her son’s body to the cemetery, she was walking away from any sort of life of hope she may have had. When they buried him, her future and her hope would be buried with him.

What does Jesus do? Well, at first he had compassion for her and said, “Do not weep.” (Luke 7:13) But his action didn’t stop there. He didn’t just mouth some sort of pious platitude or make an empty promise. Jesus reached out and touched the stretcher upon which the body was lying. He touched the stretcher and said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” (Luke 7:14) Words and action… words and touch… reaching into the messiness of death, he brought life!

So how do these two stories touch you, dear reader? For me, it is the combination of words and touch. In my career as a pastor and chaplain, I have sat by many bedsides as people lay dying. I have officiated at more funerals than I can possibly remember. Yet I do remember this… in each occasion, I haven’t been a mouth spouting pious platitudes or empty promises. Instead, this Padre has often been holding a hand or hugging someone in need. The words I may share are not simply words. God somehow works through my presence, touch, and words to offer comfort, consolation, and hope.

One funeral that I attended at Nellis Air Force Base I will never forget. It was a young pilot who was killed overseas. His pastor was the preacher who gave the message at the request of his widow. I was sitting in the balcony with my boss (the Senior Protestant Chaplain). The pastor told the family (and all of the military members present) that bible doctrine would bring them comfort. My boss and I looked at each other… did we just hear what the pastor said? Seriously? Bible doctrine will bring you comfort? Can you imagine Elijah or Jesus saying those words to the mothers of the two deceased sons? Neither can I!

Charlie and I had both spent countless hours with grieving and suffering families through our years in the military (and in our civilian churches as well). We both knew the power of both words and action! Simply mouthing pious platitudes wasn’t enough. We knew that the touch of God’s hand in their lives through us was as important or perhaps more important than any words we might say.

Our words… our touch… God’s words… God’s touch… in the words of St Francis of Assisi, “Lord make me an instrument of your peace…”. Dear reader, do your words ring hollow or do they ring out with the love of God as you truly touch hearts and lives… Elijah threw himself into his ministry and prayer literally! Jesus did as well! Are you willing to be not simply a mouthpiece of “bible doctrine” but to be an instrument of the Lord?

The world today needs not only a word, but the human/divine touch. Are you willing to be an instrument of God’s love… mercy… grace… peace?