"Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him" (Matthew 8:3).

Brooksyne has regular volunteer ministry in several area nursing homes.  Some of the less acceptable people of society, though not elderly, end up residing in these institutions.  Due to their limited mental capacity for "normal" behavior and adequate social manners or due to very noticeable physical deformities they've been delegated to these settings for necessary care. Many of them have desperate need for human touch apart from mere medical procedures.

In the Bible times leprosy was a disease that had severe social consequences. Throughout the Bible you can read about this and thus what Christ did in stretching out His hand and touching the leper was very significant. This man was so unaccustomed to human touch that this act of kindness by the Lord must have been so personally meaningful.

Several weeks ago my pastor had a teaching where he pointed out the extreme significance of Christ touching this leprous man. He asked us to consider what it would be like to live devoid of the touch of other people, such as leprous people are consigned to. I am so blessed with a happy marriage (coming up on 29 years) and so many other sources of touch. In our home we regularly enjoy a family hug, where we essentially gather in a huddle and all hug at once. I know many of you have a similar blessing, which can easily be taken for granted.

But there are many others who live in loneliness and crave human touch. They are not only in nursing homes but all around you. As I type this I am listening to a "Casting Crowns" song that speaks of us being His body and how we are His hands reaching out. 

I've worked with a company that has a weekly newsletter to their associates (emailed as a pdf). I recall an issue where the CEO of the company is shown shaking hands with and congratulating an associate who received her U.S. citizenship. She was (in human hierarchy and reckoning) just a simple line worker. But how much that extension of kindness must have meant to her.

Today people all around you need to be touched. For many it's just one more component to wholeness. But others are sorely lacking and desperately have a desire for someone to reach out and touch them. May we represent the body of Christ as we reach out and be His Hand extended!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen C. Weber

Brooksyne's note:  I read of a woman who was a widow who lived alone and had no children.  Her closest friends had died, company was a rarity, and her phone never rung.  She experienced a loneliness that grew everyday as she longed to talk to people and just experience human touch.  She mustered all the strength she could to get to church, believing that she would finally be able to talk to people and even receive several handshakes.  She needed to feel the warmth of someone's flesh besides her own.  She attended the service but went home even more desperate and lonely.   The people didn't even notice her as they filed past her without a word of greeting or even one handshake.

I read this story many years ago and it has prompted me time after time not to overlook the quiet individual who may easily fade into the background of more prominent church personalities.  I desire to be the part of the body with my hands physically reaching out to those in need.

Just an additional thought for those who do nursing home ministry:  When I've taken children through nursing homes for Christmas caroling (or adults for that matter) I always position them close to the face of the individual we sing to rather than in a distant hallway.  Then I ask the children to place their hands on the resident so they can feel the human touch.  So often the tears begin to drop involuntarily as the resident feels the loving touch of another caring individual.

The entire record that today's text comes from is found in Matthew 8:2-4 Jesus went on and healed the man of His affliction.

Our new puppy is so enjoying the country. Yesterday I took her out on a farm trail and I was able to unleash her and let her run freely. There's just nothing like the sight of a dog running across an open farm field and returning to her master to continue the walk. Sure brings memories of my childhood dog, Suzy as me and my friend Dave Simpson would go on hikes with our dogs in the country in Missouri.

You can get a sample of the song "If we are the body" on the "Casting Crowns" website.  We heard this group in a concert last Friday night and they make a clear presentation of truth.