The Divine Touch, January 12, 2014

The Divine Touch

Numbers 27:15-23, Acts 6:1-6

Grace Presbyterian Church

January 12, 2014

Rev. Dr. Richard E. Miller

The man whispered, "God, speak to me

And a meadowlark sang. But, the man did not hear

So the man yelled "God, speak to me!"

And, the thunder rolled across the sky.

But, the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said,

"God let me see you"

And a star shined brightly.

But, the man did not notice.

And, the man shouted,

"God show me a miracle!"

And, a life was born.

But, the man did not know.

So, the man cried out in despair,

"Touch me God,

and let me know you are here!"

Whereupon, God reached down

and touched the man.

But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on. [Anon]

I believe, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God touches us in some way every day of our lives.  And far too often, God’s divine touch goes unnoticed. We brush the butterfly away and go on, But the fact is that God wants to touch us and the fact also is that we want to be touched - not only by God but by others. Why?

The Power of Touch Because touch is one of the most powerful means of communication that we have. With handshakes, hugs and kisses, we outwardly show how we feel inwardly.  And in the process, we impart friendship and love.

Imagine how we would feel if we were never touched by anyone for the rest of our lives. Something in our souls would shrivel and dry up. Yes, touch that is safe, affirming and nurturing is vital to our emotional health. It can reduce anxiety and stress, promote peace of mind, enhance our ability to think creatively, promote a feeling of being cared for and nurtured.

One aspect of touching upon which I wish to focus this morning is the laying on of hands. No, I don’t mean the kind of laying on of hands when we misbehaved as children and were taken behind the wood shed. Rather I mean the biblical concept of laying on of hands since in a few minutes we will ordaining Janice Alcutt as a ruling elder. A very meaningful part of the service will take place when Janice kneels and the elders of the session lay their hands upon her head while she is being ordained. Through this action, God touches Janice as well.

 In order to help us understand better what this means, let us look for a few minutes at the practice of laying on of hands as we find it in the Bible.

Offerings One reason for laying on of hands was when the priests of the Temple laid their hands on the sacrificial offerings before they were placed upon the altar. When they did this, it meant the consecration, or setting apart, of the sacrifice to its sacred purpose.

Impart a Blessing  Another reason for laying on of hands was to impart a blessing. In Genesis we read of that time when Jacob blessed Manasseh and Ephraim, his two grandchildren, and the children of his son, Joseph. He first kissed them. Then he embraced them. Finally, he laid his hands upon their heads and blessed them. (Genesis 48:13-16)

Later, in the New Testament, Jesus did the same thing.  For instance, in Mark it is written: And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them; and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it he was indignant, and said to them, "Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it."  And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.” (Mark 10:13-16)

We do something very similar in baptism. When a baby is brought to be baptized, I hold the baby in my arms, dip my hand in water, and lay my hand on the baby’s head to impart God’s blessing and to signify that the child is a visible part of the church.

Healing  Hands also were laid on people to heal them. Several times in the gospels we read about Jesus laying his hands on the sick to make them well (Mark 5:23, 6:5, 16:18, Luke 4:40, 13:13). In these instances, the basic thought was the transference of both spiritual wholeness and physical health. On another occasion, we read of the time when Ananias laid his hands upon Paul so that Paul could regain his sight. (Acts 9:12)

Convey Power of Holy Spirit   Still another function which employed the laying on of hands was when one wanted to convey the power of the Holy Spirit to another. An example of this occurs in the Book of Acts when Peter and John went to the Samaritans and laid their hands upon them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-24)

Ordination and Transfer of Authority  Finally, laying on of hands was used in the rite of ordination such as we are doing this morning. In our Old Testament reading, we hear of that time when Moses was going to die. Moses had led his people to freedom from the hand of Pharaoh and had successfully guided them through the wilderness right up to the Promised Land.

Who was going to lead them into the Land of Milk and Honey? They needed someone to replace Moses. So God told Moses to ordain Joshua as his successor. The ordination was to take place in the presence of Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation. (Numbers 27:ff). Our scripture then says, “Moses did as the Lord commanded him; he took Joshua and caused him to stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and he laid his hands upon him, and commissioned him as the Lord directed.” By the laying on of hands, Moses transferred to Joshua his authority over the people. The people in turn transferred their allegiance and obedience from Moses to Joshua.

This same idea was expressed in Acts when the disciples ordained, or set apart, seven men chosen by the congregation to serve as Deacons. Luke says, “And they prayed and laid their hands upon them.” (Acts 6:1-6)

It should be remembered that both Joshua and the seven deacons were already spiritually qualified to carry out the ministry of their new office. All ordination did was to grant them the authority to fulfill the functions of the office to which they had been elected.

Ordination Today  As I noted earlier, this morning we are going to ordain Janice Aulcutt as a Ruling Elder. Speaking through the voice of this congregation, God has already determined that she is qualified for this office. By the laying on of hands, the session gives her the authority to carry out the functions and responsibilities of her office.

The ordination by the session this morning is not just for this congregation, but is on behalf of our denomination as a whole. Ordination is a one-time event in a person's life and never again need be repeated. Once an elder, always an elder. Or once a deacon, always a deacon. Our Book of Order says, "In ordination the church sets apart with prayer and the laying on of hands those who have been called through election by the church to serve as deacons, ruling elders, and teaching elders.” (W-4.4001)  One writer noted, "The hand of man is laid on, but all is the work of God; and it is his hand that touches the head of the candidate if he is rightly ordained." So it is through our hands that God’s Divine Touch descends upon Janice.

God is waiting to touch you, Janice. Let us now proceed to your ordination and the installation of ruling elders and deacons.

Will Bill Sternberg and Muriel Steeves please come forward?
Numbers 27:15-23 NRSV

Moses spoke to the Lord, saying, ‘Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint someone over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep without a shepherd.’ So the Lord said to Moses, ‘Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay your hand upon him; have him stand before Eleazar the priest and all the congregation, and commission him in their sight. You shall give him some of your authority, so that all the congregation of the Israelites may obey. But he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the decision of the Urim before the Lord; at his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the Israelites with him, the whole congregation.’ So Moses did as the Lord commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation; he laid his hands on him and commissioned him—as the Lord had directed through Moses.

ACTS 6:1-6 NRSV

Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.