A synopsis of the sermon delivered by the Rev. David L. Hicks at St. Paul’s Reformed Episcopal Church on Sunday, September 7, 2003, Trinity XII. Please read St. Mark 7:31-37.

Touch and gestures are an important part of human interaction. Have you ever tried to talk without using your hands in any way? Words by themselves do not always convey the full meaning of what someone is trying to communicate. A pat on the back, a hug, a squeeze of the clasped hand – all of these things speak volumes whether they are accompanied by verbal expressions or not. In the Gospel reading from St. Mark, Jesus uses touch in his miraculous healing of a deaf-mute person. Jesus did not need to perform this gesture in order for the miracle to take place. Elsewhere in the Scriptures he simply speaks, and the miracle is accomplished. Yet, this story tells us that Jesus is not above using the physical with the verbal, touch and the word.

The church’s teaching regarding the incarnation of our Lord Jesus affirms God’s approval of the physical world, and his willingness to use the material with the verbal aspects of communication. God did not simply speak out of thin air when he chose to reveal himself; rather, as Saint John says, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” God not only has spoken through his Son, but he has touched us with him, in order that we too might be healed. As our Lord’s ministry continues through his church, he continues to touch us with the physical world. When our Lord instituted the sacrament of Holy Communion he took bread and wine, two very mundane things that are a part of everyday life, and he proclaimed them to be vehicles of his presence. Participation in the Lord’s Supper is to participate in Christ himself (I Cor. 10:16), or shall we say, to be touched by him. Being touched in this way by our Lord is to participate in atoning death and sacrifice in which we find cleansing and healing from our sins against God.

We are not to suppose that Christ’s “touching” stops here. We as the church, who have been touched by Christ, are expected to touch others in Christ’s name. The business of the church is to be the hands and feet of Christ in this world. However, only those who themselves have been touched by Christ can hope to touch others in his name and power. It is vitally important that we ask the Holy Spirit of God to renew us that he might work in our hearts and minds that we may effectively touch the nations of the world with his healing power. “O Lord, open thou our lips; and our mouths shall show forth thy praise!” 
Amen.