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| Image by Stephen Smith |
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Hands
A GREETING
My soul clings to you;
your mighty hand upholds me.
(Psalm 63:8)
A READING
Entering Peter’s house, Jesus found Peter’s mother-in-law in bed with a fever.
Jesus touched her hand and the fever left, and she got up and went about her work.
(Matthew 8:14-15)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
How great is your constant love for me!
(Psalm 86:13)
A REFLECTION
An unexpected result of our following Jesus is that he always
follows us, so that we benefit others unintentionally, simply
by our fidelity... What characterizes this healing by Jesus is that
there is no intercession either by the sick person or by a friend. The
love of God enters the presence of human misery, and Jesus' hand
extends without hesitation... God's deft hands are drawing
new life out of nothingness and illness.
- from Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word: Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew
by Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis
VERSE OF THE DAY
And so I bless you while I live;
in your Name I lift up my hands.
(Psalm 63:4)
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| "Trust," by Lorenzo Quinn (2002). Bronze sculpture on marble pedestal (click to enlarge). Lorenzo Quinn is a contemporary Italian-American sculptor whose work is dominated by representations of hands, which he says are the hardest part of the body for an artist to render in sculpture. Quinn believes the hands to be the most important and most controversial part of the body, since hands soothe, nurture and care for others but can also be destructive and violent. This hand, however, cradles the female figure. How can this sculpture help you imagine how each of us is cared for by God? |
For these first few days of the week, we will follow the hands of Jesus, as they become used in his ministry. While we most associate the work of his hands perhaps with healing stories, Jesus also used his hands to bless, to break bread, wash feet, calm the storm, and more. The human hands of Jesus bring about divine healing, and they also participate in ordinary everyday work.
Today's very brief healing story is a bit of both. It is told casually, almost in real time. Jesus enters Peter’s home and sees a suffering woman within Peter’s household. He touches her hand and moves on. In the quiet of his departure, her recovery has occurred. No one has asked for this healing. Jesus has simply responded to what he sees.
As Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis has written, when we follow Jesus, we carry him with us. The story invites us to remember that when we enter into any home of someone who has asked us to pray with them, we bring Jesus with us. We may not have Jesus’ capacity for complete transformation, but we offer our hands and hearts in service, as our way of bringing him in the room. And we can pray into suffering, knowing Jesus is there.
“No simple act of mercy escapes his watchful eye,” we hear in today’s music. Jesus sees Peter’s mother-in-law and he sees the person you care about too. And you yourself. “This you have asked of us: do little things with great love.”
Who will benefit from knowing that Jesus travels with you today?
What will be your small acts of great love?
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| Image by Frank Moroni |
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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
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LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!