Text Box: Community of Joy Lutheran Church

Text Box: Pastor’s REFLECTIONS Text Box: APRIL 2008 NEWSLETTER                       Home  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8                             VOLUME 5, ISSUE 4 Text Box:  

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Text Box: 110 Balboa Road   Hot Springs Village, AR  71909 501-915-9569

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Text Box: Christian Education Schedule     April 6th             “What is ‘The Kingdom of God?’” April 13th           “The Politics of Jesus” April 27th           “Spirituality in America” May 4th                “Busy-ness’ and Christianity”

Text Box:    “I was really touched!”  We often say things like that.  The whole idea of touch and touching is often very enjoyable and desirable (“very touching” if you will), and yet sometimes it can be very invasive (“stay away from me - don’t touch me - you don’t know me that well”).  A few years ago there was a very popular television show called “Touched By

Text Box: An Angel.”  That thought (being touched by an angel) is acceptable, even desirable, but being “touched by the devil” isn’t something we would want.    Touch is a very strong sense.  We all need touching - it is a form of closeness.  We are even told that many babies and small children suffer from the lack of sufficient touching.  They don’t grow up with strong personal feelings for others if they didn’t receive adequate touching.  We are talking about the positive form of touching, defined as: “affecting the emotions (in a positive way); moving to tender response.”  What part does touching (emotional and physical) play in our church, and in our Christian lives?  As we come together as members of this worshiping body we call Community of Joy Lutheran Church, I invite each of us to reflect on the power of touch and the following writing (the author is unknown, but the writing certainly reflects thoughts and feelings that many of us have or have had):    What is all this touching in church?  It used to be that a person could come to church and sit in a pew and not be bothered by all of this friendliness, and certainly not be touching others.  I used to come to church and leave untouched.  Now, I have to be nervous about what’s expected of me.  I have to worry about responding to the person sitting next to me.  Oh, I wish it could be the way it used to be; I could just ask the person sitting next to me, “How are you?”  And the person could answer, “Oh, just fine.”  And we could both go home... strangers who have known each other for twenty years. But now the pastor asks us to look at each other.  I’m worried about that hurt look I saw in that woman’s eyes.  Now I’m concerned, because when the minister asks us to

Text Box: “pass the peace,” the man next to me held my hand so tightly.  I wondered if he had been touched in years.  Now I’m upset because the lady next to me cried and then apologized and said it was because I was so kind and that she needed a friend right now.  Now I have to get involved.  Now I have to suffer when the community suffers. Now I have to be more than a person coming to observe a service.  That man last week told me I’d never know how much I touched his life.  All I did was smile and tell him I understood what it was like to be lonely.  Lord, I’m not big enough to touch and be touched!  The stretching scares me!  What if I disappoint somebody?  What if I’m too pushy?  What if I cling too much?  What if somebody ignores me?  “Pass the Peace.”  “The Peace of God be with you all.”  “And also with you.”  And mean it!  Lord, I can’t resist meaning it!  I’m touched by it; I’m enveloped by it!  I find I do care about the person next to me!  I find I am involved!  And I’m scared.  O Lord, be here beside me.  You touch me, Lord, so that I can touch and be touched!  So that I can care and be cared for.  So that I can share my life with all those others that belong to you!  All this touching in church Lord, it’s changing me!    Let’s realize that loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving our neighbors as ourselves involves touching.  Be ready to touch.  Be ready to be touched.  May the presence and touch of our Lord Jesus Christ be real for each of you every day.          In God’s Peace,