Jump Start # 2716
Revelation 1:17 “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last’”
Here we are in November and the pandemic continues on. I expect most of us thought by now that this would only be a bad memory that we’d like to forget. But, here it is. Still wearing masks. Still dealing with social distancing. So many things have been cancelled. Many are just tired of all this stuff. We are ready for a massive mask burning party.
But in other times, people may have felt the same about wars. When will it end? When will our boys be coming home? Yet, the war lingered on. And, when we run thin on patience, we tend to get snappy and short with each other.
All of this brings us to our verse today. John saw the Lord in a vision. The Lord displayed His glory and majesty. Remember, John had been with Jesus for three years. He’d walked with Jesus. He had eaten with Jesus. He saw the miracles. He heard the words. He was standing at the Cross when Jesus died. He saw the Lord resurrected. He saw the Lord ascend into Heaven. But that was years ago. More than sixty years have passed. John is old. He hasn’t seen Jesus in a long, long time. Now, in this divine vision, he sees the Lord again. John falls as a dead man, the text states. Then Jesus does two things.
He speaks and assures John. He tells John not to be afraid. He reminds John of who the Lord is. But, a second thing He does is touch John. “He placed His right hand on me.” It is remarkable how many times Jesus did things like this. Jesus took the hand of Jairus’ daughter who had just died. Life came back to her. Jesus touched the eyes of the blind. He touched the lepers. Jesus touched the coffin of the dead man heading to the cemetery to be buried. The touch of Jesus’ hand.
There comes with a touch, compassion, warmth, and reassurance. We like handshakes, hugs and pats on the back. But in this season of “touchless” social distancing, how do we reaffirm our affection, devotion and compassion to one another? Some are doing fist bumps. Some are bumping elbows. Some ignore all warnings and hug anyway.
Here are a few ways to “touch” without touching:
- Send a personal note, email or text to someone.
- Call someone and have a great conversation with that person.
- Tell someone that you are saying their name to Heaven tonight.
- A simple gift or gift card shows others that you are thinking of them and have gone out of your way for them
- Engage in conversations and let others know that you are there to help them
It is important that within a congregation the expressions of love, joy and compassion continue to be demonstrated. One of the strengths of a congregation is the connections and love that people have for each other. And, when there are challenges, such as these touchless times, we have to put on our thinking caps and find ways to express, connect and share our love for each other.
Becoming disconnected from each other is an opportunity for us to float off and to float away. We are like a bunch of balloons are tied together. Our strings are wrapped around each other and it is nearly impossible to just pull one away from the others. That’s the way fellowship ought to be. Connect. Strong. United.
It is much easily to lose our focus upon the Lord when we are away from each other. When we see each other we are reminded. When we are with each other hope comes alive. But disconnected and apart, we become easy target for the lion who prowls about. Stay close to each other. Stay focused. Watch out for each other. That’s what these times calls for.
Touching in a touchless season—it’s tough, but it can be done.
Roger