Sermon Title: Touch
"While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.” Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."
One way God shows us His love is through the power of touch. We see this in the story of Jacob, wrestling with God, and receiving His blessing through the touching of his hip (Genesis 32:25-30). Moses was also physically touched and his body responded with a great glow that surrounded his face (Exodus 34:29-33). And we certainly see the power of touch in Jesus ministry, as He healed a blind man through His touch (John 9:11), blessed children through touching them (Mark 10:15-16) and the healing of the leper in the Scripture above.
God can use us to bless others through our physical, loving touches. Through our touches, we can connect with others in a powerful way. And by connecting with them in such a way, God can use us to help transform their lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Our physical touch can be used by God to not only connect others to us, but also to connect them to Him. Do not forget to convey your love for others through this very powerful means of communication - today, there are people in your life that need a loving, physical touch. You can provide that and ultimately connect them to the love of God.
This coming Sunday, we will talk more about the power of touch and its ability to connect, change and charge our lives as we conclude the sermon series, "Love Languages: Five Ways to Give and Receive Love." Hope to see you then!
