Jesus asked, “Who touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and press in on you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out from me.” ~ Luke 8:45-46
Note: This meditation mixes various times, places, and people and I set it in the present. I have changed all names.
What is the apex of our week? When do we expend the greatest amount of energy? What activities give us life and which activities drain us of life? Do some interactions with people and our environment energize us and exhaust us at the same time?
For me, Sunday morning is the climax of my week. I wake up early, sit in a sacred chair, light a candle, and consent to God’s loving presence. I pray that Grace will renew and transform all of us. I walk to the church before anyone arrives. Open the doors, turn on the lights, crack the windows, set up chairs for the kids in the hall, make sure the restrooms are fully stocked, and if I have time, I sit again in my office to center myself for the coming worship service.
I go back to the parsonage, eat breakfast, and then put my “church” clothes on. When I return to our sanctuary, the hive starts to slowly hum. Musicians usually arrive at odd intervals. They’re tuning their instruments and shooting the breeze. Musicians… I check my watch, and I want to say, “Hey, you have less than thirty-five minutes to prepare three songs.” But week after week, they play and sing beautiful music which touches the soul. They have a routine which works for them, and I have mine. We learn to trust and lean into each other’s gifts. Isn’t that life?
I check my mike and prepare a cup of coffee, and then the people start arriving. Billy walks in and wants to know if I think Bo Nix will be the quarterback the Broncos have been looking for since Petyon Manning left. We end up talking about patience and the need to let players develop slowly but NFL teams and fans want instant success.
I am glad the church has given me twenty years to become a pastor, and I am still learning every year. “Always we begin again,” St. Benedict said. Luckily, God is patient with us as we learn to play the game of life. Thank God for forgiveness when we throw interceptions and fumble the ball.
A few parishioners trickle in, we shake hands, hug, and greet one another. Then there is a long silence. I wonder if anyone is coming to church today. Then about three minutes before we start, the hive starts buzzing as cars and vans and pedestrians fly in from the Four Corners.
The line at the coffee pot lengthens. Meredith wants to know if I’ve seen her pink water bottle. I go and look at flowers with someone else. Al wants to know when we are having another potluck. Kara and I compare the Moondog Café to the Absolute Bakery and Café. We’re both glad to have another place to eat in town. I talk about books with half a dozen people. “Check out Doris Kearns Goodwin’s latest book, An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960’s.”
Little kids run into church, and I pray that they do not knock any of us “old folks” over. As they scamper by me, they yell, “Can we light the candles, Pastor Craig?” “Of course!” What a joy to have childlike wonder and enthusiasm for life. Ted returns, “Can I ring the bell, Pastor Craig?” “Yes, you can.” He pulls on the bell with all his heart, soul, and strength. The pure ringing sound moves across the neighborhood.
Ed wants to know about our furnace repairs and Edith thinks we need to clean out our storage closets again. Martha asks me to pray for her grandmother who is moving into assisted living. I say “yes” to everything but ask everyone to remind me what I said because I will forget by the time the service is over.
I grab two kids to light the candles and the two children that I told that they could light the candles look at me with sad eyes. Their parents mitigate the damage, and we say they can light the candles next time.
I tell the kids to walk slowly next to each other. “You are carrying in the light of God.” They bring the light in with sacred joy and reverence and the hive becomes very still and quiet. We are in the Holy Presence, and the little angels bring good news of great joy for all the people (see Luke 2:10).
We pray, we sing, we laugh, we cry, we wonder, we question, and we fall in love again. We bless one another as we walk out the doors and into the world. When I get back home, I am full of light and love, and I am exhausted.
Every day our energy rises and falls. Sometimes we push through, sometimes we get irritated and mad, and sometimes we rest when our energy is low. How attentive are we to the ebb and flow of life’s energy within us?
Jesus walks through a crowd of people; they are pressing in on him. A woman who has been bleeding for twelve years, desperately wants healing. She touches the fringe of his clothes, and Jesus asks, “Who touched me?”
His disciples say everyone is touching you. And Jesus says, “Someone touched me; for I noticed that power had gone out of me,” (Luke 8:46). Wayne Muller writes, “Deeply mindful of the flow of his life force, Jesus could feel the expenditure of energy in every encounter.”
How mindful are we of the life energy we expend and receive throughout the day? Do we intentionally take time to rest or replenish our energy? Do we rest in the Spirit of Life?
“Rest is an essential enzyme of life, as necessary as air. We refuse to rest at our peril,” writes Muller.
When Jesus got tired, he rested. After the loving, healing energy flowed from him, he found a quiet place to rest, to pray, to let God’s Spirit renew and replenish his spirit and his soul.
May we be more attentive to the life-giving energy which flows in and out of us throughout our days. May we rest when needed and let God’s loving energy restore our souls and may we share that healing energy with those we encounter.
Blessings and peace,
Craig