Touch

From the doorway I watched as he stood next to his father’s bed. Not wanting to interrupt, I stood silently as he took lotion and rubbed it into his father’s feet.  Feet that could no longer walk. Feet that were calloused from years of living inside boots. Nails that were thick and hard. It was a tender ritual—a sensuous act of deep respect and lifelong love. There was a peaceful expression on the father’s face. His body relaxed as his son tended his toes. Witnessing the last days of this man’s life, I wondered about its beginning. I wondered about those feet when they were newly born, soft and tender, kissed by his mama and held in her hands. These kinds of touch nourish and tend spirits from generation to generation.

Research indicates that touch is essential to human development and well being. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus heals people by touching them.  In this verse, as Jesus proves that his incarnation is still real and even more relevant post resurrection—we are reminded how the power of human touch carries within it divine love and how the flesh and blood of Jesus continues to be made known today.

God of Flesh and Bones, help us to touch with your love–softly, tenderly and appropriately–in ways that stimulate life giving hope. Amen.

Rev. Karen Locken, LCM Board Member 2013-2019

Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.

Luke 24:30