Touching the hem

A few years ago I had to meet with a very important member of the Church of England clergy. I knew he was important because he told me that he was! Not only that, but told me that he was far too important to have to meet with me to discuss my potential training opportunities and that I was wasting his very valuable time by being before him. (really, he did!)

During the course of our discussion this highly (self) rated gentleman asked me what my favourite passage in the Bible was. My response was that it was Mark five's account of the woman with the discharge of blood. For those of you who don't recall it, here it is:

"A great crowd followed him and thronged about him. And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.” And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my garments?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, ‘Who touched me?’” And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

The exalted vessel of God asked my why I liked this passage. My response was that if I could pastor people who had the courage in the midst of their desperation to touch the hem of Jesus' garment I would consider myself a blessed man indeed.

His response was, "And what will you do when you have run a church for five years and seen no growth, only decline?" I really wanted to say, "I'll become a clergyman like you!" but he apparently held the keys to my training for ministry and so I merely replied that I would cross that bridge should I ever come to it!" (Yep, I wimped out for a change and managed to keep my tongue stilled)

May those who read this blog be touched and encouraged that, whatever need they have, that they have only to touch the hem of His garment today - nothing clever, nothing theological - just audaciously reaching out and connecting with God in the very simplest of ways possible.