Robert T. Young - "The Power of Touch" (June 30, 1985)

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	(slow music playing)	0:04
	(organ playing)	0:34
	(organ playing upbeat song)	1:42
	(ethereal choir voices singing with organ)	2:13
	(organ playing a softer tune)	4:01
	(voices singing softly with organ)	4:20
	(organ playing quick tune)	7:18
	(men and women singing together)	7:26
	(organ playing fast tune)	9:33
-	We welcome you this morning to	11:47
	this service of worship at Duke Chapel.	11:49
	We gave been led to worship by the	11:51
	Coral Ambassadors, talented young people	11:54
	from Fort Lauderdale, Florida	11:57
	and we thank them for being our guest choir today.	11:59
	Our guest preacher is no stranger to the pulpit	12:04
	of Duke Chapel, he is the reverend doctor Robert Young	12:09
	who led this chapel in worship for ten years.	12:13
	We welcome Dr. Young back to Duke	12:18
	and also his family, who with us today,	12:22
	they will be the guest of the congregation	12:25
	at Duke Chapel for luncheon immediately	12:28
	after today's service.	12:31
	If you're visiting with us today,	12:34
	we're glad you're here and we	12:36
	bid you to join us now as we continue to worship.	12:38
	(organ playing upbeat tune)	12:50
	(ethereal singing with organ)	13:20
-	Let us pray.	16:33
	Open our hearts and minds, oh God.	16:36
	By the power of your holy spirit	16:39
	so that as the word is read and proclaimed,	16:42
	we might hear with joy what you say to us this day, amen.	16:45
	The first lesson is taken from the second book of Samuel.	16:52
	David, again, gathered all the chosen men of Israel.	16:57
	30,000.	17:00
	And David arose and went with all the people	17:03
	who were with him from Baale Judah	17:06
	to bring up there the arc of God,	17:09
	which is called by the name Allah, Lord of Host,	17:11
	who sits in throne on the cherubim.	17:15
	And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart	17:18
	and brought it out of the house of Abinadab,	17:21
	which was on the hill.	17:24
	And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab,	17:26
	were driving the new cart, with the ark of God,	17:31
	and Ahio went before the ark.	17:34
	And David and all the house of Israel were making merry	17:38
	before the Lord, with all of their might	17:40
	with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines	17:43
	and castanets and cymbals.	17:47
	And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon,	17:50
	Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of	17:53
	it, for the oxen stumbled and the anger of the Lord	17:57
	was kindled against Uzzah,	18:01
	and God smolt him there because he put	18:03
	forth his hand to the ark and he	18:05
	died there beside the ark of God.	18:07
	And David was angry because the Lord had broken forth	18:09
	upon Uzzah and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.	18:12
	And David was afraid of the Lord that day,	18:19
	and he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?"	18:21
	So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord	18:25
	into the city of David.	18:28
	But David took it aside to the	18:29
	house of Obed-edom, the Gittite.	18:31
	And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom	18:35
	the Gittite three months, and the Lord blessed	18:38
	Obed-edom and all his household.	18:41
	And it was told King David,	18:46
	"The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom	18:48
	and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God."	18:51
	So David went and brought up the ark of God	18:55
	from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David	18:58
	with rejoicing and when those who bore the ark of the Lord	19:01
	had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling	19:05
	And David danced before the Lord with all his might.	19:10
	And David was girded with a linen ephod.	19:13
	So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark	19:16
	of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.	19:18
	This ends the reading of the first lesson.	19:23
	(organ playing slow song)	19:27
	(choir and audience singing with organ)	19:52
	The second lesson is taking from Paul's	22:46
	second letter to the Corinthians.	22:48
	Now as you excel in everything, in faith, in utterance,	22:52
	in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in your love for	22:56
	us, see that you excel in this gracious work also.	23:01
	I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness	23:07
	of others that your love also is genuine.	23:12
	For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,	23:16
	that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,	23:19
	so that by his poverty you might become rich.	23:24
	And in this matter, I give my advice:	23:28
	it is best for you now to complete what a year ago you began	23:31
	not only to do but to desire, so that your readiness in	23:35
	desiring it may be matched by your	23:39
	completing it out of what you have.	23:42
	For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable	23:45
	according to what a man has,	23:49
	not according to what he has not.	23:51
	I do not mean that others should be eased	23:54
	and you burdened, but that as a matter of equality	23:56
	your abundance at the present time should supply their want,	24:01
	so that their abundance may supply your want,	24:06
	that there may be equality as it is written,	24:10
	"He who gathered much had nothing over, and he	24:15
	who gathered little had no lack."	24:19
	This ends the reading of the second lesson.	24:22
	(organ playing soft tune)	24:33
	(men in choir singing)	24:38
	Before I read the gospel lesson,	26:48
	may I say just a word of deep appreciation	26:52
	for the privilege of being here this morning.	26:55
	Well to you and Nancy, my thanks for the	27:01
	invitation to come, to preach here again,	27:05
	and I must say to you this morning that	27:10
	it's just as awesome and frightening now	27:12
	as it was the first Sunday I stood here.	27:13
	But it is good to be here.	27:17
	To be with you and to worship God together.	27:20
	It's also a special honor, Will, to be	27:24
	apart of the 50th anniversary celebration	27:26
	services and activities that you have planned for this year.	27:29
	My prayer is that it will indeed be a year of celebration	27:33
	and joy and much thanks giving for the 50	27:37
	years of ministry that this chapel has had	27:41
	and will continue to have.	27:43
	So my prayers will be with you and all	27:46
	who are apart of the services and activities here.	27:48
	It's also good to be in an air conditioned sanctuary.	27:52
	(laughing)	27:55
	Some of you know where of I speak.	27:58
	I see Alice Clelin sitting over here,	28:01
	she has probably sweater in this place	28:03
	with her late husband, the dean of the chapel	28:06
	Jim Clelin and other friends probably	28:09
	more than anyone else here.	28:12
	So I'm sure Alice, you share the joy	28:15
	of this cool place as all of us do.	28:17
	It is a joy to be here.	28:21
	It's good to be back home and it's	28:22
	good to be among friends many of whom	28:25
	I have seen already and others I	28:28
	look forward to greeting after the service.	28:30
	It is a joy to be apart of this occasion.	28:33
	Let us now hear the word of God as it is	28:38
	found in the gospel according to Mark	28:42
	chapter five, beginning with verse 21.	28:44
	And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat	28:50
	to the other side, a great crowd gathered around him;	28:52
	and he was by the sea.	28:56
	Then came one of the leaders of the synagogue, Jairus	29:00
	by name and seeing Jesus, he fell at his feet	29:02
	and besot him saying, "My little daughter is at the point	29:08
	of death, come and lay your hands on her,	29:12
	so that she may be made well, and live."	29:16
	And Jesus went with him.	29:20
	And a great crowd followed him and thronged about him.	29:22
	And there was a woman who had had	29:25
	a flow of blood for twelve years	29:27
	and who had suffered much under many physicians	29:30
	and had spent all that she had and was no better.	29:32
	But rather grew worse.	29:37
	She had heard the reports about Jesus	29:40
	and came up behind him in the crowd	29:42
	and touched his garment for she said,	29:43
	"If I touch even his garments I shall be made well."	29:46
	and immediately the hemorrhage ceased and she	29:53
	felt in her body that she was healed of her disease.	29:55
	And Jesus perceiving in himself that power had	30:00
	gone forth from him immediately,	30:03
	turned about in the crowd and said,	30:04
	"Who touched my garments?"	30:06
	and his disciples said to him,	30:09
	"You see this crowd pressing around you	30:10
	and yet you say, "Who touched me?"	30:12
	and he looked around to see who had done it	30:15
	but the woman, knowing what had been done to her	30:18
	came in fear and trembling and fell down	30:20
	before him and told him the whole truth.	30:23
	And he said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.	30:27
	Go in peace and be healed of your disease."	30:32
	While he was still speaking, there came from	30:38
	the rulers house some who said, "Your daughter is dead."	30:40
	"Why trouble the teacher any further?"	30:45
	But ignoring what they said, Jesus said	30:48
	to the ruler of the synagogue,	30:51
	"Do not fear, only believe."	30:52
	And he allowed no one to follow him except	30:57
	Peter, and James, and John the brother of James.	30:58
	When they came to the house of the ruler of	31:03
	the synagogue, he saw a tumult and people were	31:04
	weeping and wailing loudly.	31:07
	And when he had entered he said to them,	31:10
	"Why do you make such a tumult and weep?"	31:12
	"The child is not dead but sleeping."	31:14
	and they laughed at him.	31:17
	But he put them all outside and took the child's	31:21
	father and mother and those who were	31:23
	with him and went in where the child was,	31:25
	taking her by the hand, he said to her,	31:27
	"Talitha Kumi" which means, little girl,	31:30
	I say to you, arise and immediately the	31:35
	girl got up and walked for she was 12	31:38
	years old and immediately they were	31:41
	overcome with amazement and he strictly	31:44
	charged them that no one should know this,	31:47
	and told them to give her something to eat.	31:50
	The word of God, for the people of God	31:57
	and let us all say Amen.	31:59
	Amen.	32:04
	There is power in touch.	32:06
	That's the theme of what I'd like to share with you today.	32:11
	You know that.	32:15
	I know that.	32:17
	We just need to be reminded	32:20
	and need to remind ourselves occasionally of that.	32:21
	The power and touch that I would like to talk	32:27
	about this morning is God's power.	32:29
	The love and power and presence	32:34
	and healing touch of Jesus the Christ.	32:36
	The gospel lesson which we just heard	32:40
	for today shows us the power of Jesus touch.	32:43
	Jairus daughter, whom he took by the hand	32:48
	and made well, even to the point of telling	32:54
	them to give her something to eat.	32:57
	The woman with the flow of blood who did not	33:00
	touch Jesus body but touched, simply,	33:03
	the hem of his garment	33:06
	and was made well.	33:11
	There are, I believe, some principles.	33:14
	Some holy principles of how God acts,	33:16
	and who God is, and what God wills at stake	33:19
	in this message and in these stories in Mark's gospel.	33:22
	The principles are these:	33:28
	One, we have to believe that God's will is	33:29
	for wholeness and health, for healing and goodness.	33:33
	For wellness of body, mind, and spirit.	33:37
	For each and every human being, for every one of us.	33:41
	The second principal is that we have to have	33:45
	faith that God's power, the power of touch can	33:47
	and will come and make us whole.	33:52
	The third principal is that we have to be willing to risk,	33:55
	to take a chance, to trust, to put ourselves in the	33:59
	care of someone else, someone with a little s	34:02
	or someone with a capital S, if you will.	34:05
	But first, let's look at the power of touch that	34:11
	people experienced with and from Jesus, if you will.	34:13
	Jesus must have been known widely and well as one	34:17
	who's touch had power, real power, healing power,	34:21
	life giving and life sustaining power	34:24
	because the gospel's are full of examples of how	34:27
	Jesus touched people and made them whole.	34:30
	In one place in the gospel's we're told that	34:35
	all those who had any who were sick with various	34:37
	diseases brought them to him and he laid his hands	34:40
	on every one of them,	34:44
	every one of them and healed them.	34:47
	In another place we're told about the leper	34:52
	who was brought to Jesus.	34:55
	Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him	34:56
	and the leper was healed.	34:59
	In another place, we're told that the crowd	35:01
	sought to touch Jesus for power came	35:03
	forth from him and healed them all.	35:06
	The son of the widow of Nain	35:13
	touched Jesus	35:16
	simply touched the coffin of the dead man.	35:19
	The funeral session halted, Jesus told the	35:23
	dead man to rise up and he did simply by the	35:26
	power of touching the bier, if you will.	35:30
	There was a woman who had a spirit of	35:35
	infirmity for 17 years, whom he touched	35:36
	and said, "You are free from your illness."	35:40
	There's a story of Peter's ear being cut off.	35:46
	Peter cutting off the ear of the slave.	35:50
	Jesus told Peter, "No more of this, no more violence."	35:54
	and took the ear and placed it back	35:59
	on the slaves head and he was made well.	36:02
	Healing by touch was common place for Jesus.	36:06
	Even the disciples in the book of Acts, we're told,	36:10
	also had the power to heal by touch.	36:13
	And so the power of touch has been a part	36:16
	of the Christian tradition from the very beginning.	36:18
	It is real to all of us but we don't just always realize it.	36:20
	There are, we are told, three different kinds of touch	36:26
	and we all know this as well, three different kinds	36:29
	of touch that we experience.	36:32
	There is the strictly external touch which	36:34
	comes to us skin to skin, contact we have	36:37
	with another human being, with another that	36:40
	comes in many ways, it may be a kiss,	36:42
	or it may be a kick, or it may	36:46
	be a caress or it may be a push.	36:48
	And then there is the experience when	36:51
	something external touches something inside us.	36:53
	And we are moved.	36:58
	The look of love, the sound of music	36:59
	as from the choir this morning.	37:02
	The smell of cedar wood burning in the fireplace,	37:05
	the aroma of a cake baking in the oven.	37:08
	Something outside which stimulates something	37:10
	inside us and we are touched.	37:13
	And then there is the strictly internal experience	37:15
	of touch, where the touch is holy within.	37:17
	We feel our heartbeat, we feel our headache,	37:21
	we feel our spirit stirring inside.	37:27
	Three different ways we experience touch,	37:31
	and I'm convinced that God, through the	37:33
	power of Christ, can heal us through any one or all three	37:35
	of these ways in which you and I are touched.	37:40
	I wanna ask you this morning,	37:44
	have you ever had an experience of being healed by touch?	37:48
	Have you?	37:57
	Anybody?	38:00
	Have you ever been healed by the touch from someone else?	38:02
	My guess is that your immediate response is to say no.	38:07
	But I'd like to suggest this morning that	38:13
	unless I am badly mistaken, every one of us here	38:16
	this morning has experienced healing by touch.	38:20
	And that, my friends, is God's grace working	38:28
	through us to bring wholeness back to us.	38:31
	Have you ever had a tension headache	38:35
	that settle in the back of your neck	38:37
	and somebody took the time to rub it and relax	38:40
	those muscles and the headache goes away?	38:43
	Have you ever had a cramp in the back of your leg?	38:47
	Or in your thigh?	38:50
	And either you touched it and rubbed it and	38:54
	helped the muscles relax and it go away.	38:57
	Or someone else did.	39:01
	Have you ever had a broken bone and someone else	39:04
	take the time and had the talent and the skill	39:06
	to pull those bones back into place so	39:08
	that healing could take place?	39:11
	Have you ever felt down and depressed and lonely	39:16
	and unloved and had someone touch you with	39:19
	a look of tenderness and gentleness and caring and	39:23
	help make you whole again?	39:28
	Have you ever felt discouraged and saddened or	39:31
	broken hearted and defeated and had someone heal you by	39:34
	saying just the right word that you	39:39
	needed to help put you together again?	39:42
	Have you ever felt as if no one really cared for you	39:47
	and felt as if life really was not worth very much	39:49
	and then your life, for some mysterious reason,	39:54
	was touched by a phone call or a card or a note or a letter?	39:57
	And suddenly wholeness began to come back to you again.	40:03
	You see, we have so spiritualized the stories of Jesus	40:07
	power of touch, that we are often unaware of the	40:12
	beautiful healing ways that God touches us day by day	40:15
	and moment by moment through words, or sounds, or looks,	40:20
	or letters, or pictures, or calls,	40:26
	or prayers, or by physical touch.	40:29
	And I'm convinced that Jesus healed by using	40:32
	the power of touch in every way possible.	40:36
	His words have the power of touch in them.	40:40
	His look had the power of touch in it.	40:46
	His expressions, his gestures, his feelings,	40:51
	his emotions had the power of touch in them.	40:55
	We would say today that his body language had power in it.	40:59
	His whole being, his whole self, his demeanor, his	41:04
	lifestyle, his preaching, his teaching, all conveyed	41:09
	the healing, life giving power of touch and just like	41:14
	Jesus, my friends, we touch each other every day.	41:21
	With our words, our looks, our	41:28
	gestures,	41:31
	our feelings, our bodies.	41:34
	The concern that I think we need always to keep before us	41:39
	is to let the power of touch which	41:44
	emanates from us to another.	41:46
	Always, if at all possible, be a healing	41:49
	rather than a hurtful touch	41:53
	or we can indeed hurt	41:57
	or heal through touch.	41:59
	You can put down or you can lift up.	42:04
	You can put together or you can tear apart.	42:08
	You can make someone's life or you can break	42:15
	someone's life by the way you touch it.	42:20
	Often just a word,	42:24
	a word when you say to somebody else, you are no good.	42:27
	Or a word when you say, I love you.	42:32
	A look.	42:38
	A smile of compassion and tenderness.	42:41
	Or a frown of condemnation.	42:47
	A gesture.	42:51
	Open arms.	42:53
	Or a gesture of rejection.	42:56
	A physical touch, your hand can be either	43:02
	clenched and express anger	43:06
	or it can be open	43:09
	and show acceptance and affirmation.	43:12
	There is power in touch, power to build up or	43:15
	power to tear down, power to hurt or power to heal.	43:19
	Jane M. Wiler tell us	43:23
	that touch is one language of love.	43:25
	It is.	43:30
	The power of touch is incredible,	43:32
	it's mysterious but it is very very real.	43:35
	We really do not know why or how touch heals,	43:40
	we only know that it does, you know that and I know that.	43:45
	So we go back now to the three principles at stake	43:51
	in the healing power of Gods touch.	43:54
	We have to believe that God's will is for wholeness.	43:58
	You say, "Why do we have to believe that?"	44:03
	Well my friends, what else is there	44:05
	for us to believe about God?	44:07
	What else do we dare to believe?	44:12
	What kind of God is God if God's will is for anything	44:15
	other than (track skipping)	44:20
	God wills life, joy, freedom, peace, salvation	44:22
	and that is the truth and it is for us	44:26
	to believe it and internalize it.	44:30
	Second is that we have to have faith that God's	44:35
	power can and will make us whole and I want to be very	44:37
	very careful here, my friends.	44:40
	Because back home in the church we now serve,	44:43
	we have one of the most beautiful	44:45
	young women I've ever known who will not get well.	44:47
	Her mother and father were killed in an automobile accident	44:52
	about six weeks ago and she has terminal cancer,	44:55
	she's 38 years old and it breaks my heart every	44:59
	time I go in and go from that hospital room.	45:03
	So I want to be very very careful here.	45:07
	Because I do not believe that if you only have	45:10
	faith you will be healed or	45:13
	delivered or spared pain or suffering.	45:14
	Jesus had faith and he had to go through death on the cross.	45:19
	He was not healed,	45:25
	he was, however, made whole.	45:28
	We want, all of us do, all of us want for ourselves	45:32
	and our loved ones to be healed in this life,	45:36
	in the here and the now but healing	45:39
	may never come in this life.	45:42
	But wholeness can and will come to any of us who	45:45
	open ourselves truly and freely to God's love	45:50
	and God's grace and let that spirit come into	45:54
	us and fill our lives and make us whole.	45:56
	That's why, my friends, when you go see someone	45:58
	who has a permanent lifetime handicapping condition,	46:01
	or you go to see someone who is terminally ill	46:06
	and you think you're going in to make them	46:09
	feel better and because of their wholeness	46:11
	of body, mind, and spirit, you leave that room,	46:13
	or that place, or that house.	46:16
	You leave that encounter with that person	46:18
	who is whole, in spite of his or her illness	46:20
	or handicapping condition.	46:23
	You leave their being made more whole because	46:24
	of the wholeness that God has given to that person.	46:28
	We may not be healed in this life, but by the power,	46:34
	and grace, and love of God,	46:39
	we will be made whole.	46:41
	Third thing is, we have to be willing to risk,	46:48
	to take a chance, to, as Paul said,	46:51
	"Be a fool for Christ's sake."	46:54
	For this real power of God to touch us.	46:57
	Look at the faith and the risk that these two people had.	47:01
	You can say, well Jairus didn't have anything to lose	47:04
	because his daughter, they told him, was at the point	47:07
	of death and then they told him she had already died	47:09
	but he didn't have anything more to lose than to believe	47:12
	in Jesus and put his trust is Jesus,	47:15
	he had everything to lose.	47:16
	Here was one of the rulers of the synagogue,	47:18
	he had his reputation and his power and his	47:20
	prestige and all of the success that he had in life,	47:23
	why would Jairus succumb or submit himself	47:27
	to someone else and ask for healing	47:30
	or for anything from anybody else?	47:32
	He had everything to lose.	47:33
	You can say, well the woman who had a flow of blood	47:36
	for 17 years didn't have anything to lose.	47:38
	She had everything to lose.	47:40

Pastor #1	In those days a woman	0:03
	didn't dare go out in public	0:04
	except with her husband,	0:06
	and a woman didn't dare present herself to a man.	0:09
	A woman wouldn't dare even touch a man at all.	0:12
	And yet this woman	0:16
	dared to risk being in public alone	0:19
	reaching out and touching Jesus;	0:23
	she had everything to lose.	0:25
	She had all that society had that day	0:26
	she had at stake.	0:29
	And yet they were willing to risk.	0:32
	How daring and bold,	0:35
	how risky were their moves,	0:38
	and how absolutely necessary is it for us	0:40
	to be willing to make the same kinds of risks	0:44
	if we hope to gain	0:48
	the end result of being made whole.	0:50
	We have to be willing to put ourselves	0:53
	totally and completely	0:56
	in the power and in the grace	0:58
	and in the caring of someone else.	1:00
	Sometimes that someone is with a little s,	1:05
	and sometimes that someone	1:09
	is with a capital S.	1:12
	There is power in touch.	1:15
	It's not just coincidental that Jesus	1:18
	felt the touch of this woman,	1:22
	nor that he touched the little girl	1:24
	and made her come back to life.	1:26
	Then and now,	1:31
	there is unbelievable and incredible,	1:34
	and yes, inexplicable	1:38
	power in touch.	1:41
	For all of us there are moments of touch.	1:45
	From a friend or a mate or a child or a parent,	1:49
	from a doctor or a nurse, a roommate,	1:54
	or even from a stranger, there is a touch	1:58
	that will heal or make us whole	2:03
	and endure and sustain.	2:08
	Long after that person may have gone out of sight	2:11
	and long after the words	2:14
	may have fallen from our ears,	2:17
	we will still feel and know	2:20
	the power of that touch.	2:22
	There is blessing in touch.	2:28
	There is grace in touch.	2:31
	There is love in touch.	2:35
	There is wholeness for you and me	2:39
	in the touch which comes from God.	2:44
	And to God be the glory	2:49
	and the power and the majesty	2:50
	now and forever more.	2:52
	And let the people say amen and amen.	2:55
Pastor #2	Let us rise and affirm our faith.	3:12
	I believe in God the Father Almighty,	3:20
	maker of heaven and earth,	3:24
	and in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord,	3:26
	who is conceived by the Holy Spirit,	3:30
	born of the Virgin Mary,	3:33
	suffered under Pontius Pilate,	3:35
	was crucified dead and buried.	3:38
	The third day He rose from the dead.	3:40
	He ascended into heaven	3:43
	and sitteth at the right hand	3:45
	of God the Father Almighty.	3:47
	From thence He shall come	3:49
	to judge the quick and the dead.	3:51
	I believe in the Holy Spirit,	3:54
	the Holy Catholic Church,	3:56
	the communion of saints,	3:58
	the forgiveness of sins,	4:00
	the resurrection of the body,	4:02
	and the life everlasting.	4:04
	Amen.	4:07
	(organ music)	4:15
	(congregation sings)	4:38
Pastor #2	Gracious God,	7:11
	having come into your presence,	7:13
	having heard your word,	7:16
	having felt the healing touch	7:18
	of your presence upon our disordered lives,	7:21
	we now intercede for others.	7:25
	We pray that the world may live in peace.	7:30
	We intercede for the American hostages,	7:35
	and for their captors.	7:39
	For Lebanese of every religion	7:41
	and political conviction,	7:44
	that they might lay down their arms	7:46
	and work as fervently for peace	7:48
	as they have made war.	7:50
	We pray for all ministers and teachers of the church,	7:55
	that they may be faithful servants of the Gospel,	8:00
	leading others to your truth	8:03
	and strengthening their faith.	8:05
	Particularly we pray for the ministry	8:08
	of your servant Robert Young,	8:10
	giving thanks for his witness	8:11
	here in this chapel	8:14
	and asking for your blessing	8:16
	upon his continuing ministry.	8:17
	We pray for the leaders of this nation,	8:23
	asking for them the patience to pursue	8:26
	peaceful means of settling international crises,	8:29
	and courage in the face of shrill calls	8:34
	for retribution and violence.	8:37
	We pray for those who are sick,	8:42
	for those who are facing serious surgery,	8:45
	those who are confronting the choice	8:50
	of whether or not to place someone they love	8:51
	within a nursing home or an institution	8:54
	for the mentally ill.	8:57
	As Lord of the Healing Touch,	9:01
	we know your compassion for those	9:04
	who suffer in body or spirit.	9:06
	We pray for families on vacation,	9:11
	blessed time of rest from the rigors	9:15
	of routine and daily toil.	9:17
	May they be recreated in your image,	9:20
	rediscovering one another	9:25
	and the beauties of nature	9:28
	and the fun of far-away places	9:29
	and time to relax and enjoy.	9:32
	We pray for the poor,	9:37
	the millions who are hungry.	9:39
	Countless mothers who see their children	9:42
	perish from disease and hunger,	9:45
	brothers and sisters for whom	9:48
	this good world is reduced to unending misery.	9:50
	How absurd is it of us, oh God,	9:58
	to come to you with such boldness,	10:03
	such a list of impossible petitions.	10:06
	No more absurd, dear God,	10:11
	than Jairus coming to Jesus	10:14
	asking for the healing touch	10:16
	for his beloved daughter.	10:18
	We come in such bold, presumptuous faith,	10:21
	asking the same healing touch which made her whole,	10:26
	that it might also heal our troubled world.	10:32
	Amen.	10:38
	And now let us respond of the goodness of God	10:41
	with our gifts for the work of God.	10:44
	(choir sings)	11:15
	(organ music)	13:55
	(congregation sings)	17:01
Pastor #3	Eternal God,	18:01
	who dwells in high places	18:03
	as well as the hearts of those who are humble.	18:05
	We have gathered once again gratefully	18:08
	to acknowledge the healing power	18:11
	of thy touch in our lives.	18:13
	Our spirits rejoice	18:16
	at the abundance of thy blessings.	18:17
	Thy goodness hath created us,	18:20
	thy patience hath borne with us,	18:22
	thy love hath redeemed us.	18:25
	Give us heart to love and serve thee,	18:28
	and enable us to show our gratitude	18:32
	by giving our lives completely	18:34
	unto thy service.	18:37
	These things we pray	18:39
	in the name of Jesus Christ,	18:40
	who taught us to pray with confidence.	18:42
	Our Father,	18:46
	who art in Heaven.	18:47
	Hallowed be thy name.	18:49
	Thy kingdom come,	18:51
	thy will be done,	18:53
	on earth as it is in heaven.	18:54
	Give us this day our daily bread,	18:57
	and forgive us our trespasses,	19:00
	as we forgive those who trespass against us,	19:02
	and lead us not into temptation,	19:06
	but deliver us from evil.	19:09
	For thine is the kingdom,	19:11
	the power and the glory,	19:13
	forever.	19:15
	Amen.	19:17
	(organ music)	19:22
	(congregation sings)	19:50
Pastor #2	The Lord bless you and keep you,	22:40
	Lord make his face to shine upon you	22:42
	and be gracious under you.	22:44
	The Lord lift up his countenance upon you	22:46
	and grant you peace.	22:49
	(choir sings)	22:59
	(organ music)	24:42
	(indistinct crowd sounds)	28:05
	(organ music)	28:23
	(indistinct crowd sounds)	30:18

Item Info

Title:

Robert T. Young - "The Power of Touch" (June 30, 1985)

Description:

Sermon start time: (Part 1) 26:49. Sermon end time: (Part 2) 2:59:23.
The healing and powerful touch of Jesus Christ is evident in the gospel stories of miraculous healings. Yet, we tend to over-spiritualize those stories and fail to see how we also experience this same powerful touch on our everyday lives. We experience this healing through each other's touch, comfort, presence and comapny. Just like the people who sought out Jesus, we must also be willing to risk it all to achieve this wholeness, willing to surrender control and put ourselves in the power and grace of someone else. (Abstract created by Duke Divinity School staff.)
Key quotation: "Just like Jesus, we touch each other every day, With our words, our looks, our gestures, our feelings, our bodies. The concern that I think we need always to keep before us is to let the power of touch which emanates from us to another Always, if at all possible, be a healing rather than a hurtful touch for we can indeed hurt or heal through touch.”

Permalink:

https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/r40v89x8d

Date:

June 30, 1985

Speaker:

Young, Robert T., 1935-2009

Liturgical Calendar:

Ordinary Time

Biblical Book:

Chapter and Verse:

Subject:

Contributor:

Duke University. Chapel

Identifier:

UA.17.01.0003 CS-0274
ref8069_yxa
uachapelsermaud
duke:320979
dcrau001261
ark:/87924/r40v89x8d
2ee601d2-ee74-445c-a7a3-36fa62ddb7b9

Digital Collection:

Duke Chapel Recordings

Source Collection:

Duke University Chapel recordings

Language:

English

Location:

United States
North Carolina
Durham (N.C.)

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Provenance:

The Duke University Chapel Recordings were transferred to the Duke University Archives beginning in 1970.

Rights:

Limited Re-Use

Educational Use Permitted

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