The Touch of God

Luke 18:15-17

People were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them; and when the disciples saw it, they sternly ordered them not to do it. But Jesus called for them and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”

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Come on, come on, come on, come on
Now touch me, baby
Can't you see that I am not afraid?
What was that promise that you made?
Why won't you tell me what she said?
What was that promise that you made?

I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I
I'm gonna love you
Till the heavens stop the rain
I'm gonna love you
Till the stars fall from the sky for you and I

"Touch Me" by The Doors

I can't tell you when it started, it was probably longer ago than anyone would care to imagine, but touching is getting a bad rap. I read recently that some consider "hugging" to be a "gateway contact" to sex. Some even advocate what is known as the "Christian Side Hug," a shoulder-to-shoulder hug where the only embrace is hand to upper arm. A brief squeeze is permitted with the Christian Side Hug, but one day someone is going to hug too hard or too long and the whole thing will need to be reevaluated.

In Christ is the manifested grip of God on our lives. God's hold on us is embodied in Jesus' touch. There is something pure in God's touch, something that is often missing in our time. There is an innocence that is shared between the arms of God and these children that is sorely lacking in our time.

Jesus says that “whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.” So we are all supposed to receive the kingdom with the innocence of the infants handed to the Lord by their mothers. We are called to come in a purity and innocence that our lives betray. But we are still supposed to come. We may never come in such purity, but it is still how we are called to come.

Jim Morrison sings of how he's going to love you. He sings that he is going to love till the heavens stop the rain and till the stars fall from the sky. He loves and holds, it is another way to envision a holy touch.

Morrison exuded sexuality, this is true. But when we examine God's love in touch, we can see what that means to us in Jim's words. We must remember though, Jim's words are meant for grown-ups who want to act like grown-ups. Jesus' words are meant for people who want to be children of God. For that, we need to be like children first.