September 24, 2006
“The Healing Shadow”
(Acts 5:12-16)
Dr. Dan Ivins, preaching

Our text today is about personal power that comes from being close to Jesus. After Easter, it’s like he handed off part of himself, so that others could do what he did. Some people have been so gifted by God, just rubbing against them can be therapeutic!

Jesus was like that. You may recall another healing story in the gospel about a woman, who placed her faith in Jesus’ clothes. If she could just “touch the hem of his garment.” So here comes Jesus, she reached out and brushed against his garment. He felt “power going out of him.”

After Pentecost, Peter did it. “People brought the sick into the streets and laid them on beds and mats so that at least Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he passed by. Crowds gathered from all around, bringing their sick and tormented; and all of them were healed.”

How on earth did a guy like Peter come to possess this kind of magic? Among the 12, he’s the least likely to be a healer. Boastful? Yes. Outspoken? For sure. Known for caving in to the pressure of following Jesus; denying that he even knew him at crunch-time. Then running back to the old familiar life of fishing, when following Jesus cost something.

Now Luke tells us this same Peter is, strolling down the streets of Jerusalem and if the sick folks could just get under his shadow they’d get well! What an amazing thing! At its lowest level, you could call it voodoo. But Peter had a reputation of having been close to Jesus. Judged by the company he kept, the people recognized power when they saw it. But Jesus “left them behind” at the ascension. Hanging around Peter was the best they could do.

Do you feel the power of it? They couldn’t go visit a Dr’s office like we do today. The strategy of the sick was to simply stay near to the Christians, who were living in the power of the Spirit. And those lucky enough to get under Peter’s shadow, got well. Something in the people of God was recognizable. And the people wouldn’t stay away!

Don’t you wish church today was that contagious? Maybe not as graphic as getting underneath somebody’s shadow. But I’d like to think that hanging out around our church makes people better. And for those who show up, something would rub off on you in a way that you’re touched favorably. People who frequent a place that tries to be loving, open, caring, accepting and friendly -- spiritual in a good sense; these are the things that make for well-being. Just being around those whose lives manifest the fruits of the Spirit, has curative powers.

I don’t wanta belabor the miraculous side of the story. But without surrendering to sensationalism, there’s something real going on here. Something genuine and far-reaching, that speaks volumes about the unconscious influence a person close to God can have on others. Whatever it was, Peter had it after Pentecost. So radically different from his cowardice before the cross. What on earth changed him? I think it describes another stage in the spiritual development of the big fisherman.

And it says to me this: a person’s influence for good is in direct proportion to your dedication to God. If you would be someone who makes people better, stay close to God. Maybe some of God’s presence will rub off of you onto them.

Few took Peter seriously in his younger days. When he bragged that he’d never quit on Jesus, Peter was just being Peter. This was a period in his life when his devotion wavered from strength to weakness. But as Peter became more focused on Jesus’ mission, the Lord 1^st called him to, “be fishers of men.” After Easter, he re-called him to “Feed my sheep!” But it took Pentecost to get Peter plugged into the Spirit. His 1^st sermon was so powerful, 3000 people were converted to the church in one day! No wonder they wanted to get under Peter’s shadow!

Luke records how Peter “went up to the temple to pray, as his custom was,” and heard a lame man’s appeal for financial aid. He just said, “Silver and gold have we none, but such as we have give we unto thee. In the name of Jesus, rise and walk!” And the man not only walked, but leaped up and shouted, praising God! Those inside the temple, resented the disturbance out on the porch. The church in those infant days, had no money. But they had that shadow.

You’ve been around people like that -- who make you feel better just being with ‘em. And not a few who make you feel worse. You know what I’m talking about. People who radiate a spiritual genuineness, whose caring is real and whose faith is vital; whose love for people is winsome.

This Thursday, I was walking down the hall and could hear voices, one a slight British accent, the other was a deep Rhode Island. These chicks were resonatin’ big time. One said something. The other would respond. And then an explosion of laughter.. I came into the FH and pointed out to Deanna & Holly what I heard. & we broke laughing again! Laughing at ourselves, laughing! Nobody tried to get under anybody’s shadow. But you know you’re having a good time when that happens. It’s better than taking medicine!

One of our own is being ordained today. What I’ve seen of Linda Bausserman rings true to the text. If anybody has the healing shadow she does. I’ve served alongside her and marveled at her innate gifts so valuable to our church. Watched her faithful involvement and the healing power it had on those who benefit from her group sessions. I know many of your lives have been touched by Linda’s good work among us. She’s is a person with spiritual discipline, coupled with an open mind and a committed heart. We’re all very proud of you Linda.

People with healing shadows have certain things in common: a close connection to God, compassion for the suffering, and a meaningful involvement in the local church. The healing shadow enables us to become channels of God’s spiritual energy, so that the redemption of God gets to where it’s needed most. It’s not a matter of education, because Peter had none. It’s not a matter of prestige or reputation, Peter was a laborer who worked with his hands, fresh out of jail, and about to go back in. His reach by far, extended beyond his grasp.

So how do we get this healing shadow? In the Book of Acts, it seems to be a matter of association. It’s about being in relationship with God and God’s people. Peter got in touch with a source of limitless vitality, and he couldn’t contain it. So that even his shadow healed, just as Jesus’ garment did.

When Gabriel came to Mary, Luke mentions another kind of shadow. “Overshadowing,” is the word used to describe the immaculate conception. “The power of the Most High, will overshadow you!” But my what healing came from that shadow! It can “make the desert blossom like a rose.” It can make the lame walk, the blind see, and raise the dead. I thank God for such people, who have the healing shadow and also the courage to use it.

It symbolizes how people get well: when we’re in near proximity to people who’ve been close to Jesus; when we are touched, hugged, patted on the back, listened to, appreciated, accepted, and have personal contact. That’s why imparting the Spirit through the laying on of hands is part of ordination. Overshadowing, touching, laying on our hands...that’s how the power of God is imparted; mysteriously, to be sure, but real nevertheless. We can’t predict it, control it, or explain it. We just know it when we see it.

Why is it, when somebody’s facing critical surgery, they reach out their hand when you pray? Sometimes they multiply it and form a chain with whoever is in the room. This isn’t planned or rehearsed. It’s just something people do naturally, because they value the intimacy of human touch. I’ve seen God use our gentle touches as a physical sign of his spiritual presence. That’s the healing shadow.

Now as we prepare to acknowledge Linda Bausserman and affirm that God has already been at work bringing in the life of another of His servants, set apart to bear his good news in the midst of a place with many needs. May God bless you Linda and by association, her husband Stanley, as we, your church family, prepare to bless you both.

Pastoral Prayer: (9/24/06)

We come to worship to be nearer to Thee O God. For behind the front we struggle to maintain, there lurks a self that is often - doubtful of its ways; unsure of its worth; unhappy with its prospects; annoyed by its limitations.

Make real in us, the bountiful life Jesus came to bring; that so many miss out on. Lest the cares of either self or society rob us of the joy of being human.

Always anxious about the long view. How its all gonna turn out. Help us today to just take the step immediately before us, knowing that the accumulation of such, the stories of our lives are made.

We pray for all Thy servants who work in hard and trying places. Grant them the stamina to stay with it. May our prayers on their behalf strengthen them and uphold them.

On this special day in our worship, we praise Thee for the gift of faith that prompts our religious life. For those who conveyed it to us; and the life experiences that tested and confirmed it; for the living Christ, whose presence among us and within us makes it worthwhile.

Keep us true to the best that is in us, all the way...to the very end. Amen.