I once served a congregation which was the result of a merger between two parishes. They had just stuck the two names together, resulting in one that was long, theologically confusing and hard for many to remember. I suggested that we choose a new name to reflect our new life. The question then became: what? On the way to “Christ the Healer,” which is what we became, we went through quite a few. The name I wished with all my heart we could have chosen, would it not have required so much explaining, was “Christ the Transformer.”
In this week’s gospel story, when the unseen woman who suffered from incessant bleeding touched Jesus' clothes in hopes of being healed, he says he felt power go out from him: Immediately her haemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, "Who touched my clothes?"
It is amazing that Jesus could feel something had happened to him in that moment, and knew someone had touched his clothes. His disciples are incredulous, saying to him,
"You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, “Who touched me?”'"
Beyond that awareness, though, is the fact that he felt energy transfer from him to another person. This is yet another of the bible passages that suggest to me that God is pure energy, of a frequency we could not withstand were it not mediated for us. And that is what an electric transformer does: it takes energy running on one current and transforms it so it can be used by appliances wired for a different current. Transformers were common in my house when we lived overseas.
Jesus was the Transformer extraordinaire, taking the energy current that birthed the universe and translating, mediating, making it usable for God’s creatures. Even so, we can sometimes find the current too strong; that’s why sometimes people rest in the Spirit during Pentecostal services, or we feel heat or tingling when we pray. Part of what it means to grow in faith is to build up our capacity to hold and channel a higher and higher frequency of spiritual power.
For we too are transformers, as we grow into the likeness and ministry of Christ. We too receive the power of the heavens and transform it into a current that “runs appliances” – lifting up the lowly, healing the infirm, forgiving the unforgivable, feeding the forgotten. Every single time we exercise faith in the name of Christ, we are mediating the power of the heavens to bring transformation and life to the things and creatures and people of this world.
Where have you been a transformer lately?
Beyond that awareness, though, is the fact that he felt energy transfer from him to another person. This is yet another of the bible passages that suggest to me that God is pure energy, of a frequency we could not withstand were it not mediated for us. And that is what an electric transformer does: it takes energy running on one current and transforms it so it can be used by appliances wired for a different current. Transformers were common in my house when we lived overseas.
Jesus was the Transformer extraordinaire, taking the energy current that birthed the universe and translating, mediating, making it usable for God’s creatures. Even so, we can sometimes find the current too strong; that’s why sometimes people rest in the Spirit during Pentecostal services, or we feel heat or tingling when we pray. Part of what it means to grow in faith is to build up our capacity to hold and channel a higher and higher frequency of spiritual power.
For we too are transformers, as we grow into the likeness and ministry of Christ. We too receive the power of the heavens and transform it into a current that “runs appliances” – lifting up the lowly, healing the infirm, forgiving the unforgivable, feeding the forgotten. Every single time we exercise faith in the name of Christ, we are mediating the power of the heavens to bring transformation and life to the things and creatures and people of this world.
Where have you been a transformer lately?
Where are you called to mediate the power of heaven into someone’s life?
Every time we invoke the Spirit of God in prayer, in worship, in witness, we bring the heavenly into the earthly. We allow God to redeem, renew, revive, restore all things to wholeness. Even this broken world. Even our broken hearts. The power of God has gone out – can you feel it?
Every time we invoke the Spirit of God in prayer, in worship, in witness, we bring the heavenly into the earthly. We allow God to redeem, renew, revive, restore all things to wholeness. Even this broken world. Even our broken hearts. The power of God has gone out – can you feel it?
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