October 11, 2024

Dear Road Church Friends,

In Southern California there is an unusual statue of Christ in the courtyard of a Catholic Church with his arms reaching out so as to give a healing touch, or to lend a helping hand, but Christ has no hands! Vandals broke them off. The Church Council decided not to have it repaired, but to leave it as it is. Inspired by a famous poem of St. Teresa of Avila, the Council realized that the mutilated statue without hands spoke more powerfully about our Christian responsibility to the world, than it did before. It is now a reminder to all who see it that “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours." Let’s get to work! Amen.

SCRIPTURE:  James 1:21-27     SERMON: We Are the Hands of Christ

Be doers of the word and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror,— they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. But those who look into the perfect law of love and liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing.

If anyone thinks they are religious and do not bridle their tongue they are deceiving themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled in the eyes of God our Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

REFLECTION

by St. Teresa of Avila

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.

Blessings to you all,

Pastor Norm

This service on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/OKlWD2jOV78?si=70ofaj-EBUiQ8jUk