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During hard times, people cling to their faith in Jesus. Or they let go and let God. Which is it? Or is it the dance of both?
In Scripture, we hear the story of the woman with a bleeding disorder. The woman has been bleeding for 12 years (Matthew 9:20-22), and although she has been to many physicians, not one has been able to help her (Mark 5:25-26). She has found herself worse off than before. She is truly an outcast.
But here’s what she does: She goes to where Jesus is. Quietly, she gets behind him and touches the hem of his garment. In my head and in some artistic renderings of the story, the woman is gently reaching out to brush the hem of Jesus’ cloak. But the Greek word that is translated “to touch” can also mean “to fasten to,” “to adhere to” and “to cling to.”
As this woman clings to Jesus, his love and healing cling to her too, meeting her hurt and fear. We could do worse than to cling to Jesus like this.
This message is excerpted from “Clinging and letting go” by Lisa A. Smith in the May/June 2023 Gather magazine. Today is the Second Sunday after Pentecost. Today we commemorate Seattle, chief of the Duwamish Confederacy, 1866.