Good morning everyone! I want to again welcome each and every one of you to our church family gathering. And especially if this is your first time coming to our church, or maybe any church for that matter, we are really glad that you are here with us today. We would love to be able to talk and pray with you and help you in any way that we can in your spiritual journey.

Just to help us get our bearings this morning and also to remind everyone why it is that we are doing what we are doing, for the past 4 weeks, we've been doing a series entitled, "Naturally Supernatural." And the intention behind this series is not to make all of us into some kind of spiritual gurus where we are walking around in white shoes with superman capes, even though that would be kind of cool. No, the goal of this teaching series is simply to help us see the supernatural that is all around us, only if we would open our eyes.

We, in the Vineyard, do not believe that spiritual things are necessarily things that are hyped up. But rather, we believe that deeply spiritual things are often the most natural things. The key, we believe, is to live with a slightly different mindset, to see things with a kingdom perspective, and to ask ourselves, in our daily routines, "Lord Jesus, what is it that you want me to do today?" Of course, the difficult part in all of this is getting ourselves quiet enough to hear when he answers and then actually doing it.

So, I hope that today and for the next two weeks as we continue in this teaching series, you will take some risks to do just that. One, to ask Jesus what he wants you to do. Two, to get quiet enough to hear his voice, and three, like they say in the Nike commercials, just do it!

WE NEED TOUCH
In the 19th century, infants in their first year of life commonly died from a disease called Marasmus, which is a Greek word meaning, "wasting away." The doctors didn't understand the cause of this at first, but later they discovered that this disease was caused by something quite unexpected. These babies suffering from Marasmus were drying from the lack of physical touch. What they discovered was that babies who were not touched on a regular basis would literally starve themselves to death.

And the need for touch doesn't diminish with age. In fact, research on adults has proven that touch is essential for physical and emotional well-being. Regular touch can lengthen life and cut down on doctor's visits. Touch provides solace, safety, tenderness, comfort, and soothing.

Research has shown that the power of touch is felt most strongly in four areas:

1. Biological
Studies on infants and children link touch very directly to healthy physical development. And in people of all ages, touch reduces stress, releases seratonin and oxytocins and also reduces cortisone levels in the body.

2. Communicative
There is perhaps no more effective way to communicate than through touch - in fact, touch produces a series of neural, glandular, muscular and mental changes that we interpret as emotion.

3. Psychological
Touch provides reassurance and comfort and aids in the development of self-identity and self-esteem.

4. Social
Research has linked the quality of touch experiences to competence in interpersonal relationships. The ability to trust others, and understand the needs of others, is directly related to touching. Through touch we know that we are not alone. Touch is one of the ways that we know that God created us to be relational. We were created to relate to the world, with each other, and of course, with Him.

Everyone, regardless of their age, needs to be touched. You and I need to be touched to live.

But what if no one touches you? Worse yet, what if no one WANTS to touch you? I wonder what it would be like for that person. You may look fine on the outside. You may even put on a smile now and then. But inside, deep inside, you are dying. You are desperately crying out for a touch. Maybe it's the person sitting right next to you. Or maybe it's you.

STORY OF A LEPER
In the book of Mark, we get to read about the story of one such person. The story is found in the book of chapter 1, verses 40-45. Let me read it for you.

Mark 1:40-45 (New International Version)
40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, "If you are willing, you can make me clean." 41 Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured. 43 Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: 44 "See that you don't tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them." 45 Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere.

In this passage, we are introduced to a man with leprosy. And when I say that we are introduced to a man with leprosy, that is exactly what I mean because that is the only fact that we are given about this man. We are not given his name. We do not know how old he is. We do not know if he had family. We do not know what kind of books he read, movies he watched, what kind of a car he drove. We don't know if he listened to MC Hammer or U2 or even Britney Spears. All that we are told is that he has leprosy.

And while it is true that the Greek word translated here for leprosy can mean other skin diseases, I think that the writer, Mark, was very deliberate in isolating this disease to describe him because the readers of the time would known exactly what a leper was. It would have been very difficult to miss a person who was suffering from this disease. Let me tell you just a little bit about leprosy.

LEPROSY DEFINED
Leprosy is caused by a germ called Mycobacterium leprae. This bacteria attacks the nerve endings and destroys the body's ability to feel pain and injury. And because someone with leprosy can not feel pain, they would frequently injure themselves on fire, rocks, and even hot stoves. These injuries would at times become infected and result in tissue loss. Fingers and toes become shortened and deformed as the cartilage is absorbed into the body. When nerve trunks in the arm are affected, part of the hand becomes numb and small muscles become paralyzed, leading to curling of the fingers and thumb. When leprosy attacks nerves in the legs, it disrupts communication of sensation in the feet. The feet can become subject to erosion through untended wounds and infection. If the facial nerve is affected, a person loses the blinking reflex of the eye, which can eventually lead to dryness, ulceration, and blindness. Bacteria entering the mucous lining of the nose can lead to internal damage and scarring which in time causes the nose to collapse. Untreated, leprosy can cause deformity, crippling, and blindness.

The germ that causes leprosy is transmitted primarily through coughing and sneezing. According to the World Health Organization, on a worldwide basis, 5.5 million active cases were known in 1991, and in the United States, more than 7,000 were known in 1992. Today, approximately 5,000 people in the U.S. are cured but still suffer from the effects of leprosy and continue to receive care through outpatient clinics and private physicians. Leprosy can be cured with multi-drug therapy, a combination of antibiotics. Treatment can take from six months to a year, sometimes longer.

But even with all of these physical ailments that a leper would experience, the greater punishment for the disease is not physical at all.

STORY OF A LEPER CONTINUED
In the time that this story is written in the book of Mark, lepers were required to carry bells or clappers to alert others that they carried the contagious disease. And in addition to the bells and the clappers, they were to yell, "Unclean. Unclean." Someone who would hear this would often start walking the other way, or made sure that they would walk far away enough from the leper so that he would not receive the curse that was upon this man.

Lepers were not invited to parties or weddings. They were not voted the prom kings and queens by their numerous friends. They were not allowed to enter the temple courts to worship. It was such a horrific disease that in the Bible, leprosy is often used as the ultimate expression of an outcast.

Lepers were completely isolated from the world around them.

So here is this leper without a name. Alone. Destitute. Despised. Rejected. Shunned by society. Desperate for love. Crying out for healing. Longing simply to be touched. He is so desperate that he just walks up to Jesus, falls on his knees and cries out, "If you are willing, you can make me clean."

Why does the leper ask Jesus to be made clean? Why doesn't he ask for healing? Because anyone with this disease was considered dirty, impure, and was forced to live outside the human community, away from their families and their neighborhoods, their hometowns, their temples of worship. The disease was associated with sin and impurity. I can imagine that they would often think to themselves, "I must have done something wrong, or my parents must have done something wrong, to deserve this" or maybe "I am disgusting."

The worst punishment of leprosy is not physical.

WHAT DOES JESUS DO?
The next scene is striking in that it beautifully reveals the heart of our Lord and Savior, the one that you and I worship. Verse 41 says that Jesus was "filled with compassion." Jesus was moved with compassion. Something inside of him broke for this man. Jesus reaches out his hands and TOUCHES the man. Then he whispers, "I am willing. Be clean!" Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured.

Jesus touches the man.
Jesus touches the man.

Can you imagine this man's world turning completely upside down? Everything that he's known to be true about himself is shattering right before his eyes. He heard about this man named Jesus, who some called the son of God. He wasn't really sure if he bought into that idea or not, but he heard over and over again that Jesus was healing people. He was so desperate that he decides to take a chance and finds his way to Jesus. And here he is, in verse 41. Looking straight into the eyes of Jesus, his hands are touching his face. He hasn't been touched in years! Ah that touch! He has forgotten what that felt like. It feels amazing.

The man came to Jesus hoping simply for a healing. Instead, he finds new life!

WHAT DOES THE LEPER DO?
Jesus tells him not to tell anyone what has just happened. So of course, what does the leper do? He goes out and begins to tell everybody. He's probably laughing, jumping up and down. He's probably shaking everyone's hand, you know, because he can actually touch people again. He begins to tell what Jesus has done for him? I don't imagine that Jesus was mad. I can imagine him with a grin on his face, and tears in his eyes, seeing someone he loves living again.

I suppose, for the leper, it might have taken some getting used to his new life, right? He probably had to work really hard not to yell, "Unclean. Unclean." every time he would walk through the streets. He probably had to get used to being able to look at people in the eyes again. He probably had to get used to seeing himself as part of the society again.

His life would never ever be the same again! What an incredible story!

WHAT IS YOUR STORY?
What about you? Are you in need of a divine touch? What do you need Jesus to touch in your life? Maybe you are sitting here today, doing your best to hide the desperation that you feel inside, hoping no one would call you on out. Or maybe you are on the other side of this equation. Maybe God has been tugging at your heart for days, weeks, months, or maybe years now. He's been asking you to be his hands to touch someone in your life. Maybe it is someone in your family. Maybe it is someone in your work or classroom. Maybe it's someone you pass by every morning on your way to get on the train. God's been showing you over and over again that this man or this woman desperately needs to be touched. And you have been ignoring this tugging in your heart over and over again, and now, you just feel numb about it all. Maybe God wants to soften your heart again this morning. Maybe God is calling you again, to be his hands. Will you do it?

Or maybe you are here today, kind of like this leper in the beginning of the story, you are not really sure what you think about Jesus. You've heard some great things about him, but you are just not fully convinced. And maybe, just maybe, there is a tugging in your heart this morning that you just can't seem to ignore. Maybe Jesus is calling you to take that step of faith today, to step out of your comfort zone and choose to live for him. All that is required of you today to begin this journey with Jesus is just a little bit of faith. Jesus himself said that with faith as small as a mustard seed, that you can move mountains. And after we sing another song together, I want to give you an opportunity to start that journey by publicly declaring your intentions, and say in essence, "I want to live for Jesus starting today." If God is tugging at your heart this morning, please respond to him!

May the Lord Jesus touch you today. May he touch you with his love. May he touch you with his healing. May he touch you with his forgiveness. May he touch you with life. May each and every one of us be the hands of Jesus to touch the ones that he loves so dearly.