An overcast sky did not dampen our enthusiasm this morning as we were joined again by Fr Luke, the Archdeacon. In the lulls of the service, we could hear the joyous sounds of the Sunday School who were obviously having a great deal of fun in the Parish Rooms.

 Joanna was able to get to the organ pre and post the service to play for us. A priest's eye view of the congregation in the time of Covid! We were all very safely socially distanced and masked, waiting for the service to begin.

A reading from the second letter of Paul to the Corinthians

You excel in everything—

in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness,

 and in our love for you —

so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. 

I do not say this as a command, 

but I am testing the genuineness of your love 

against the earnestness of others. 

For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, 

that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, 

so that by his poverty you might become rich. 

And in this matter I am giving my advice: 

it is appropriate for you who began last year 

not only to do something but even to desire to do something— 

now finish doing it, 

so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it 

according to your means. 

For if the eagerness is there,

the gift is acceptable according to what one has—

not according to what one does not have. 

I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, 

but it is a question of a fair balance between 

your present abundance and their need, 

so that their abundance may be for your need, 

in order that there may be a fair balance. 

As it is written, 

"The one who had much did not have too much, 

and the one who had little did not have too little." 

Hear the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark.

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, 

a great crowd gathered around him; 

and he was by the sea. 

Then one of the leaders of the synagogue named Jairus came

 and, when he saw him, fell at his feet 

and begged him repeatedly, 

"My little daughter is at the point of death. 

Come and lay your hands on her, 

so that she may be made well, and live." 

So he went with him. 

And a large crowd followed him and pressed in on him. 

Now there was a woman 

who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years. 

She had endured much under many physicians, 

and had spent all that she had; 

and she was no better, but rather grew worse. 

She had heard about Jesus, 

and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, 

for she said, 

"If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well." 

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?" 

And his disciples said to him, 

"You see the crowd pressing in on you; 

how can you say, "Who touched me?' " 

He looked all around to see who had done it. 

But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, 

came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, 

and told him the whole truth. 

He said to her, 

"Daughter, your faith has made you well; 

go in peace, and be healed of your disease." 

While he was still speaking, 

some people came from the leader's house to say, 

"Your daughter is dead. 

Why trouble the teacher any further?" 

But overhearing what they said, 

Jesus said to the leader of the synagogue, 

"Do not fear, only believe." 

He allowed no one to follow him 

except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. 

When they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue, 

he saw a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. 

When he had entered, he said to them, 

"Why do you make a commotion and weep?

 The child is not dead but sleeping." 

And they laughed at him. 

Then he put them all outside,

 and took the child's father and mother and those who were with him,

 and went in where the child was. 

He took her by the hand and said to her,

 "Talitha cum," which means, "Little girl, get up!" 

And immediately the girl got up and began to walk about 

(she was twelve years of age). 

At this they were overcome with amazement. 

He strictly ordered them that no one should know this, 

and told them to give her something to eat.

O God, the protector of all who trust in you,

without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:

increase and multiply upon us your mercy;

that with you as our ruler and guide

we may pass through things temporal

that we lose not our hold on things eternal;

grant this, heavenly Father,

for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake,

who is alive and reigns with you,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

So much has changed in the las 15 months. We are now awkward when meeting people.  A hand is held and withdrawn. Is it safe? How do we greet one another? 15 months ago nothing was more normal that a handshake. We can now meet our freinds and families, but still not able to give each other a hug. This pandemic has made us shy about expressing love. Human contact may mean the giving or receiving of disease!

As we emerge from this, our recent habits should not damage us as we move forwards.  Our gospel reading todays involves touching, the woman touches Jesus's robe, Jesus touches Jairus's daughter's hand. The touch of Jesus gives healing and life.

What can we learn from this as we re-emerge?  The bleeding woman was "unclean" and would have been "untouchable", ostracised, and even divorced if she were married. Anyone who touched her would also have beeen unclean. The reasoning behind this is due to God's laws as outlined in Leviticus, given by God to the Isrealites.  If they followed God's rules, He would care for them. Jairus wouldl have known the rules, but they were not sifficient for the life of his daughter. The way we touch things cannot save us, we can only be saved if we are touched by God. Through Jesus's poverty, we may become rich. God with us. Jesus became man as we say in the creed. God literally walks among us. He shared our humanity with us so we could share in him.

The woman was healed by her faith and that same faith als us. We cannot touch Jesus's garment, but we do receive the bread, his body, and receive him in the Eucharist.  In this, nothing seperates us from Jesus's touch.  We can become instruments of God's healing.