Scripture
36When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. 37They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye. Acts 20:36-37
Observation
There are so many epic miracles and action beats in the Book of Acts that it’s easy to miss the smaller more intimate moments. Yet, I would argue, these “quiet” moments are just as important as the big ones as we read about the Early Church. This moment in particular always gets me. Paul had such a strong relational connection with the Church in Ephesus that it would have been easy to just stay there and enjoy the fruit of his labors and the comfort of his connections. He knew that God was calling him on to Rome and on to death and he knew to stay where he was not an option. After a challenge to the Ephesian elders to guard and care for the sheep they all prayed, cried and hugged and kissed each other.
Application
Though kissing a brother or sister in the Lord would get some strange looks here in So Cal it was very common in the Middle East. Hugs however, are an acceptable form of greeting and, I would argue are in desperate need these days. I didn’t really realize how much until I was watching the Super Bowl yesterday and there was a commercial about a new “hug technology” developed by Cox. That’s right! When Super Bowl advertising costs a company $6.5 million for 30 seconds I watched a one minute commercial that was over a minute and a half talking about how they were connecting two brothers separated by Covid. “The Hug Project” involves Cox manufacturing “an innovative wearable “HugShirt” programmed to emulate a HUG. Haptic sensors in the shirt connect two people. Isolated individuals will be able to feel the touch of a husband or a grandchild just as if they are there with them.” I loved it as I have bemoaned the fact that so many have replaced hugs with knuckles or elbows due to the Pandemic reactions changing our behaviors around others. According to a recent survey “hugs” found itself towards the top of the “what I miss the most since the start of the Pandemic” list. How many hugs do we need? Family therapist Virginia Satir once said, “We need four hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” Why so many hugs? According to recent psychological and physiological studies hugs can actually make us healthier and happier due to the “happy chemical” oxytocin that gets released in our body when we are hugged by someone we trust. The list Healthline provides for the benefits of hugging is impressive for something we all underestimate and have gone mostly without for two years:
1. Hugs reduce stress by showing your support for both hugger and huggee (don’t think that’s a
word)
2. Hugs may protect you against illness
3. Hugs may boost your heart health
4. Hugs can make you happier
5. Hugs help reduce your fears
6. Hugs may help reduce your pain
7. Hugs help you communicate with others
I remember when I was having an “Ephesus moment” with our church in Seattle back in 2014. We felt God calling us back to the islands and having to say goodbye to our New Hope Seattle family was extremely painful. We had planted and pastored this amazing community of faith for 10 years and it was like cutting off a limb. I remember our final service together was mostly hugs. So many had thanked me for being their pastor, but the one thing I heard more than thanks for messages, worship, counseling, prayer or anything else was, “thank you for the hugs”. Some said it was the first “pure touch” they had in their lives. Many said they looked forward to coming to church every week just to get a “big Burgess hug”. I had no idea that something so seemingly simple could have such a huge impact. When we had first moved from the Hawaiian Islands to Seattle I had initially thought I was in the wrong spot. Everyone hugs in Hawaii and your lucky if you get a handshake in the Northwest. I decided that if God had called me there I was going to keep hugging because maybe, just maybe that’s what people needed. It turns out, that simple decision to never stop hugging made all the difference! So, if you are feeling stressed, depressed, or just lonely on this Valentines Day, find someone you trust and give them a hug!
Prayer
Jesus, I think about how one day I will find myself in Your arms being received into Heaven. In the meantime I pray that I can be Your arms wrapping others in Your love and healed by Your Spirit. “13One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. 14When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16
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