The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-06-13
Rev. Carstensen's Sermon.


Yesterday was Trinity Sunday. At ST.
Paurs. the new rector. Rev. Christensen,
took as his text part of the fourteenth
verse, seventh chapter of Luke:
He came and touched the bier.
You Will recognize these words" said
Mr.. Christensen, las part of the narrative
of the raising of the widows son at the
gate of the city called Main. The Master,
stirred to the depths of HIS compassionate
heart. stopped the sad procession, and,
coming up, Land His hand upon the bier
where the dead man lay: aud the life blood
quIckened through his veins again. He
rose. and the Savior delivered him to his
mother. We might speak mucl about this
aspect of the case. but the point, and the
single lesson which ask you to consider,
Is that suggested by the remarkable fact of
our Savior touching that dead mans bier.
Why was it that He, who had the power to
restore life. OF to cure disease without the
uttering of q word. or the lifting of a
finger, should SO often have resorted to
bodily contact. He had no more need to
touch the bier of this young man than.
when standing by the grave OF Lazarus.
lie cried. Lazarus, come FORTH. He had
no more need to touch the leper than when
He was besought To heal the servant of the
ruler and did not so much as enter the
house who're the SICK man lay. he had
equal power over the consequences OF sin,
disease and death.
why was it. then, we find Him touching
the dead and the SICK! Perhaps We may
never know the full reasons. but we do know
whenever Christ touched dead body or u
sick per on. that very touch was type of
His whole mediatoriai work. As we read
this morning IN the first chapter of Genesis,
from the beginning God said let. there be
light and all the various of creation came
into being. Let them be. said God, and
they were But mark this when God came
to the climax of His York. when He reached
the end of His creation, and would mako
say. let man be. but He took the dust of
the earth, made it into His own likeness.
breathed into it the breath of life. and
man became q living soul. 1t was this di-
vine contact, this energy of Jehovah,
which distinguished man from all the rest
of the divine creation. Soon there WAS an
other touch; that was the touch of Sill.
Sin came into the world and with it all
our woe. The divine contact. the life Civ
ing touch of Jehovah, was parBlyZed by
the death dealing touch of Satan. The
blessed contact was interrupted; how
should man be restored to God. There was
only one way. Man could not rise to
touch God. 30 God came to touch him; He
flesh. and hencetorth and forever Christ is
with us, the hope of glory.
when Christ touched the bier of that
young man at Nam that was but n type of
what he Is dong every where for dead
bOuls. 1t is no figure of speech that there
ia such q thing a dead sonl in living
body. Paul said this of the woman of
pleasure. and the same is trne of worldly
man. Perhaps we have thought such q
man in the full glow and vigOr of health,
nj in sll w
INT like whited sepulcher because the
soul within is dead, wrapped in n snrOud.
putrid. disgu stlng. You and / have seen
such CHASTITY realities, only, God he
thanked. We do not see the dead mans
bones and all uncleanness which Is hidden
by this fair exterior. God comes In the
person of HIS Son To touch these souls and
make them live again.
Christ. who was the light of the world,
came to show that He could touch sin and
not be contaminated by II. He could touch
death, and death had no power over Him.
This is the lesson of ChrIsts mediatOrial
work. Yet there is q touch more than the
touch of flesh. The only way that any
body can touch you is to become q part of
you. That is ~hat Christ does for you.
He makes you part of himself. You know
when Christ has touched you. Has lie not
come, and as In the case OF the blind man,
made you to see glimpses OF the heavenly
real,tiesf Has He not touched these ears
and you hear the cadences of the heavenly
choirf Has He not come sometimes and
touched our hearts and quiokened us with
new life2 He touches hearts and makes
them glow in the ardor of that divine con-
tact. There are men and women who
know that Christ touches them. There is
a stamp and mark about the true disciple
of Jesus Christ which he who runs may
read. The light does not SHINE in you un-
less it shines from you. God has not
touched you unless you touch others. On
this Trinity Sunday this day of light l
pray for you aud for myself. that we may
have this divine touch of Him who is the
Father of Light. who has no variableness
neither shadow of turning"