Succession of Hands

Even though I knew it would happen at the end of the service, I was surprised by how much it moved me. This was the Sunday when new Elders are ordained into our church, and after they answered a series of questions, past elders were invited up to place their hands on the newest ones. Because the numbers are large, a person in the back places his or her hand on the person in front of them, making a chain of connection up to those kneeling in front. It is a connection, of course, that is as much between people as it is with God. Through the centuries, hands have been placed on people making a chain to the earliest disciples and to Christ himself. In churchy language, it’s called Apostolic Succession. No matter what you call it, it’s powerful to see, and even more powerful to do.

These days, regardless of where one stands on an issue, there are those who stand militantly on the other side. Whether it’s race, the role of history, the economy, health care, gender, sexual orientation, or what our country wants in a President . . . the things which divide us seem to be greater than the things which unite us. Perhaps that’s why this morning’s unity was so inspirational. There were white and black hands, young and old, male and female, married, singled, divorced, as well as gay and straight ones. At that moment, the kinds of hands were overshadowed by the hands themselves.

The moment, however, was about more than hands. It was about passing along a blessing, and I couldn’t help but reflect on those who have reached out their hands and placed them on my shoulders, who have passed along a blessing I could not feel at the time. Looking back, I can see and feel the blessing like never before. I realized, as I left church, that what happened in the front of the church can, and should, happen every day. We are called to remember those who have reached out to us, just as we are called to reach out our hands and place them on those who are standing in front of us. It will create unity, as well as pass along a blessing, which this world desperately needs.