Sermon preached at The Church of the Holy Trinity, Philadelphia, Sunday May 4

th
2014
The Reverend Alan eale, !Hand"#
Open the eyes of our faith in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In 1958 the popular siner !a" #yra$es helped %rite and made &uite famous the son 'ou
need hands ( at least, popular in the )*+
No% as %ith many sons of this enre the lyri,s do not &uite stand up %ell intensi$e linuisti,
and philoloi,al study -and may.e that/s an understatement0 .ut here oes -said not sun01
'ou need hands
2o hold someone you ,are for
'ou need hands
2o sho% that you3re sin,ere
4hen you feel
no.ody %ants to 5no% you
'ou need hands
to .rush a%ay your tear
4hen you hold a .rand ne% .a.y
'ou need tender hands to uide them on
their %ay
'ou need hands
to than5 the 6ord for li$in
and for i$in us this day
-70
In today/s 8ospel -6u5e 9:0 it %as the hands of ;esus/ that mo$ed the dis,iples from .lindness to siht, from
,onfusion to ,larity, from inoran,e to re,onition.
6ast %ee5 %e read and heard that 2homas did not see the <isen ;esus .e,ause he %as a.sent from the upper
room -;ohn 9=19: No% 2homas, ,alled the 2%in, one of the t%el$e, %as not %ith them %hen ;esus ,ame0.
2oday %e read and hear that t%o dis,iples on the road to >mmaus %al5 and tal5 %ith the <isen ;esus .ut are
someho% .linded to his identity.
!ay.e 2homas e"ited stae riht for %hat is euphemisti,ally ,alled a ,omfort .rea5 in ,orporate ?aron or
may.e to $isit the lo,al deli ( %e are not told.
!ay.e the t%o dis,iples %ere too enrossed in the re,ent stunnin e$ents in ;erusalem or too self@enrossed
in their o%n li$es ( %e are not told.
#ut %e do 5no% that 2homas sa% the 6ord %hen ;esus returned to the )pper <oom.
And %e do 5no% that the dis,iples re,oniBed ;esus And here -6u5e 9:1C=@C10 is %hat happened1 He sat
do%n at the ta.le %ith them. 2a5in the .read, he .lessed and .ro5e and a$e it to them. At that moment,
open@eyed, %ide@eyed, they re,oniBed him.
2he hands of ;esus ta5in .read, .lessin .read, .rea5in .read and i$in .read.
As they o.ser$ed ,losely those manual a,ts of ;esus so they %ere ?olted into a fantasti, a%areness, propelled
into spiritual insiht and ?olted into transformin faith at that moment, open@eyed, %ide eyed, they re,oniBed
;esus.
At that moment there %as re,all and there %as resonan,e.
Recall$ !any, many times the dis,iples had sat and dined %ith ;esusD sometimes sumptuously .y 5indness of
enerous and in&uisiti$e hosts, sometimes simply at roadside stop or at the homes of friends. Eou.tless they
had %at,hed %ith some a%areness .ut none too dedi,ated fo,us as ;esus too5 pla,e of honor at ta.leD and yet
no% a ;esus performs these similar and simple a,tions somethin ,li,5s, the penny drops, a ,osmi, dis,losure
o,,urs and they hear this silent %hisper, 2his reminds me, this reminds me, this reminds me of ;esus ( and
radual re,all leads to a,tual re,onition ( Oh my, this is ;esus.
'ou and I e"perien,e the same dynami, as the tone or lilt of a $oi,e reminds us of a friend distant in spa,e or
in time.
2he #i.le story, and the li$es of Fhristians, all ,om.ine to present us %ith stories and e$ents and a,tions that
thouh old are e"perien,ed as if ne% day .y day. 2he story of unseen thins a.o$e, of ;esus and His lory, of
;esus and His lo$e. may indeed .e old, old, old .ut it may and it is re,alled in our daily li$in, e$en moment
.y moment if only %e ta5e ,are. -#y the %ay the hymn %as %ritten .y !s. *atherine Han5ey in 18GG and it %as
truly .alm to my soul to read all the $erses this morninD and I read that in 18GH at an International Fon$ention
of '!FA !a?or@8eneral <ussell arose in the meetin and re,ited the %ords of this son from a sheet of
fools,ap paperItears streamin do%n his .ronBed ,hee5s as he read.
http1JJ%%%.,y.erhymnal.orJhtmJtJeJtellmoos.htm -770
<e,all and Re"onance$ As eyes intently %at,hed, %ere po%erfully dra%n, to o.ser$in ;esus/ hands ( %hat
did they seeK Stron hands, yesD sensiti$e hands, yesD aile, supple hands, yesD .ut surely they noti,ed
somethin elseL the mar5s, the stimata and I .elie$e their o%n pain and anuish and sufferin all ,om.ined
in that moment to resonate %ith this sufferin, al.eit triumphant, 6ord.
No %onder %riters su,h as Henri Nou%en ha$e of the po%erful sinifi,an,e, the psy,hi, allure of the M%ounded
healer. I .elie$e that there is an inarti,ulate thouh elo&uent ,on$ersation as %e %ho are %ounded en,ounter
the One %ho is %ounded ( %e .reathe, %e sih, %e rela", %e lean into that %oundedness.
All of this resonan,e in the dis,iples led them to re,oniBe ;esus+ And it is as the ,hur,h o%ns to its
%oundedness, sheds its triumphalism and presents its authenti, stimata to the %orld that %e %ill see many
respond. I says ;esus, I if I .e lifted up %ill dra% all people to myself ( ;ohn 191C9.
'esterday I $isited .a.y 8usta$ in hospitalD a.out seiht%ee5s ao he %as .orn prematurely and %eiht 91J9
pounds, yesterday he %eiht nearly fi$e pounds. Si" %ee5s ao I ,ould $isit and pray for him from at a distan,e
ens,on,ed as he %as in the in,u.atorD yesterday I held him, ,radled him and laid hands upon him %ith
ratitude for life and prayers for onoin health.
2houh I ha$e held many .a.ies -and not dropped a one0, this %as different ( thouh the re,all of some%hat
e"perien,es surely helped.
And as I held 8usta$, I %as a%are of the anuish he and parents and family had all endured .ut %ere not
mo$in throuh and .eyond and it all deeply, po%erfully resonated deep %ithin my soul.
As you listen to the Fommunion Nrayer, let the eyes of your faith see Fhrist/s hands at %or5 %ith .read and
%ine.
As you re,ei$e .read into your hands today, let the eyes of your see Fhrist/s hands at %or5 in your life and the
li$es of those around you.
A!>N
%&'2here has .een some ,ontro$ersy as to the a,tual pro$enan,e of this son, %hi,h has no% .een resol$ed.
In his 9==9 auto.ioraphy Stars In !y >yes, the eihty year old !a" #yra$es relates the enesis of one of his
.iest hits. !a" %as .orn in 1999 and %ent into sho%.usiness more or less .y a,,ident as a ,omedy
impressionist, .ut later pi,5ed up the .asi,s of son%ritin. Ees,ri.in O'ou Need HandsO as one of his early
attempts, he relates ho% O...I had penned the rouh uide to a sonO %hile appearin in S%inin In 2he 6ane.
OI %as seated at the piano, tryin to pie,e the ,horus toether, %hen Ste$e and ;immy P2he Flar5e #rothersQ
sidled up. I san them the lyri,, %hi,h they immediately .ean to harmonise %ith. 2o ,ut a lon story shory, I
as5ed the dire,tor if %e ,ould in,lude the son in the sho%. it %asn3t easy to et permisson as the sho% %as
already runnin and had .een appro$ed .y the 6ord Fhan,ellor3s Offi,e...O
>$en in the late 195=s, the #ritish theatre %as su.?e,t to riorous ,ensorship, he ,ontinues O...the pro.lems
%ere o$er,ome and %e three performed the son...all of us %earin %hite lo$es.O
2he lyri,s to O'ou Need HandsO are pu.lished on paes 199@C alon %ith an e"tra $erse %ritten for the stae
$ersion, .ut the Ee,,a re,ordin and the #ritish 6i.rary ,ataloue ,redited it as %ritten .y <oy Ir%inD a mista5e
they amended %hen %e presented them %ith e$iden,e to the ,ontrary. It %as pu.lished .y 6a5e Rie%
Nu.lishin and performed .y !a" #yra$es %ith 2he Flar5e #rothers and >ri, <oers and his Or,hestra.
6ater, it %as re,orded .y >ydie 8ormS and .e,ame a .i hitD the oriinal $ersion %as the alternati$e A Side to
O2ulips From AmsterdamO. 2his is pro.a.ly the last son any musi,oloist %ould e"pe,t 2he Se" Nistols to
re,ord .ut a themati, @ and $ery tasteful @ re,ordin ,an a,tually .e laid at their door.
<eardin the a,tual authorship of the son, in Auust 9=1=, #arney Hooper of the Nerformin <ihts So,iety
,onfirmed that <oy Ir%in and !a" #yra$es %ere one and the same person. It remains to .e seen %hy he
should ha$e used a pseudonym .ut the son %as o%ned .y his o%n ,ompany, 6a5e Rie% Nu.lishin, throuh
%hi,h he .ouht the 6ionel #art musi,al Oli$er.
2he ,laim has also .een made that O'ou Need HandsO %on him the Son%riter of the 'ear A%ard in 1958, .ut
a,,ordin to *ate !a,Formi,5 of the #ritish A,ademy of Son%riters, Fomposers and Authors1
3From our re,ords, it seems that !a" #yra$es %as the runner up in the #est Sellin and !ost Nerformed Item
of the 'ear ,ateory for O'ou Need HandsO in 1958.
As su,h, he ,ould .e des,ri.ed as an I$or No$ello Nominee .ut he didn3t re,ei$e an I$or.3
-770
2ell me the old, old story of unseen thins a.o$e,
Of ;esus and His lory, of ;esus and His lo$e.
2ell me the story simply, as to a little ,hild,
For I am %ea5 and %eary, and helpless and defiled.
Refrain
Tell me the old, old "tory, tell me the old, old
"tory,
Tell me the old, old "tory, of (e"u" and Hi" love$
2ell me the story slo%ly, that I may ta5e it in,
2hat %onderful redemption, 8od/s remedy for sin.
2ell me the story often, for I foret so soonD
2he early de% of mornin has passed a%ay at
noon.
Refrain
2ell me the story softly, %ith earnest tones and
ra$eD
<emem.er I/m the sinner %hom ;esus ,ame to
sa$e.
2ell me the story al%ays, if you %ould really .e,
In any time of trou.le, a ,omforter to me.
Refrain
2ell me the same old story %hen you ha$e ,ause to
fear
2hat this %orld/s empty lory is ,ostin me too
dear.
'es, and %hen that %orld/s lory is da%nin on my
soul,
2ell me the old, old story1 Fhrist ;esus ma5es thee
%hole.
Refrain