The Teaching Corner

The short answer to this question is that we actually do practice the laying on of hands in the Lutheran Church, we just might not do it as often or in the certain ways people commonly think about the laying on of hands.

The laying on of hands is a gesture that takes place in a variety of contexts.  In the Lutheran Church it has come to be connected with the ministries of healing, absolving, and blessing.  Laying a gentle hand on another person is powerful non-verbal way of conveying love, care, and compassion.  Therefore in Christian worship the physical gesture of the laying on of hands can be a powerful moment of connection with the love, care and compassion of God.  Lutherans have been known to practice the laying on of hands in services of healing, confession and forgiveness, confirmation, baptism, marriage, and ordinations and consecrations.

 
I myself practice the laying on of hands every worship service at Redeemer when I offer a blessing for those not receiving Communion.   As a congregation we recently practiced the laying on of hands when we prayed for Johan and Martie Schonken and blessed them on their way.  This May our confirmands will receive the laying on of hands as they are blessed in their affirmation of their baptisms.  When I was ordained I had hands laid on me, blessing me and calling me to a ministry of Word and Sacrament.  When we think about it there are actually numerous occasions where we practice or witness the laying on of hands.

The important thing to remember in all of this is that the laying on of hands is a powerful symbolic gesture.  Yet there are some people that have practiced a very different type of laying on of hands:  faith healing.  The problem with faith healing is that it quickly denegrates into the realm of magic.  Faith healing often involves a belief that something magical or supernatural is happening in that laying on of hands and/or that the extraordinary piety or faith of the faith healer somehow conveys God’s power more effectively.  But, as Lutherans, we believe that the laying on of hands is not a magic trick and it does not convey any supernatural powers.

In distancing ourselves from the practices of huckster faith healers and because we live in a society that is increasingly sensitive to issues of personal space, we perhaps don’t practice the laying on of hands within the church as often as we could, but this practice remains an important Christian gesture within our church and many other churches.