When I was a youngster, it was a common practice for medical doctors to make house calls. I can remember being sick in bed with a bad cold or the flu and feeling miserable with a high fever, etc. Instead of struggling out of a warm bed, getting bundled up, and venturing out into the wintry cold for a visit to the doctor's office, my mother would make a phone call, and the doctor would come to me in what was called a 'house call.' It was a wonderfully beneficial experience which was probably mostly psychological. The doctor's concern was so reassuring and comforting that it had a restorative effect. He would look down on me with kind eyes, prescribe a few pills, and give my mother some needed advice on treatment, and then be on his way to the next call. Those days are gone forever. Today, doctors have retreated to the sanctuary of offices with waiting rooms full of sick people. These offices are staffed with nurses and medical technicians, and all the doctor needs to do is walk from one room to the next to treat patients. He also has a variety of expensive diagnostic tools available. In the old days a thermometer (mercury), a wooden tongue blade, a blood pressure cuff, and a stethoscope were about all that was needed. Today, the use of X-rays, MRI's, CAT scans, ultrasonic probes, and expensive lab tests aid the doctor in his work. No doubt the doctor is able to process more patients in his office rather than driving all over town, but I look back on the old days with nostalgia.
There are those individuals, however, who do make house calls, tending to the spiritual needs of those who are sick and afflicted. This is called nurture, and it is practiced by either the full-time or part-time employment by churches of pastors whose ministries are to the sick and disabled of the congregation. These are individuals who are in hospitals or nursing homes or are confined at home. Unable to enjoy the fellowship of the outside world. What a comfort and inspiration it is for them to receive a visit from these consecrated ministers. A few words of concern, a kind look, prayer, and some TLC seem like a light in the darkness of a shut-in's day.
Two thousand years ago the world lay in the depths of sin and degradation and disease; the human race had sunk to a low point in human existence. Then, suddenly "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isa. 9:2). Into this dark world of ignorance and sin stepped the great Physician who was willing to meet people where they were. He walked the dusty roads of Palestine and trod the cobblestone streets of villages to bring spiritual and physical healing to soul and body. Jesus Christ, the great Physician, is still eager to help, and He is knocking on your door and my door as He makes His round of "house calls."
