The Power of a Visit
Tony Cooke
Yesterday, Lisa and I went to Cedar Point Church in Claremore and I’d like to highlight something we heard Pastor Rick Burke share.
Rick showed a brief video of their people buying, wrapping, and taking Christmas gifts to a local nursing home and said that, upon arriving, they discovered there were still thirty people there who did not yet have sponsors. They “adopted” them and repeated the process. Then Rick shared how that he had joined another brother visiting the county jail the day before and had been able to go from pod to pod, giving out new socks and praying for various prisoners to receive Jesus, to rededicate their lives, and to receive assurance of their salvation.
All of that reminded me of something I had read a few days before — an excerpt from a medical journal:
Loneliness was officially declared an epidemic by the surgeon general earlier this year. According to some experts, social media has increased the sense of isolation. William James, MD, wrote that: “No more fiendish punishment could be devised…than that one should be turned loose in society and remain absolutely unnoticed by the members thereof.” While that is meaningful, some of us are retreating into an interior digital space with the illusion of relationship. As one cartoon joked, a widow bemoaned the lack of people at her late husband’s funeral, saying he had thousands of Facebook friends!
I’m all for every kind of communication, but aren’t you glad that God didn’t simply send a text or an e-mail telling us he loved us? Those can have their place, but when God wanted to reach us, he literally “visited and redeemed His people” (Luke 1:68). As people witnessed the works of Jesus, one of their responses was that “God has visited His people” (Luke 7:16). Among other God-pleasing works identified by Jesus was “I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:36).
Here’s a little background on that word, visited.
In the Greco-Roman world, visiting someone was not merely a social call but often carried the connotation of providing support or assistance. This cultural understanding is reflected in the New Testament usage, where visiting is often linked with acts of mercy, care, and oversight. In Jewish tradition, visiting the sick and caring for the needy were considered acts of righteousness and piety, aligning with the biblical emphasis on love and community responsibility.
As I heard and saw Rick’s report, it reminded me that countless pastors, chaplains, and believers around the world are replicating this powerful ministry of visitation innumerable times, expressing the love and compassion of God. Whether we simply call it visitation, or go further and call it the ministry of presence or even “incarnational ministry,” let’s never forget its importance. As much as we value Scripture, John himself said, “I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to do it with paper and ink. For I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete” (2 John 12 NLT).
This Christmas (and always) let’s help put an end of the epidemic of loneliness. Use the tools you have available — texts and social media are good, but as you have opportunity, pick up the phone or make a visit. Remember that we have a great example in that “God has visited His people” (Luke 7:16).
