GOING FURTHER - Written by Canon Frank Watts

Study Two - The Church and Healing

Sermon Outline bottom of this page
    

FOR YOUR PEW BULLETIN.
Lent study 3.
The Church and Wholeness - Renew all of me
Blah Blah Blah
 
ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR YOU TO SELECT AND USE AS YOU FEEL APPROPRIATE - You will need to add your own questions or simply make sections of the material available and ask for comment from the group.

Tune: BUCKLAND  (Loving Shepherd of your sheep.)

HEALING HYMN. 
Saviour touch our blinded eyes,
Help us see you strong and wise.
So that we may find the way
To that deep Eternal day. 

Jesus now make deaf ears hear,
Things of heaven on earth made clear.
So that passing on your word;
All may hear what we have heard. 

Teacher loosen tongues long dumb,
That with angels we may come,
Singing songs of  joy and peace,
Knowing they will never cease. 

Master take those limbs now lame,
That our bodies my proclaim;
Dancing now towards your reign,
Nothing bound by fear or pain. 

Lord of life, resplendent now,
Lead, protect,  and teach us how
Minds and body, heart and soul ,
May in every part be whole . 

© Frank Watts  

 
 
 
 
    HEALING MINISTRY (Parish of St Thomas' Werribee)

A church without some form of healing ministry is like a car without a motor. Of course you will always find people who hear of a healing miracle and just say it is a coincidence. A weekly slogan on our notice board recently summed this up " Coincidences increase when you pray:"

Some churches have an opportunity in the Sunday service for people to come to the altar for anointing and laying on of hands with prayer. Some after the service. This happens weekly, on certain sundays of the month or just monthly. The style will often vary with the parish's theological position, but either way, they would be blessed by answers to prayer.

In fact a weekly "Healing Service" can be difficult to maintain, and even to undertake this on an ecumenical basis, I have found in a parish situation a monthly offering works best for us. It also means that we can ask the local clergy to assist with an address.

One thing about the healing service is, it offers an alternative for people in worship. I believe very strongly that diversity in worship is one of the key to grow a parish both numerically and spiritually.

Our healing service is based on the Sydney Healing Service model. For more information about that you could make contact with the staff at the Healing Centre at 5 Forbes St Golden Grove Newtown NSW 2042 - Phone 02.9557.1642

The healing service is a very quiet and meditative style which often leaves you with a feeling of not wanting it to end.

HEALING & TEACHING SERVICE FORMAT
7.25pm Warm up for 10 minutes - This involves 4 hymns with a layperson giving an intro to the hymn from a life experience prospective and what it means to them in their spiritual journey. Different people lead this each month.
7.35pm Welcome, Greeting & Prayers
This is also led by one of the lay people after the priest has welcomed everyone.
7.40pm Hymn - With explanation as previously mentioned
7.45pm Bible Reading - One reading, again by a different person each month
7.50pm Hymn - With explanation as previously mentioned
7.55pm Teaching address - Normally with a healing theme, but some times taking the form of a bible study.
8.15pm Hymn - Normally it would be as mentioned previously, but we are blessed with a very creative parishioner who makes up a special visual presentation to accompany the hymn (that we listen to on CD) and shown using the video projector.
Healing introduction follows and worshippers are asked to use the next period for personal reflection or healing prayers whilst remaining in their seats. Alternatively they can come to the altar rail for the laying on of hands and anointing. Worshippers are encouraged to come up for their own needs, or to use themselves as a vessel for the healing of others.
There have been occasions when someone has come and asked for prayer for another person who was too ill to be present. Hands were laid on the person who brought the request, and prayer offered for the other person, and quite often news is brought of that other person's wonderful healing.
It is important to remember that the risen Christ is the Healer, and He can heal the person who is present or the person who is geographically distant. The reason is, that though you and I can only ever be in one place at one time, Christ by His Spirit, isn't limited like we are.
8.30pm Hymn & Supper

The following was a sermon preached at last month's healing service. You may find it helpful to us to emphasise this particular study.
Mark 1: 29 - 39
God said through James, "You have not because you ask not."
We often sing a hymn with the words, "0 what peace we often forfeit, 0 what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer."
It reminds us that we need to act on the opportunities we have to receive the grace of God when it is offered to us. In this passage are 2 accounts of opportunities taken to receive healing from Jesus.

1. Healing for Peter's Mother in law.
Jesus returned from the synagogue in Capernaum to Peter's house where they found Peter's mother in law ill with a fever. She was probably in no fit condition to reach out to Jesus for healing. However Peter and the others brought her need to Jesus
We read how Jesus took her by the hand and restored her to health so that she was able to get up immediately, and make them a nice hot cuppa.

It may be tonight that you're here to receive prayer for someone who is unable to be present either because of distance, or through illness. It's our privilege to pray with you for God's blessing on that other person, and we hear every month of wonderful answers to prayer in this way. Like the people in Peter's home, we simply join together to tell Jesus about the one who is sick, and leave it to Him to reach out to them in His love, and in His way and in His time as we continue to uphold them in prayer.

2. Healing for the sick people of Capernaum.
Within hours of Peter's mother in law being healed, people came to the home where Jesus was, bringing all their sick and those with evil spirits. In fact the whole town was outside to see what was going to happen. They witnessed many being healed and delivered of evil spirits.

It would appear that those who were sick and were able to make it on their own, got there, whilst those who weren't well enough to make it, were brought by others. What is true, is that all the people took the opportunity that was provided, and wonderful healing took place.

Many of us who have been involved in the Healing ministry have seen both of these things happen. There have been occasions when someone has come and asked for prayer for another person who was too ill to be present. Hands were laid on the person who brought the request, and prayer offered for the other person, and later news is brought of that other person's wonderful healing.

Or on other occasions, the sick person manages to come for prayer, and prayer and the laying on of hands is ministered, and the person receives a healing. Whichever way it happens it is still the same God who has brought the healing. The risen Christ is the Healer, and He can heal the person who is present or the person who is geographically distant. The reason is, that though you and I can only ever be in one place at one time, Christ by His Spirit, isn't limited like we are.

Let's notice what happened just a few hours after Jesus ministered in Capernaum. Mark says that He drew aside to pray in the early hours of the morning. But His quiet time-was disturbed by His disciples who followed Him

They told Him that everyone was looking for Him. His response may seem surprising.
Instead of returning to Capernaum and continuing His teaching and healing ministry, He told His disciples that it was now time for Him to leave to go to minister in other towns. And He did, going throughout all Galilee preaching and casting out demons.

The opportunity to receive the Lord's healing had only been offered for a short time in Capernaum, and then it was withdrawn for some time. But praise God, many took advantage of it and knew the Lord's touch on their lives.

WHAT IF there had been some in Capernaum one who heard that Jesus had the power to heal but didn't act upon it. Some could have said the same sort of things that people say today and fail to come to Him for healing.

Some could have said, "I'm always suspicious about healing ministries. There are some funny people involved in healing ministries so I've heard. I don't want to get involved with some weirdoes. I'll just hang back a bit and wait to see if the people who receive prayer actually remain sane and live through it."

Or others could have said, "I'm still working out my theology of healing, to see whether the scriptures actually indicate that healing might be a possibility in today's world." That's not a bad attitude in some ways, for we need to search the scriptures to see whether these things are so.

But when are we going to be convinced? The religious leaders and scholars of Jesus' day saw first hand His healings. They were confronted with Lazarus, a man whom Jesus had raised from the dead, yet they still wouldn't believe.

In fact their unwillingness to believe in Jesus' healing power made them look away from the proof before their eyes, and made them try to wipe out both Jesus and Lazarus. Such is the strength of religious prejudice - It refuses to be convinced and tries to destroy the evidence. It often tries to do so through character assassination.

That certainly happened in the case of Jesus. His critics said that His ability to cast out demons came from satan and not from God. The same thing has often happened in history as God's servants have been ridiculed, and not enough notice taken of what God was doing through them

What are the factors that would inhibit anyone from receiving prayer for healing? Hopefully, not unbelief or religious prejudice. But there could be other factors.
Fear of what people might think is one factor.
What would my friends in my church say?
Or pride. "I don't need other people to pray for me. I'm a mature Christian! "
You may also need to learn to be a humble one, letting God minister to you through other people.
Or it could be that you would feel a hypocrite for asking for help from God, when you've not really had much time for Him up to the present. It's true that God wants to be the Lord of your life, and you need to make Him Lord, but it's possible to give your life to Him and ask for help at the same time.

The opportunity to ask Jesus into your life, to be your Saviour and Lord, or to receive prayer for healing and blessing, is here now.

But none of us know how many other opportunities you will have. Certainly in Jesus' day, there were many who missed out on His blessing. Don't be among those who in Feb 2005 had the opportunity, but missed out.

Let us live up to our slogan for this year. 'Spiritually alive in 2005'
It is a journey in faith and tonight can be the start of new beginnings. I pray that this is the case for you tonight.                  Father Max Bowers

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