Bible Text:

The Gospel record tells of many miracles of healing on the part of Jesus. The text for today is a beautiful summary of those miracles. (See above.) The miracles amazed the people. They would say things like, “We have never seen anything like this.” The crowds flocked to him, just to be close to his presence, just to touch him, just to be in his aura. The New Testament lesson for today reflects the story of a woman who simply tried to reach out and touch the hem of his garment. (Luke 8:40-56) Even his enemies were concerned about the miracles. They would ask each other from time to time, “What are we going to do about this man?” 

Did Jesus really do these things? Did Jesus really perform miracles? Have you ever asked yourself that question? Have you ever raised that question in your mind? Have you thought about it quietly, perhaps privately? 

Maybe not. But I have, from time to time. It’s because of the nature of who I am. I was trained in what has been called the scientific method. And so from time to time I at least wonder if the miracles really happened. 

I came across this interesting perspective from the writing of William Sloane Coffin: 

Miracles do not a Messiah make. But a messiah can do miracles. If you asked me if Jesus literally raised Lazarus from the dead, literally walked on water, and changed water into wine, I will answer, “For certain, I do not know. But this I do know: faith must be lived before it is understood, and the more it is lived, the more things become possible.”[i] 

I believe the miracles did happen. I believe Jesus really healed people. He did not do it as a wonder worker. In fact, Jesus resisted this perspective completely. He did not do it as a magician. Jesus performed miracles as one who lived close to God. He healed people as an expression of God’s love for human life. Jesus was so tuned in to the power of God that he really did heal! Lots of times! Jesus lived human life to God’s perfection. And therefore (to use Bill Coffin’s term above) much became possible. 

Healing and health is a part of our growing vocation as a church. In case you haven’t heard, there is a health care crisis in America. Whatever you may think about its cause or its duration, the health care crisis provides an unprecedented ministry opportunity for the church. That opportunity goes beyond a “Health Fair.” In fact it goes beyond anything we could have assumed a few years ago. There are many things we are learning about human health that we did not know. Let me give you some examples. 

FAITH HEALS 

First of all, we now know that faith has healing power. How many times did Jesus say, in his encounter with people whom he healed, “Your faith has made you well”? That is not simply some statement from 2000 years ago. That’s a message for the here and now. 

Faith heals! Belief has a healing power. Studies suggest that terminally ill patients with a strong faith may live longer and/or face better odds of recovery. There is a scientifically verifiable connection between faith and health. This is particularly true among older adults. (I care a whole lot more about what is said about older adults than I used to!) Consider this observation, “Those with a deep religious faith don’t sink as low emotionally or stay down as long when they encounter difficult health problems.”[ii] 

Does that mean believers do not get sick? Of course not. But there is significant evidence that faith has a strong healing power. This power includes being healed of any negative hold that illness may have over you. 

A person with a strong faith typically has less need for medical attention or prescriptions. But if this is true, then in the future, believers may put less of a drain on the economy. Consider the implications of that! 

PRAYER HEALS 

The second thing we have discovered is that prayer heals. A young boy was asked to say the blessing at the family dinner table. He prayed, “Dear God, thank you for this food. And please help Grandma to get well.” After the prayer his father looked up from the table and said, “Son, what’s the matter with Grandma?” The boy replied, “Well, I’m not really sure, but I heard you and Mom saying she had her pension cut off.” 

Prayer heals. But prayer has become a hotly contested issue in medical science. For many years medical practice has included such treatments as meditation, relaxation techniques, and music. Now they are talking about prayer. Some scientists want to insist that this is outside the scientific realm. Such is not necessarily so. 

I do not think we can play games with this. We cannot tease about prayer. I read about a United Methodist minister in Iowa who had his children praying over a tray of germinated seeds for two weeks. However, they ignored an identical tray of the same seeds. The prayed-for plants grew 4 inches, while the neglected ones grew only 2 inches. I’m a little skeptical about that kind of evidence. Prayer is not quite that clear, but the evidence is powerful. 

Prayer includes intercessory prayer. There are all kinds of evidence that intercessory prayer makes a difference. It makes a difference even when the person being prayed for doesn’t know that it’s happening. Someone wrote recently, “If the life of Jesus shows us anything, it’s that the Creator appears to respond—with extraordinary frequency—to individual human beings, when, in seriousness, they ask the Creator to do so.”[iii] 

This is precisely why we raised up an Intercessory Prayer Team here. I believe that prayers on the part of the Intercessory Prayer Team make a difference. We receive an average of 300 cards in any given week. Those cards are held and touched and read and prayed over. Some of the most diligent members of the Prayer Team are those who know that their efforts have made a difference. 

Prayers of petition are also important. This means praying for yourself. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had a report this past July on prayers for oneself. They reported that “prayer tops the list of therapies we use to heal ourselves.”[iv] Prayer is not the only therapy used. There are medical treatments and other forms of healing science. But prayer is the strongest “complementary” therapy—which is to say it is a therapy that is not a part of conventional medicine. 

Other healing therapies that are used include natural products, deep breathing, yoga, and diets. But prayers for healing are far and away the highest form of healing used. 

Add to this the fact that eleven top medical schools including Johns Hopkins teach the efficacy of prayer as a part of the healing process. They now have courses on “Spirituality and Healing” and “Prayer and Healing.” 

WORSHIP HEALS 

The third thing we are discovering is that your presence in worship has a healing power as well. Dr. Harold Koenig cites some specific findings here:

·         People who participate in the religious community and attend church regularly have better mental health and greater social support.

·         People who are actively involved in the religious community may have more stable immune systems that are better able to fend off infection and protect against other diseases.

·         People who regularly attend church… have lower blood pressure and are far less likely to have hypertension. 

Aren’t you glad you came to church today? 

Or this comment, which I find fascinating:

·         When parents regularly attend worship services, they increase the odds that their children will live longer, healthier lives.”[v] 

Koenig then makes this bold statement: “Lack of religious involvement has an effect on mortality that is equivalent to 40 years of smoking one pack of cigarettes a day.” 

This is the kind of data that makes the scientific community twitch! But the evidence is mounting quickly. And it is real. 

Listen to one more Koenig quote: 

I don’t suppose we’ll ever live to see the day when, next to the seat belt warning signal on the dashboard, auto makers will install another flashing light in the shape of a steeple that says, “If’ it’s Sunday, drive this car to church.” And I can’t imagine cigarette makers ever adding a line at the end of the Surgeon General’s warning that says, “If you not only quit smoking but also attend church regularly, your chances of living a longer, healthier life go even higher.[vi] 

Is there a down side to any of this? The only one I have found is that people who attend church regularly seem to be somewhat overweight! All those potluck meals and ice cream socials—or in our case, all those meals with Round Table Ministries. The food we probably enjoy most together as Christians is high calorie, high fat and sinfully delicious. (Did you sign up yet for “rib night” next week?) 

Jesus really healed people through the strength of his presence and his touch. Jesus healed through the power of God. That healing power is still at work among us today in his name. And it is available even in the simple act of regular worship each week. 

CARING SERVICE TO OTHERS 

There is one more area that brings healing: the caring service to others. Caring for others has a healing power. The United Methodist Church has founded a lot of hospitals around the country. We here at Christ Church are revitalizing a hospital in Zimbabwe right now. But Christianity’s greatest contribution to good health may be caring. 

Listen to this quotation: 

Medical researchers are now finding scientific proof for what Jesus taught so long ago, that giving of self to others is actually a form of receiving… People who regularly volunteer their time heighten their overall zest for living and increase their life expectancy…Love remains the only gift that multiplies when you give it away.[vii] 

Jesus named the two greatest commandments: Love God and love your neighbor. Now we see the importance of this in the healing process. Love of God includes personal faith, prayer, and worship. Love of neighbor includes caring for others. 

A cartoon in the Wall Street Journal showed a man listening to an answering machine message. “Hi, this is your wife. To find out what’s for dinner, press 1. To apologize for something you said, press 2. To say ‘I love you,’ press 3.”  People are waiting for someone to press 3. We need to be those persons. We find improved health for ourselves in giving of ourselves to others. 

Visiting the sick can give those who are ill hope and healing, but it also brings greater health to the caregiver. 

Sometimes we are so busy and so frenetic in our lives that we have no time to listen or care. A man went to a doctor for a physical exam. After examining him the doctor said, “Well, friend, you are overweight and you need more exercise.” The man said, “Doctor, can I get a second opinion?”  

“Sure,” replied the doctor. “You are ugly and you’re not very bright.” 

Sometimes we are too busy to care—and to be made well. Volunteer service is not easy today. We don’t make the time, nor do we take the time. We don’t spend enough time calling a friend who has been sick. We forget to prepare a meal for a person convalescing at home. We too often ignore giving an elderly caregiver a break so that he or she can get out of the house for a couple of hours in the middle of the week. 

What if I told you that giving time to others has clear health benefits? What if I told you that being a lay pastor is good for you? What if I told you that being a part of the Interfaith Volunteer Care team has healing power? What if I told you that volunteering with our IHN guests or being a part of our Health Ministries team here is good for your health? Jesus’ admonitions (and examples) about caring for those who are ill have never been more relevant than they are right now. 

All these things contribute to wellness: faith, prayer, worship and caring. 

Of course, there is a qualifier here—and it must be said. None of these things guarantee good health. Those who walk with Jesus and who live out their faith usually end up being physically healthier and living longer. Yet believers do still become ill. And it has nothing to do with the depth of faith. 

We remain mortal and vulnerable. Prayer and worship are not some utilitarian use of religion. 

But our God has equipped us such that our spiritual beliefs and behaviors can actually help heal us. And a healthier, happier life is often a natural consequence. God often uses faith plus medicine to bring healing. And sometimes God heals us of the need to be healed. 

Someone wrote me these words not too long ago: “I praise God for the mystery which makes me know that something beyond me surrounds me and loves me and that no matter what, all is well.” That’s health! 

Here’s one more quotation from Dr. Koenig:

God can and will use illness to really heal us—heal us more completely and at a deeper level than  could be possible any other way. 

He adds,

This has been wonderfully true in my own life. And in the lives of many others.[viii]

I commend all of this to you today as Good News. Healthful living can be modeled in you and me. Healthful living can be the high priority for this community of believers in the years ahead.