Healing Service
Last night at my church we had a healing service. Let me start with what it was not.
There were no miracle healings; the blind did not suddenly see again, the deaf did not suddenly hear again, the lame did not suddenly become cool. People were not so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit that when touched on the head by the Pastor they fell over in ecstasy. (This last one is important; we couldn't afford a lawsuit like what happened in 1996 in waterloo. - she did lose that case by the way.)
So what did we mean by healing? Did the service mean physical healing, yes. Did the service mean spiritual healing, yes. Did it mean healing for the world, yes. Did it mean healing the way we wanted it, maybe though probably not. There was and is an understanding that the God of Israel, Jesus and the Prophets is a God who heals. The Greek word we translate as Salvation (Soteria) applies here. (Incidentally Soteria is also the origin of the word 'salve' in English as in to salve a wound.) Soteria means to be made whole. If something has received soteria, it is made complete. This receiving of soteria is what I understand healing to be. I know it sounds trite, but God does not always give us what we want or ask for... but what we need
So what it essentially did happen was a prayer service. People would come to the front of the church and pray quietly with two elders (all prayers being confidential) for some healing. Before we started Peter (the minister) shared a story of how he broke his elbow. How it had meant he could no longer straighten his arm. How he had prayed for healing. And how he still could not straighten his arm. It had taught him that he is mortal, healing came in accepting the fact he could no longer do some things as he could before.
After people had been prayed over/with they would walk to Peter and be Anointing with Oil. Now anointing with oil is a Tradition that goes back to pre-christian times. Usually as part of asking for healing. In the case of Christianity when it is done (which is not all that often) a cross is drawn on the forehead. It is important that the deliberate irony of this is not lost. As Christians we take the symbol of where God suffered more than anywhere or time, what we see as the darkest moment in human history, and ask for our own healing knowing that in some way God will provide. What does this mean for us? I'm not going to comment further on that. I think this is one of those times where wrestling with the question is more relevant than any answer I could give.
I was one of the people who asked for healing during this service, I asked on behalf of someone who was not there. I am not going to share who or what I prayed for. But I can say there was no miracle healing, this person is still in real and genuine pain. So what will God's healing be? I don't know, I don't know when it will come, how it will come, or in what form it will come. In all honesty I probably wont recognise it when it happens, but by faith I believe God is there working away.
There were no miracle healings; the blind did not suddenly see again, the deaf did not suddenly hear again, the lame did not suddenly become cool. People were not so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit that when touched on the head by the Pastor they fell over in ecstasy. (This last one is important; we couldn't afford a lawsuit like what happened in 1996 in waterloo. - she did lose that case by the way.)
So what did we mean by healing? Did the service mean physical healing, yes. Did the service mean spiritual healing, yes. Did it mean healing for the world, yes. Did it mean healing the way we wanted it, maybe though probably not. There was and is an understanding that the God of Israel, Jesus and the Prophets is a God who heals. The Greek word we translate as Salvation (Soteria) applies here. (Incidentally Soteria is also the origin of the word 'salve' in English as in to salve a wound.) Soteria means to be made whole. If something has received soteria, it is made complete. This receiving of soteria is what I understand healing to be. I know it sounds trite, but God does not always give us what we want or ask for... but what we need
So what it essentially did happen was a prayer service. People would come to the front of the church and pray quietly with two elders (all prayers being confidential) for some healing. Before we started Peter (the minister) shared a story of how he broke his elbow. How it had meant he could no longer straighten his arm. How he had prayed for healing. And how he still could not straighten his arm. It had taught him that he is mortal, healing came in accepting the fact he could no longer do some things as he could before.
After people had been prayed over/with they would walk to Peter and be Anointing with Oil. Now anointing with oil is a Tradition that goes back to pre-christian times. Usually as part of asking for healing. In the case of Christianity when it is done (which is not all that often) a cross is drawn on the forehead. It is important that the deliberate irony of this is not lost. As Christians we take the symbol of where God suffered more than anywhere or time, what we see as the darkest moment in human history, and ask for our own healing knowing that in some way God will provide. What does this mean for us? I'm not going to comment further on that. I think this is one of those times where wrestling with the question is more relevant than any answer I could give.
I was one of the people who asked for healing during this service, I asked on behalf of someone who was not there. I am not going to share who or what I prayed for. But I can say there was no miracle healing, this person is still in real and genuine pain. So what will God's healing be? I don't know, I don't know when it will come, how it will come, or in what form it will come. In all honesty I probably wont recognise it when it happens, but by faith I believe God is there working away.