An Invitation to a Service of Healing
a homily based on Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

"Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness."

When I read through accounts like these, I often find myself disconnected from what I am reading.  It seems so unreal, so unlike my own experience. Occasionally, I see something in my ministry that could qualify as a miracle, but then doctors rarely acknowledge them as miracles.  They will say things like: "well, we do not fully know how the human body works"  Or they will tend to think that the healed patient had been misdiagnosed in the first place.  Of course, I still believe along with the parishioner and their family members that God did do a real miracle and we give God thanks for those rare and amazing acts of healing.

And yet, when we read today's gospel lesson, miracles were commonplace in Jesus' time and especially under his ministry.  So he sends out his disciples to heal and do miracles in God's name and the amazing thing is that they actually see these miracles happen before they're very eyes.

It is easy to accept the gospel stories about Jesus doing the miracles; after all, he was the son of God. It is much harder to accept today's lesson in which the disciples (with whom I always associate myself) did the healing. However, the disciples seem to be amazed that God's power actually works through them in this way.  Now that makes me feel a little better, because I surely can relate to this sentiment.

Some might ask: "what if "nothing" happens when we pray for a healing? "Why doesn't God answer some (or most?) prayers?" Why did all the miracles happen in the Gospels all the time, and hardly ever today?

Allow me to do a little excursion into the subject matter of health and healing.  First of all, people get ill, they die. It is the most natural thing in the world. It's part of the world God created. We are not created in our bodily form to live forever. In fact, from the day we get about 20 years old, our bodies start to deteriorate until eventually the wear and tear, or a disease will cause us to pass on into the next life.

Now, the fact that illness and death are natural does not mean that we should not believe in divine healing. Of course, God wants us to live as much of a quality life as possible and God has provided many ways of natural healing for us: think of the herbs and geysers, the sun, the ocean water, etc. The Bible is full of references to God being our healer, looking out for us. And the Bible calls us repeatedly to pray for one another when we suffer from an illness.
 
Why are miraculous healings so rare  today? Let's not forget that the people in first-century Judea did not have  the medical care that we are privileged to have, nor did many have the means  to pay for the care they did have. They did not have the knowledge about healthy living, alternative/herbal medicine, or even preventative medicine.  They did not know about what cause many of the diseases or how to treat  them. So miracles were more needed back then. In the same vein, even today,  more miracles seem to happen in third world countries where people do not  have access to the medical care either.

Perhaps we need to take a different perspective today.  Perhaps the problem is that many Christians don't acknowledge God for a  healing unless it's a "pure" miracle.  But, no matter how healing comes to us, it is very important that we give credit where credit is due, namely: to God. We need to thank God for modern medicine. By the way, we don't know whether Jesus used some kind of natural medicine himself at times. Several times in the Gospels he seems to have used natural elements (such as a mix between spittle and soil).

But there are many other ways in which healing can occur. Sometimes, healing can come through a relearning how to live with a disability or an illness. I am so glad to have Dave and Ellyn here with us to educate us on ways their patients experience healing in different ways--so if you or your loved one's don't experience a miraculous healing, you can be assured that God is still at work.

Sometimes, God grants us a miracle; and there is nothing wrong with wanting or asking for a miracle. It is important though that we stay open to different ways in which God may answer our prayers and heals us.

Many times, Jesus required the person who came to him for healing to do an act of faith. In the case of one blind person (Bartimaus) for instance, Jesus asked him to “wash in the Pool of Siloam.” So, sometimes, there is a part that we play in our own healing. Just the very fact that Jesus refocuses us away from the causes of illness to the healing process indicates that he wants us to take an active role in pursuit of our healing. Sometimes we need a new perspective before we start to cooperate with God's way of healing.

This morning, God is calling us to have an active faith. God is calling us to refocus--away from the causes of our problems or illnesses and focus on our healing. Whether you need emotional healing, healing in your relationships, or a physical healing, God is encouraging us to look for healing, to walk toward healing, to expect God to come through in some way to heal us and /or help us cope. We as Christians have every reason to look to our future with confidence and courage. For our Healer is active in our lives always, no matter where our journey takes us. Amen.

[you may want to end this sermon with a healing and anointing service]