Q & A on Healing

An Interactive Sermon done with All Saints Anglican Church on October 18, 2009 at the Convent Chapel of St. Mary's Medical Center, Huntington, WV.

Q& A on Healing
This weekend we have been receiving teaching on Christian Healing from our brother, Father Peter Schoew. We have retreated from the world for a few hours in order to Advance towards the Kingdom - and this morning we continue our Advance. This is the quiz part of the weekend. So take out a piece of paper and a writing utensil and move away from your neighbor ... just kidding ... But we actually do have space in our bulletin if you'd like to take notes as we interact.

What I'd like to do is just review the material we covered by asking you some questions and having you respond with the answers. So -
first question:

If 'Healing' was our primary theme, what are some additional themes or categories of our teaching? - (Kingdom of God, Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Fruit, Love)

Who are we as Christians? (Children of God, Citizens of Heaven)

What role does Jesus play in the Kingdom of God? ( Messiah, Anointed One, Christ, King of Kings)
We talked about 2 A's regarding the Kingdom. What are they?
(Alignment and Assignment)

What slogan did Peter teach us regarding the two A's?
"Kingdom Alignment requires kingdom assignment."

Meaning?....
(If you are going to be aligned with the kingdom you should expect to be given a job or to be called on to pray for people)

Peter also talked about a B something. What was it (B Team)

What was the slogan he used re: the B Team?
(There is no B Team. .. in white robes waiting in the wings.)

What does this mean? (We're it. We are the A team.)

So, who does God use to extend His kingdom? ( US!We are God's Hands and Feet.)

Who is qualified to pray for the sick? (Everyone)

What kind of degrees must you have to pray for the sick? ( None)

What kind of ordination do you need to pray for the sick? ( None)

What is the job of the church's leadership re: spiritual gifts?
(Equip the saints for the work of ministry. Eph. 4:12. Recognize and draw out the gifts of the saints.)

So who are the ministers of this church? (All of us.)

Who owns the gifts? (God)

What are the gifts for? (Building up of the Body, Fruit Eph. 4:12)

What's more important, Gifts or Fruit? (Fruit)

What's the Greatest Gift? (Love. I Cor. 13:13)

What does John 3:16 say? (“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.)

Look at your Gospel reading for today. What does the last verse, Mark 10:45 say? ("For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”)

It's not in your insert, but does anyone remember what happens in Mark 10:46 and following? (Jesus heals Blind Bartimaeus)

Point: Healing is connected to God's Self-Giving). This is what I really want you to take away from the rest of our time this morning:
Healing flows from God's self-giving Love. If you don't remember anything else, I'd like you to remember this. Let's all say it together...
Healing flows from God's self-giving Love.

Now let's look at our reading from Isaiah 53: 4-12, but especially verses 4,5)
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5But he was wounded for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his stripes we are healed.

Notice (the underlined above) What tense are we talking about? Past.
What about "we are"? Present tense.

Going on. Look at v. 6, 7
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.

Again we see the Past Tense. And Jesus is described as the Lamb of God, the 'Agnus Dei'

What do we learn about God's will for the Lamb in V. 10
(10Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;
he has put him to grief;...to make his soul an offering for guilt...)

What will happen 'Out of the anguish of his soul....?"
(V. 11: he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.)

In v 12: What does the Lamb of God do for 'the many"?
"Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Does anyone know what the word 'Oblation' means? (Sacrifice. Firstfruits. Offering of our best to God. I think of it particularly as in the OT: a drink offering, 'poured out')
Jesus poured out his soul. He gave himself as an oblation to God. This is why in the Eucharistic prayer of Rite I, (BCP. pg. 334) we read:
"All glory be to thee, Almighty God, our heavenly Father, for
that thou, of thy tender mercy, didst give thine only Son Jesus
Christ to suffer death upon the cross for our redemption; who
made there, by his one oblation of himself once offered, a full,
perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction, for
the sins of the whole world;..."

What is our 'takeaway' from today's teaching?
(Healing flows from God's self-giving Love)

Let's think about some other wonderful verses from Phil. 2:5-7:

Phil 2:5-7 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, (ESV).

NASB: laid aside His privileges.
NLT: gave up his divine privileges
Young's Literal Translation: but did empty himself, the form of a servant having taken, in the likeness of men having been made,

He poured himself out, emptied himself out...And because he did so ...
"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:9,10).
Who is Jesus in God's Kingdom? (Lord of all)

What else?
Look at your reading from Hebrews 4: 12-16, especially 14:

"Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Who,What is Jesus?: ( Son of God, High Priest).

What can we expect to receive from this high priest?
(15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.)

Jesus is our High Priest. He is also the Lamb of God, the Paschal Victim who gave himself for us and for our well-being.

In the Words of Institution of our Eucharistic Prayer, we say:
This is my body, blood, given for you... and:
These are the Gifts of God for the people of God.

Gifts - Given - Get it?
What is our takeaway lesson?
(Healing flows from God's Self-Giving Love.)

When we come to the Table of the Lord, we partake of His Gifts, His outpouring of Love for us.

Jesus said, "This do in remembrance of me."
When we eat the bread and drink of the cup we are doing something. We are participating in God's self-giving love - the love that heals us by the outpouring of the body and blood of Jesus, the Lamb of God.
Therefore, there is no better time or place to seek healing from God, than immediately after having made your Eucharist or thanksgiving.

In John Chapter 6, Jesus describes Himself as the Bread of Heaven, given, for the life of the world. (51)
In the Lord's Prayer, we pray, Give us this day, our daily Bread...

When we come to the communion table, we eat of our daily bread, the manna from heaven, our very LIFE.

Now, Fr. Peter also talked about our Inheritance as Christians.
What is it? Healing. Body Soul and Spirit.
Healing is described as 'The children's bread' in Mt. 15:26. It's part of our inheritance as Christians.

St. Augustine called the Eucharist, the 'Medicine of Immortality."
And so it is.

Friends, if God was willing to give his very best to us 'while we were still sinners', enemies of God, and to reconcile us through the death of His Son, how much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life and receive all things from our God (Romans 5:14, 8:32) - including our healing?

Friends, RUN to the Communion Table of the Lord!
Why? Because Healing...flows from God's Self-giving Love. AMEN.