Healing Ministry in the United Church of Canada
Suggested Outline for Introductory Workshop
Resources needed: Celebrating God’s Presence: A Book of Services, Voices United Hymn Book, Bible, Newsprint and markers, Olive Oil,
Other Helpful Resources: Exchange Winter 2003 (Special Theme Issue on Prayer and Healing.) Some articles are online at http://www.united-church.ca/exchange/2003/winter/home.shtm
Welcome & Check In
Go around the circle and invite participants to share: their name, the place where they were born, the place where they would like to retire, and the place they would name as a healing place (where you feel closest to God and most whole within yourself.)
Sharing the Purpose of Our Gathering
To learn about healing ministry by:
· Reminding ourselves of healing stories in the Bible;
· Learning about three forms of healing ministry practiced in the United Church of Canada;
· Listing the occasions for healing ministry services;
· Outlining the distinctive elements in a healing ministry services
· Experiencing a brief anointing service for small groups
Song:
Choose a song from the “Renewal: Healing” section of Voices United (#607-623)
Defining Healing
Brainstorm and record on newsprint a list of words/images that come to mind when you think of Ahealing@
Look through the words of the songs in the “Renewal: Healing” section of Voices United. What other words would you add to the list?
Look at the list. What words seem to mean “cure?” What words mean “wholeness?”
What is the difference between “cure” and “wholeness?” What does it mean to say: “he/she died healed?”
Biblical Background
See Article “Healing in the Bible” (below) and summarize key points.
Alternatively, brainstorm stories of healing in the Bible. Include a broad range of haling stories: physical healing of individuals, individuals are restored to wholeness or re-connected with community, healing in nature, healing of communities/cities etc.
Discuss: What is the connection between healing and justice? 2. Where do you see signs of hope in our society that will lead towards healing and justice for everyone? 3. How do you feel about praying for others to be healed?
Forms of Healing Ministry
1. Prayer Groups & Prayer Circles
For descriptions of both prayer circles and prayer groups see: http://www.united-church.ca/exchange/2003/winter/2730.shtm
2. Healing Touch Ministries
See article (below) by Linda Finley and summarize information you feel important to highlight. Or read the article “Maritime Conference Healing Ministry” in Imprints (and online) for a brief introduction to healing touch ministries.
3. Services of Healing
Occasions for Worship Services
(See stories from Maritime Conference churches and worship outlines on this web page)
· Some churches in the Maritime Conference hold Healing Services on regular basis at a time separate from regular services (once a month).
· Some churches hold Healing Ministry Services at certain times of the church year (ABlue Christmas”, Lent or)
· Some churches organize services as a response to crisis/disaster –(see Service of Lament in Celebrating God’s Presence)
· Some churches incorporate into Sunday Services when lectionary readings prompt a healing theme or there is a need in the community.
Distinctive Elements for Services of Healing (See introductory section [pg 637] of Healing Section from Celebrate God=s Presence: A Book of Services for further information.)
· The form of prayers
· Anointing with Oil
· The place of touch - Laying on of hands
Reflection
Divide into small groups and list 2-3 things that you learned or re-learned this evening and 2-3 questions that remain for you.
Closing
Share together a brief anointing service for small groups (see Celebrating God’s Presence: A Book of Services pg. 652)
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Articles for Information:
Healing in the Bible
Reflections by Linda Finley
Intuitively, I knew that healing was a theme written about at length in the Bible. Because I am not a Biblical scholar I, at first, turned for biblical information to those whose messages spoke to me of healing; people like Agnes Sanford, Tom Harpur, Morton Kelsey, Flora Litt, and Diarmuid O’Murchu and others. The Bible, itself was the greatest source of reassurance and conviction.
Tom Harpur is the source of information I have used for my thoughts about healing in the Hebrew Scriptures. He believes there is a strong theme of healing throughout the Old Testament.
He believes that the theme of healing has been misinterpreted by many biblical scholars and that what is at issue is the problem of human brokenness and how we can be restored to wholeness.
Harpur, for example, believes that the story of the Garden is one of broken relationship with God and that we need to be returned to wholeness.
The Psalms are a window into the daily lives of the Hebrew people. The healing theme is strong in their songs and poetry. When the Psalmists speak of ‘the day of the Lord,’ Harpur interprets that to mean “a cosmic harmony when sickness, wars, injustice and famine will be no more.” He is referring to a time of wholeness and health.
Continuing the healing message of the Psalms – a quote from Tom Harpur’s Uncommon Touch says, “Pervading and overreaching everything else is the healing of every aspect of the individual’s life, body, mind, and spirit. There is a deep explicit conviction in the psalmists’ outpourings that the natural will and bent of the ultimate cosmic energy is toward self-healing-both of the planet itself and of humankind” (pg.53)
Some of the biblical language is not helpful in today’s society. Words like salvation and redemption seem to have little power in today’s culture, but everyone does have an interest in health and healing and wholeness. We have interpreted the word ‘salvation’ ‘to be saved from our sins’ but in actual fact the Greek word from which it is taken refers to being made whole. The words for health and for holy have a common origin as well.
Perhaps, in light of these teachings we can look at the scriptures as a calling to and a yearning for healing for ourselves and for the earth in which we live.
Discovering ‘healing’ in the New Testament was not as challenging as in the Old Testament. I already knew the wonderful stories of Jesus’ healings. But I didn’t know the power of the healing message in the gospel stories and in the scriptures following Jesus’ death.
I’ve learned that fully 25% of the gospel story is devoted to stories of Jesus’ healing. I’m wondering if this 25% includes stories dealing with healings of the society and political system in which he lived, or does this 25% only account for the physical healings in which peoples’ bodies were made whole again? If it is just physical healings then the healing theme is even more extensive than 25%.
At the very beginning of his ministry Jesus declared what he understood his mission to be. After reading from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue he said to the people there: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release for the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free and to declare the day of the Lord.” With these words Jesus declared himself to be a healer- to bring healing to the people on many different levels including social, as well as body, mind and spirit. The gospel stories seem to be telling us that Jesus healed all who asked for healing and some who didn’t ask but who were in need
Many of us know the stories of Jesus’ healings of the blind, the deaf, the lepers, the lame and those with mental disorders sometimes referred to as ‘demon possessed’. However, Jesus work was mainly with the poor, the outcasts of society the ‘unclean’ –people with broken bodies, minds and spirits. With these people he healed by breaking down the barriers of economics, gender, religion, unjust laws. As he healed lepers he broke the barriers of ‘clean and ‘unclean.’ As he spoke with women he broke the barriers of ‘gender’ letting women know they were worthy in the sight of God.
Jesus stood with ‘broken’ people in a way that offered wholeness and health to not only their bodies but to their spirits and minds. Jesus changed how people thought about how to be in relationship with God and all others. Many of the stories of Jesus’ healings are recorded in the gospels more than once, often three times giving strength to the importance of his healing work.
What is important to us today as we contemplate a healing ministry is the knowledge that Jesus expected his disciples to heal as well. In Matthew 10:1 “Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to cure every disease and every sickness.” Jesus sent them out to the broken people of Israel and told them to proclaim the good news: “the kingdom of heaven has come near. Cure the sick, raise the dead, and cleanse lepers, cast out demons.”( Matthew 10:7-8a ) And they “went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing disease everywhere.”( Luke 9:6) At another time he sent out seventy disciples in his name and sent them on ahead of him. They came back and reported, “Lord in your name even the demons submit to us.” Luke 10:17b
The disciples were not always successful. There is a story of them coming back and asking Jesus for help as they were not able to heal for him. Jesus was angry and berated them for their little faith and understanding. This, I think is a very human story.
As he was preparing for his death Jesus told the disciples that they could do the same things that Jesus did and even greater things. This story is in John 14: 12-14.
I believe that Jesus calls us to offer healing to the people who need and want it. He does this by the example of his life teachings. After his death, Paul Peter, James, John and other disciples did heal in Jesus name. The Book of Acts records these stories of power and faith by the followers Christ.
The early church offered healing to its people. It is written in the Book of James: “Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The power of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and any one who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective.” ( James 5:14-16)
Healing was an integral part of Jesus’ ministry. He taught, sent out and expected his disciples to carry on his work in his name. As Jesus’ disciples on earth today, I believe we are called to take up his work and carry on a healing ministry in his name.
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A History of Energy/Touch Healing
By Linda Finley
Ever since the very first mother comforted the very first baby with a caress, a nuzzle or perhaps it was a lick, healing touch has existed in the world. Healing touch is not new. From ancient times people used touch as a tool for healing, instinctively. They knew that touch was comforting.
Remember the story in 2000 of the Ice Man found in the Italian Alps? Humanity was able to gain much knowledge of his life from his well preserved remains. He carried in a pouch around his neck herbs for healing and tinder for creating fire. He lived 5200 years ago and was knowledgeable about healing. The story goes further to tell that his skin was so well preserved that the scientists detected strange markings on different parts of his body. They later learned that the markings coincided with the markings that could be used by an acupuncturist. The scientists have accepted this as truth because the strange marks were on body parts that were injured or arthritic. People in ancient times had a great deal of knowledge of their bodies and how to heal them. Maybe we aren’t as evolved as we think!!
Touch is so important to humans and perhaps all living things. I expect you have seen pictures in the news of Romanian orphans who have been sheltered in overcrowded, understaffed orphanages. The babies are underdeveloped physically and mentally and although it doesn’t show, spiritually too. When these same babies are placed in loving homes and reared by loving parents the children soon catch up to their peers. Once they learn to share love and touch their lot is improved. I believe that touch is integral to the well being of humanity as well as in the maintenance of good health.
Down through the ages this skill or “knowing” had almost disappeared in the western world but is still well used in many parts of the East. Treating the ill has been given over to the medical profession. Healers using herbs and healing touch became almost invisible.
With the general acceptance of Einstein’s work with energy and matter, a better understanding of the how the body works is developing. Einstein discovered that energy and matter are linked and work together. Light is also involved in his equation. Scientists and non-scientists have done much research into how the body works. What makes it ‘tick’? It is now accepted that we are more than a collection of cells in a special organization. We are body mind and spirit, which cannot be separated one from the other. The three components are one. Whatever affects us physically affects us on a mental and spiritual level as well and vice versa. If our spiritual life is not a happy one it can have an effect on our health.