How do I approach people? What do I say to people who are in pain and hurting? Scared and in need? What can I offer without my usual bag of tricks, when suddenly it came to me! Why is it my symptoms always seemed to lessen whenever I got to the hospital. I used to laugh and say, “make a liar out of me doc, but 2 hours ago, I was screaming in pain…”
So I went up the first person and asked “How are you feeling?” and the answer was “fine” and we both laughed. “Well, not really fine then, she said” and I asked what brought her in, and then I asked, how did she feel symptom-wise now that she was at the hospital? And my lady answered, that her symptoms seemed to lessen. After a brief chat and the offer of prayer and glass of water, I moved on, and I discovered that most people had similar experiences. Why did people feel better, even when waiting for 4 hours in the ER….and it came to me. HOPE. Hope that someone there could help them.
The power of HOPE is the key to healing. Today’s readings on St. Luke the Physician’s feast day are all about hope and healing. Our first reading from Sirach 38: 1-4 and 6-10. is written like one of today titles, “Healing for Dummies”. It tells us to honour physicians for the Lord created them and their gift of healing comes from the Most High. When we are ill, we are directed to not delay, but to pray to the Lord and he will heal us. It goes on to say, that there may come a time when recovery lies in the hands of physicians for they too pray to the Lord to grant them success in healing and preserving life. James 5:13-16, our second reading says, “Are any of you suffering? They should pray. 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 prayer of faith will save the sick. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
What do both of these readings have in common – making a CONNECTION! The point of contact - bringing people and God together, when we ask for someone to be healed. you don’t have to be an elder to be a healer. You can simply offer prayers on anyone’s behalf. You don’t have to make a fancy prayer or know the proper thing to say. Say what is in your heart and ask Jesus for what you need. As simple an idea as Psalm 30 says,” LORD my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me.”
Which bring me to a big thank you moment. As most of you probably know by now, our son has spent the last month in hospital gravely ill. My family and I have been surrounded by love and support by this parish community and I’d like to take a brief moment to say thank you. It has meant the world to me, each time someone has asked how he is, said they were praying for Andy and us, each time someone dropped off food or simply gave me a big hug. Knowing you aren’t alone makes a world of difference.
Sue Hawthorn-Bate told me a story this week, about another child in hospital. This one was in the NICU at the same time when Liam was born. She was awfully tiny and precious, but she must have seemed overwhelming to someone because she was abandoned at the hospital. This poor baby seemed to suffer with a diagnosis we call Failure to Thrive. No matter how much they tried to feed her or coo to her, the size of only a couple of pounds of butter, she lost weight and never engaged with the world around her. Don’t think for a moment that it only happens to preemie babies left alone in this world. I’ve seen people in every age group, every socio-economic level, rich poor, young, middle aged and elderly – failure to thrive can affect anyone. In those without hope, life seems to wither away. They stop interacting with others, they often stop feeding properly and shrink away from human contact. This is truly a dis-ease caused from lack of hope. Without hope then, how can we heal?
Where can we find hope? Jesus is our hope; he is our access to healing. All we have to do is ask. Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit when he returned to Galilee today’s Gospel tells us. He went home to Nazareth where he had been brought up. He went to the synagogue to pray and to preach and this is what he said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.” This was Jesus’ Inauguration Day and his public manifesto. He tells us exactly where to turn for healing. We turn to him.
People in pain want help, whether that pain is from physical or emotional scars. Not all who suffer carry their dis-ease on the outside. Look past job titles, bank accounts, cars and big houses and see loneliness, need and hurt. When you go home today, take a moment outside beside the rose garden. Instead of looking down at Murray’s beautiful roses, look up at all the apartments around us. Can you imagine how many people just in our neighborhood alone are in need of healing of body, mind or spirit? How many people in those apartments never see a soul, never feel a hug or even a friendly handshake? never feel a human touch.
There is healing work to be done, and God has asked us to help. We have a powerful tool; one so powerful it can overcome some of the mightiest dis-eases.
Let’s go back to the tiny little baby in the NICU. Something wonderful happened. She was adopted by a couple who knew her challenges but believed that love would heal her. So they began Kangaroo kare. Simply explained, it is skin-to-skin contact. They tucked this tiny tiny baby inside their clothing, close to their hearts and they talked to her and they sang to her and she stirred. “She knew someone loved her”, Sue said. She first stabilized and then began to grow and eventually she left the hospital to start her new life with her family. No more failure to thrive – skin-to-skin contact. She was healed by God, through the hands of people.
Let us remember too, Luke 8:40-49 and the Hemorrhaging woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. To reach Jesus she must push and shove and elbow her way between people when tiny openings occur. She is weak; her strength is drained, and yet she will not give up. She must reach Jesus, and so she continues to wedge her body through the crowd until she comes up behind him.
She has decided in her heart, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed"
She believed so deeply that she would be healed, that all she needed was the briefest of connections with Jesus. The power of hope and prayer brought her forward when all the odds were against her reaching him. But Jesus felt her weak tug on the hem of his tunic or perhaps the fringe of his tallit prayer shawl. We too sometimes need a physical "point of contact" that helps us exercise our faith in God. That is what the hem of Jesus' cloak was to the hemorrhaging woman. This is what a handclasp, or a hug can be. This is the power of hope, the power of healing, the power of grace in our lives too.
In just a few minutes here, we will have a healing service and all who are in need of healing in body, mind or spirit are asked to come forward and like our Epistle says today, “ be prayed over and anointed with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick.”
I’m going to ask those of you, who do not feel a call for anointing at this time, be an active part of this healing service by praying for our brothers and sisters today as they are anointed and when the time in right, perhaps at the passing of the peace, or at coffee time, try a little skin-to-skin therapy…shake their hand, or give them a hug and let them know they are not alone. If you are not sure how to approach them, just say, "I’m praying for you” or maybe just “Loiter with intent”.
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