"What God Can Do"

John 9:1-41

Said He, "I was impressed, and somewhat overwhelmed when the surgeon led the operating team in prayer before they put me to sleep in Duke Hospital, Durham, NC. I was shocked! Suddenly I felt totally relaxed. Even today I am impressed! When I found out he belonged to the same church as myself ... I was thrilled.

Probably more energy and time is expended on behalf of the Christian community on praying for those who are sick than any other enterprise of the church.

It is a rare day indeed when I'm not asked to pray for another person. Most churches have prayer chains. A prayer chain is a group of people who agree to pray for people who have special needs. When someone is sick, or a great difficulty appears people go into action ... calling each other and praying for the cause identified. Many churches have prayer communities which carry on a continuous prayer for members of the congregation.

We Methodists are not anti prayer. We do question worship experiences that rival the Baal priests in the old testament trying to get God to act.

In the Old Testament one of the most humorist stories is that of Elijah and the Priests of Baal praying that God will perform a miracle. The miracle was to send a fire to consume the meat on the altar. The Baal priests danced, shook their rattles, worked themselves up into a frenzy. Nothing happened. Elijah walked up and prayed a very short prayer, and God acted.

Healing was one of the main expressions of Jesus' ministry. Jesus never brought out the choruses, never went through a great deal of religious hocus pocus. He just did what he was about. Sometimes it was a word ... your sins are forgiven, take up your bed and walk. It was a walk down a street and a lady touching him. Faith was never relegated to noise, action, or anything on the part of the individual.

1. Organic or structural defects (cripples)

2. functional (malfunctioning of organs) (blindness)

3. psychic or mental (most difficult to heal)

4. Moral illnesses (41 cases detailed in four gospels)

Jesus healed:

interpersonal interactions ...woman at well.

leprosy,

lameness,

paralysis,

fever,

and blindness.

He was most successful with emotional and mental illness. Just think almost one half of the patients in the hospital today are having some sort of emotional disorder. Jesus used suggestion, touch, spittle clay, and saliva to mediate healing. One lady was healed by touching his garment.

 

The recipient of healing in this morning's lesson is a man who was blind from birth. Jesus healed him by placing a mud pack made with his spittle on his eyes, and told him to go wash them. He did as he was instructed, and behold his sight began to return ... a little at a time. Since he had been blind from birth there was no way people could deny this miracle. Neither could the blind man, or those who had known from birth explain it. The leaders of the Judaism were frustrated, and convinced they had to ride themselves of Jesus.

The early church took literally its role as the body of Christ to continue the healing ministry of Christ. Healing ministry was very much a part of the life of that church.

In the early church there were several experiences which came with the healing process.

1. Forgiveness of sins and healing seemed to travel on the same track.

2. The Elders ...ministers... were to be the activists in this healing process.

3. Olive Oil was used to anoint people by making the sign of the cross on their forehead.

This was a sacred undertaking. As far as we are able to understand it was done deliberately and without a great deal of fan fare.

Most of us still stand in need of the healing of the master.

a. Healing of memories ... disappointments, hurts, failures

b. Healing of scars from wrong decisions, sins we have committed.

c. Healing of our weakness when it comes to doing what is best for self, and others.

Of all the generations of peoples we carry more hurts than any in history. We consume billions of dollars worth of drugs and treatments each year for the symptoms of our illnesses. Of all generations peer pressure to live certain levels of life force us into practices which we don't really like.

There is a lot of pent up anger in most of us brought on by circumstances of life over which we really have no control. This anger tends to control us.

If Christ was to walk among us today he would give us courage to take charge of our lives. He would cause us to trust him for the energy to act.

This morning we are going to experience the practice of the early church. Without a great deal of fanfare we will follow the ancient liturgy ...bless the oil ... invite you to come to be anointed during the singing of the last hymn.