The Nature of Healing

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

                                            James 5:13-16  King James Version

When you talk to theologians, healing is usually equated with “wholeness”.  It can be part of liturgies or services of healing that include scripture about God’s love and responses to the suffering of his children.  It is sometimes associated with rituals of anointing with oil.

My best understanding of healing is what most of us have experienced either as a recipient or a provider.  When as children we first endure injuries or pain, we usually need a hug of reassurance as well as a “kiss to make it better”!   We are reassured and we do feel better and soon we are back playing with a colorful bandaid as evidence of the injury.  

I think this is what happens in the healing ministries of the church.   God reaches down and gives us hugs and kisses with and through the love and concern of the community of faith.  He then anoints us with the promise of His continuing presence.   

Thanks be to God for His healing prescription.

Marvin

References:

Post: The Mystery of Healing - 4/17/11

http://bookoforder.info/Book-of-Common-Worship.pdf

http://www.amotherskiss.org

Sulmasy DP.  Spirituality, religion, and clinical care. Chest.  135(6):1634-42, 2009 July

Healing Presence

“Presence” at Tenwek, Africa 2012

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (The Message)

I did understand that “presence” was a critical ingredient of healing.  What I didn’t understand that  “being present” for extended periods is very difficult and painful.  As physicians, we are known to “come and go”, but we are most effective when we stop and sit!  How does that change the patient and healer?   

According to St. Paul, we are part of the healing story when we are present and share the pain.   According to scripture, the good news is that we also become part of the healing.  What is also obvious, but often missed, is that healing is not a “solo” experience, but one that is shared with community, just as God shared his son.   

The experience in Africa has taught me that healing is not about them, it is about us!  We have been and are healed by a God of us all.  Thanks for sending Bwana Yesu to show us your healing presence.

Marvin

References

Meier DE.  Back AL.  Morrison RS.  The inner life of physicians and care of the seriously ill. JAMA.  286(23):3007-14, 2001 Dec 19

Hojat M.  Louis DZ. Physicians' empathy and clinical outcomes for diabetic patients.  Academic Medicine.  86(3):359-64, 2011 Mar

Hojat M.  Spandorfer J.  Louis DZ.  Gonnella JS.  Empathic and sympathetic orientations toward patient care: conceptualization, measurement, and psychometrics.  Academic Medicine.  86(8):989-95, 2011 Aug.

Healing and Violence

Wall hanging at Amani ya Juu - Nairobi, Kenya

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:9 King James Version

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.  

Philippians 4:7 King James Version

We live in a violent world that is awaiting the Prince of Peace - Peace that comes from outside of our ideas, policies and medical care.  That is the good news of healing in a violent world!   

I once heard the definition of “hero” as that person who provides safe spaces.  He/she brings calm, perspective and action to the chaos that is a part of the violence that surrounds us.  We have seen that in tragedies and in places like Amani ya Juu.

There is another critical component of that Peace, Justice.   These two ideas, “Peace” and “Justice” are found in the Hebrew word “Shalom”.  The Prince of Peace is that wonderful gift, Shalom, to a world in chaos.

To build His Kingdom, we need to be those Jesus followers who build those safe  and just spaces.   We need to find and see again the healing found in the  “Shalom of this Season”.  

Marvin 

References

http://www.amaniafrica.org/
Post January 23, 2011, Peace from Above

A Royal Birth

Tenwek Hospital, Kenya

And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. 

Luke 9:2 King James Version

Once in royal Davids city,

Stood a lowly cattle shed,

Where a mother laid her Baby,

In a manger for His bed:

Mary was that mother mild,

Jesus Christ, her little Child.

“Once in Royal Davids City” - First verse, Christmas Carol

Lyrics C.F. Alexander  Music H.J. Gauntlett

There is nothing like a the excitement of a royal birth and how appropriate at this time of the year.   Let me share another recent great birth story.

It was the first part of this year(2012) while at Tenwek Hospital in Kenya that an abandoned term infant was brought to the nursery.   He was in a very tenuous state of health and named, Daniel, by the nurses who knew he would need to be strong to survive.  A few days later, it was discovered that he had been named Emmanuel by the police who had found him.   The resulting name was Emmanuel Daniel.  With a lot of love and care Emmanuel Daniel was nurtured back to health.   

This Christmas we celebrate the surprise and joy of a Royal Birth.  The surprise is that God appears to the poor disenfranchised world and provides a new definition of Royalty and Kingdom that is still in the making.  His Emmanuel’s birth is more like the reality of birth in the world in places like Kenya.   

May the blessings and surprise of this Royal Christmas birth be with you this year.

Marvin

References

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50136350n

http://www.tenwek.org

http://healingagents.blogspot.com/

Post December 12, 2011, Emmanuel

Post December 2, 2012, Awaiting “Good News”

Awaiting "Good News"

God, my shepherd!

    I don’t need a thing.

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,

    you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word,

    you let me catch my breath

    and send me in the right direction.

Even when the way goes through

    Death Valley,

I’m not afraid

    when you walk at my side.

Your trusty shepherd’s crook

    makes me feel secure.

You serve me a six-course dinner

    right in front of my enemies.

You revive my drooping head;

    my cup brims with blessing.

Your beauty and love chase after me

    every day of my life.

I’m back home in the house of God

    for the rest of my life.

Psalm 23 (The Message)

At this time of Advent in the church calendar, we are awaiting the “good news”.  It is what we all want to receive.  Sometimes in our lives, hearing “good news” seems more important particularly when our lives are challenged  by suffering and loss.   

Professionally, I have been interested in how physicians communicated “bad news”.  It is a common problem for physicians.   We have largely seen this communication problem from the perspective of the “giver” of the bad news.

We also have the opportunity to be a vehicles for the “good news”.   I have seen it in the concern and radical love of those who provide the care that is more than their technical skills.  We can be part of that unexpected intrusion in our lives by a God who has promised to be with us even when we together with our patients face “bad news”.  What we know is that when God intervenes in our lives it is always “good news”... like that first Christmas when God surprises us with new life.

Thanks be to God for the “good news” of this season when we celebrate God’s greatest “Good News”, Emmanuel.

Marvin

References:

http://www.worldcat.org/title/when-the-bough-breaks-the-blalocks-story/oclc/28392673

Previous Blog Post, Emmanuel, 12/18/2011

Healing Communities - "For the Greater Glory of God"

"Running Water" in Nicaragua from “Called to Life”

The poor in spirit see and are glad

Oh, you God-seekers, take heart!

For God listens to the poor,

He doesn’t walk out on the wretched.

You heavens, praise him; praise him, earth;

Also ocean and all things that swim in it.

Psalm 69: 32-34 The Message

"Community" usually has a small definition.  Our circle of church family, friends and relatives were defined by a 25 mile radius.  We got our news locally as well as our care.   We still see the value of small and close communities, but are now blessed with global relationships and connections.

Here are some recent observations about our expanded healing communities:

1. The church and faith are global and the context of healing.
2. Those who suffer bring a powerful voice of comfort and courage.
3. Healing is learned best from those with longterm struggles.
4. Their struggles are our struggles and our struggles are their struggles.

So the good news for our struggles in “developed” countries, is that our healing can come from places that we never expected.  Their faith is a testimony to our God who is bigger than our expectations or struggles!

Marvin

References

http://calledtolife.net/what-if-this-is-how-you-got-your-water/

"For the Greater Glory of God" - "Ad maiorem Dei gloriam” - Motto at Georgetown University

Bono’s visit to Georgetown on 11/12/2012

     Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CQpII9d2IY

     Complete version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUZFgBqcYt8

HIPPA and Healing

"Mountain Home”  -  ETSU - October 21, 2012

Jesus said, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.  

Mark 5:18-20 The Message

We get some mixed messages when facing disease...”telling & sharing” or “privacy”.   In the United States, we have “legalized” our privacy...”HIPPA”.   In its simplest form, it is about the management of our health information.  The other reality is that our communities are keys to our healing and we can use computer communication to share information on sites like “CarePages”.   

Certainly, churches and church families regularly pray for and with patients who are part of their congregations.  I think we need to be clear about how our faith communities can be part of the healing response.  Susan Dunlap reveals the different styles and looks for the common themes.   Most important is God’s presence in the our lives.  Our faith stories are not just stories of our struggles, but testimonies of God’s healing.  These cyber-communities are our new reality of sharing and reporting God’s Grace!  

Marvin

References:

Rev. Will Willimon,  Jesus’ Health Care Plan

http://podbay.fm/show/261879191/e/1282858380?autostart=1

https://www.carepages.com/

Susan J. Dunlap Caring Cultures: How Congregations Respond to the Sick

Ziebland S.  Wyke S. Health and illness in a connected world: how might sharing experiences on the internet affect people's health?. Milbank Quarterly.  90(2):219-49, 2012 Jun

Rev. John Hage, A Love That Won’t Let You GO, 10/28/2012

http://mppc.net/410623.ihtml