James 5:13-20     NT p. 215 or 1511

5:13 Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise.

5:14 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.

5:15 The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.

5:16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

5:17 Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.

5:18 Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

5:19 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another,

5:20 you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

NRSV (ComLec) (c) 1989 NCC

INTRODUCTION:

Did you hear about the health insurance provider who died and went to heaven? It was glorious. He was enjoying it immensely. After he had been there a week, St. Peter came to visit him and said: "I'm sorry but it's time to leave."

The health insurance agent said: "What do you mean it's time leave? I've only been here a week."

St. Peter shrugged and said, "Well, I'm sorry but your HMO only provides for 7 days."

Then there's the one about a guy who was showing off his new dog. It was a beautiful black Labrador Retriever. He was putting the dog through his paces for his friend. Sit, stay, beg, play dead, fetch, all the tricks. The friend was impressed. The new owner grinned and said, "Yeah, I'm really pleased with everything about this dog except for one thing. I got him from a Televangelist."

His friend said, "Well, that shouldn't be a problem."

The owner said, "Oh yeah? Watch this." He told the dog to heal. The dog ran to the friend, stood on his hind legs, put one paw on his shoulder and the other on the guys forehead and started to pray.

James broaches a subject this morning that is very important and very much a part of the ministry of the ministry of the Church, though often times it's neglected. I think it's neglected in the mainline Churches because certain portions of the Church have taken it over and in some instances made a mockery of it. What I'm talking about, of course, is the healing ministry.

Jesus did basically two things in His ministry he taught and he healed. And He told us to continue his ministry. The early church was the Original HMO. The early church took the healing ministry very seriously and became the first Health Maintenance Organization. They gathered to pray and anoint those who were sick and in need.

I. SICKNESS:

I'm not a medical doctor nor do I play one on Television. And I don't want this to sound grandiose or like I'm setting myself above everybody else. I offer this very humbly, knowing I could be wrong. As I've read and studied over the years, I've come to believe that there are really only three types of sickness in the world.

There's Physical Sickness, that which is caused by germs, disease and accidents.

There's Mental and Emotional Sickness. (I guess you could separate these two but they are so closely tied together that they appear to be one.) It's absolutely amazing to me what we can do to ourselves through our minds and through our emotions.

And then there's is Spiritual Sickness. We know it by a much shorter name, SIN. We all know this one, even our kids know this one. Wednesday night during the Revival, the children were showing what they had learned during Mark's Bible Blast Off. And he asked the kids, "How did Adam and Eve disobey God in the Garden of Eden?"

Little Joshua Higgins showed that he really understood what it was all about when he answered: "They ate BAD FRUIT!"

We know what sin is. And we've all tasted that bad fruit.

The point I'm trying to make is simply that there is sickness in the world. That's why we need physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists and pastors. Each and every one of them adds to the healing process. And, I believe, each one is an extension of the healing ministry of Jesus.

II. HEALING:

A. As the church, we're called to be a part of that healing ministry. I don't believe that we're called to replace any of the others. Instead we're called each to do our part. Because all three kinds of sickness are intertwined with each other. Mental illness can cause physical and spiritual sickness. Spiritual sickness can cause the mental and physicals sickness. And physical illness can drain mental and spiritual stability.

That's where we come in. You and I, as children of God, as Heirs to the Kingdom, have been charged by the Great Physician to spread the Good News that some medicine is absolutely free.

A good night's sleep.
A good sermon.
The laughter of children.
The unexpected call from a friend.
The comfort of the Psalms.
An unsolicited hug from a child.
A beautiful sunrise or sunset.
Running through the sprinkler with your children.
Blue Bell Ice Cream on sale 3 for $10.
Uncontrollable laughter.
Unashamed tears.
The love and companionship of your spouse.
Helping anyone, especially one of the youth.

Of course, the greatest healing medicines of all were the Cross and the Empty Tomb. The cross offers spiritual healing to everyone who repents, confesses their sin and accepts Jesus as their Savior. And the empty tomb offers the final and ultimate healing of life eternal.

B. But there's more to it than that, too. We're called to be a part of the healing process. That's why I think the "Prayers Of The People" portion of our service is so important. It is almost sacramental in nature because we bring our joys and celebrations and we bring our innermost hurts and desires to God through the family of God. And even those that aren't voiced are heard by God.

We are simply doing what James tells us to do. James writes: "Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise." (5:13) That's what our prayer time is all about. We pray for those who are suffering and rejoice with those who are cheerful.

But James also says: "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." (5:14)

That's not something we have done very often lately. I believe we need to be obedient to Christ. I believe we need to recapture an understanding of the healing ministry of the church without turning it into a spectacle or circus atmosphere. And we can do that. We can do it with integrity. We can offer a much needed aspect of ministry for people who feel the need or have a desire to be anointed.

C. And I want to do that this morning. I want to offer a simple addition to our Communion Service this morning and offer anointing with oil for those who might desire it.

I've moved the Prayers of the People to after the message today, so that we could prepare ourselves. So, that those in need would be fresh on our minds. And I've put the anointing with the Sacrament because I think they go hand in hand. As we are reminded of Christ's brokenness for us, we offer up our brokenness to Him.

All I ask is that we remember that God heals in God's time and in God's own way. We may ask for physical healing and receive a spiritual or emotional healing. We come not looking for miracles so much as we come seeking the peace that passes all understanding and a oneness with God.

CONCLUSION:

Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior can and does heal. He gave His life on the cross to bring us healing from the disease of sin. He came to heal the brokenness between us and God and between each other. He came to bring wholeness through being broken on the cross for our sakes. They bandaged His broken battered bruised body and laid Him in a borrowed tomb. But three days later, He rose from the dead offering the ultimate healing of resurrection and eternal life for everyone who will follow Him.

That may be the only healing you need. If it is, then reach out and grab it and never let go.

But if there is more, then this morning during the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, I will be offering anointing for those who desire it. Carmen will be serving the Sacrament. I will be off to one side. Please take the Sacrament first, in preparation for your prayer. If you would like to be anointed and have me pray with you, please come after receiving the Sacrament.

Come to the original HMO, come to Jesus this morning to be fed and to be healed.

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