The New Taboo

As Mark unfolds the ministry of Jesus, he brings us to the moment when He healed a leper.  "A leper came to Him, begging Him, and kneeling he said to Him, 'If You choose, You can make me clean,'  Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I do choose.  Be made clean!' "   (Mark 1:40-41)  While it was amazing that Jesus healed this leper who had been sentenced to community ostracism until his death, what must have shocked the disciples from the top of their heads to the bottom of their feet was seeing Jesus stretch out Hand to touch this man who had been declared untouchable.  To see Jesus in this moment is to not only see Him healing, but also touching.  

One of the things Covid taught us was how to do ministry without touching.  It taught us how to practice long distance service.  We learned how to take worship out of the pews to sofas and recliners.  Zoom calls transformed church meetings.  Even though six years away from those days, we still see evidence of the change it had on our society and our church. Many people are still uncomfortable with the moment of congregational mixing and greeting at the beginning of worship.  Actually, some people have never returned to the church.  In many places fist pumps have replaced the handshake.  Communion Tables have the Holy Meal plus liquid sanitizer and disposable gloves. The small individual sealed packs of bread and juice are still available for the germ conscious at the altar rails.  

We have become a society and church afraid of touching.  It is an unfortunate shift for a church with the laying on of hands as a part of its spiritual heritage.  While there is always a concern that our touching be appropriate and welcomed, human touch has the inherent power to communicate a sense of fellowship and care that goes beyond the ability of the spoken word.  Many have been the times when I have entered a room filled with grief and brokenness and the only words which could be spoken were words spoken by a hug and the feel of hot wet tears being passed from the face of the caregiver to the face of the broken.  Jesus was not afraid to touch others, neither should we.

Praying Early

As is always the case, Jesus points the way for us.  "In the morning while it was very dark, He (Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed." (Mark 1:35). I have always heard that those who pray best pray early.  I have learned again and again through reading about some of the spiritual giants that early morning prayers were a regular part of their day.  My head has always shook itself in agreement, but the rest of my body has never really been on board with what is best.   

I find myself too much like those disciples who kept falling asleep when told by Jesus to stay awake.  I have gotten up many an early hour, settled into my place of prayer, and fallen asleep long before it was time for the "Amen."  Many have been the times I have said to the Lord, "Well, at least I fell asleep in the place where obedience took me," but I have never been convinced it was a rationalization which impressed Him.  For those who decide to pray in the early morning, know that there will likely be a battle between body and spirit in the beginning.   

I say "in the beginning" because as our body has time to adjust to a different schedule, the physical part of this discipline will not be so difficult.  Back when I was an avid and dedicated runner, I learned that my commitment to running longer and not as slow directed what I ate, when I went to sleep, what I read, and with who I hung out.  So, here is my guarantee.  Making early morning praying a core commitment will change not only your spiritual life, but will spill over into other areas as well.  Praying early is good for the soul and the body. 

A Place to Pray

While there can be no doubt that Jesus prayed when He was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit, the first time we see a picture in Mark's gospel of Jesus praying is in the 35th verse of the first chapter.  After spending the night in the home of Peter and Andrew, the Scripture says, "In the morning while it was still very dark, He (Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed."  As we read those words, "a deserted place," we see the importance of place.  Jesus could have rolled over on His mat when He woke and prayed as we sometimes might do.  Or, He could have gone outside and sat down on the ground.  Instead, He went to a deserted place.   

What this tells us is that where He went was not just any place. The place He went satisfied several criteria.  He could be alone.  It was a place empty of possible distractions.  The act of going to it was as intentional as the act of praying.  It was a place quiet enough that listening to what could not be heard was possible.  It speaks of a single mindedness.  The reason He went was to be alone with the Father.   It may not be possible or practical for us to physically leave the place were we sleep to pray, but such a restriction does not prohibit us from knowing a place within our home as a place of prayer.  

We have a place for preparing our meals. We have another place for eating. We have a place for entertainment and study.  If we choose, we could also have a place that we go to pray.  It could be a chair in a not so used room, or something like a self created worship center in the corner of a room.  Maybe one of the things suggested to us by the story of Jesus finding a place to pray is that having such a place would be a good thing for us as well.   

A Model for Praying

If we find ourselves too busy to pray, or if we find ourselves wondering if praying really makes any difference, we only need to read the first chapter of the gospel of Mark.  As we come to the 35th verse of that chapter we read, "In the morning while it was still very dark, He (Jesus) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there He prayed."  The day before had been an extremely busy and full day.  The Scripture speaks of the whole city being gathered around his door and in response to such great need, "He cured many who were sick with various diseases."  (Mark 1:34).  

After a day and evening which must have been physically and emotionally draining,  Jesus was up long before the sun rose to pray.  He not only rose early to pray, but he sought out a place where He could pray without any distractions or disturbances.  As we read this passage of Scripture, we see Jesus modeling His own life of prayer.  His prayer life underscores the importance of prayer.  It is obvious to us that if Jesus found it important to do, it surely is important for us.  In His prayer life He received not only the strength to sustain Him, but also the direction for His life.  Through His prayer life, He was able to go forward iwth the will of the Father to direct Him.  

Surely, one of the things we want to do in our life is to live within the will of our Father God.  When Simon Peter found Jesus, it was his intent to bring Jesus back to the place of yesterday, but Jesus was ready to go into the future as He said, "Let us go to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came to do." (Mark 1:38).  Our praying enables us to move into the future God has planned for us.  It is a spiritual discipline that enables us to live in sync with that plan.

A Witness to Healing

During the last week I have used JourneyNotes to focus on the healing ministry of Jesus and the church's response to it.  While it seems to be a neglected and forgotten ministry of the church, I am convinced it is a ministry which needs to be an integral part of what the church does as it seeks to be the hands and feet and the heart of Christ in the world.  Jim Jackson, a good friend and retired pastor of one of the largest United Methodist churches in Houston, Texas, shared a response via email which I asked for permission to share.  It seems fitting to end this series of blogposts with this word which is an encouragement to those who are in need of healing and those who are praying for them.   

"This weekend I am doing a wedding for a 32 year old man.  He was a great high school athlete, but when he was a junior he had a virus attack his heart.  He was at death’s door for days.  His blood pressure was in the teens and they had to shock his heart several times an hour to keep him alive.  They put him on the heart transplant list and started looking everywhere for a donor.  On Saturday morning I called all the people leading worship services on Saturday night and Sunday (we had 8 services) and told them that at some point in their service I wanted every able bodied person in worship praying on their knees for God to spare Charlie Russell.  

I’d love to tell you that I was full of faith that God would intervene; that wouldn’t be true.  All I knew is that we could not let Charlie die without having everyone ask God to spare him.  What God chooses to do was God’s business, but we weren’t going to let him go without asking.  At 2pm the lead cardiologist told his parents (his dad had been in worship) that his heart had suddenly stabilized.  He said he was stunned and had no explanation.  They took him off the heart transplant list on Monday morning.  They sent him home on Tuesday.  Charlie may be the physically  strongest young man that I have ever known.  I have lunch with him about once a quarter.  He is a dynamic Christian leader.  I was also privileged to baptize the woman he will marry tomorrow night.  No one could ever convince Charlie or his family that God doesn’t still do miracles."  

Fear of Failure

There are not many churches which practice an intentional ministry of healing. The church today is more comfortable with worship that is carefully choreographed, raising money to build new buildings, and sending a small group of people to do missions in some third world country.  In its preoccupation with either attracting the masses, or keeping the status quo members content, spiritual ministries which seem to be on the edge are usually talked about but not practiced.  Institutions such as the church has become are not interested in taking risks.  Sunday School lessons and sermons are offered on the healing ministry of Jesus, but very seldom are there invitations given for the sick to gather for healing prayers.   

One of the reason is a fear of failure.  The leaders of the church want to be seen as successful and it looks like a failure has taken place if prayers are offered for healing and the sick walk away still sick.  "What if we pray and no one is healed?" is the question which frames the fears of those who give leadership to the church. What is often forgotten is that the person who prays for healing is not the healer.  God is the Healer.  The one doing the praying is simply praying, knowing that whatever happens is finally in the hands of God.  

Another reason for our reluctance is that we do no see ourselves as one who has the spiritual gift of healing.  Once again it must be remembered that no spiritual gifts are necessary to pray.  The healing prayers we pray depend not upon some special words we pray, or the length of those prayers, but the grace of God.  If a church is interested in pursuing a ministry of healing according to the ministry of Jesus, it needs to spend some time helping believers understand what God is able to do and the roles we do and do not have as participants in such a ministry.  

Anointing Oil

Something often used in ministries of healing is anointing oil.  Some traditions have a service in which the oil is consecrated for use during the upcoming year.  Usually, the oil is olive oil and in some cases spices may be added to it.  In the early church anointing oil was used as a part of prayers for healing; however, much later the ritual of anointing someone with oil was more about preparing them for death.  More recently that practice has been altered so that the anointing has a purpose which is more about living than dying.  

When I was growing up in the rural parts of south Georgia, I can never remember seeing anyone anointed with oil.  I did hear about its use in the Pentecostal churches, but back then there was more separation between the mainline Protestant community and the more independent Pentecostal churches where less sedate worship took place.  I was some twenty years into my ministry before I acquired my first anointing oil and actually began to make use it.  I was introduced to its usage and the practice of it by an Episcopalian pastor friend in Vidalia.  To my surprise he used it regularly which blew all my preconceived misconceptions out the window.   

Of course, it is a practice mentioned in the Scripture in numerous places.  Mark 6:6-13 tells the story of Jesus sending the twelve out two by two.  They came back reporting that they had "...cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them."  The most often read passage about anointing oil is found in James 5::14 where it says, "Are any among you sick?  The should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord."  Certainly, there is no special power in the oil, but it is a sign of God's presence and blessing as well as a visible reminder of the grace of God touching the broken for purposes of wholeness.