Home
Ministries:
Church sponsored groups: |
|
|
West Side Presbyterian Church
Seattle,
Washington
Parish Nursing > Health and Wholeness Service > Statement on Health and Wholeness
Statement on Health and Wholeness
The Promise of Health and Wholeness in Scripture:
Psalm 103:1-5 “Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
The God who made all things good and who created men and women in His own image to enjoy full communion with Himself desires with all His heart that we be whole and healthy persons. But in our disobedience the human race has fallen away from God and experienced in our bodies, minds, and spirits the brokenness that results when we have lost touch with our life source.
Nevertheless, God, who loves us, has set about redeeming fallen humanity and always desires to renew us in body, soul, and spirit. The Old Testament is filled with promises of the health which accompanies obedience. (Proverbs 4:20-22 – “My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.”) The New Testament as well is filled with examples of God’s willingness to heal, through His Son Jesus Christ, as well as through those who minister in His name.
West Side Presbyterian Church’s Position on Health and Wholeness:
We believe that God desires for every person to be whole and healthy. At the same time we believe that He may also use the grace and courage with which one endures affliction to bless others. And He often uses our brokenness to call us back to Himself and to shape us in the image of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 5:8 says about our Lord, “Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered,” and Paul writes in Romans 8:17, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”
In Jesus Christ we see that these two observations are not contradictory. Jesus was the perfect example of wholeness and health. Nevertheless the Father did not remove every threat to His well-being. Clearly a whole and healthy person may still suffer in our broken world. Healing comes first and most importantly to the wounded spirit. From this source it may be extended to embrace as well the mind and the body. But the health of the spirit is of supreme importance. A healthy body does not guarantee a healthy spirit, and in fact may distract a person from addressing the deeper concerns of the spirit.
We believe that every person, in the image of God, consists of body, mind, and spirit. Problems in any of these areas will affect the health of other areas as well. Wholeness is manifest when our mind and body are under the control of the Spirit and we are then able to control our thoughts and behavior in a Godly way – which is also a healthy way and leads to the best utilization of our physical resources. Proverbs 3:5-8 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
Purpose, Goals, and Structure of a Health and Wholeness Service:
Our Presbyterian Book of Order [W-3.5401] says, “Healing was an integral part of the ministry of Jesus which the church has been called to continue as one dimension of its concern for the wholeness of people. Through services for wholeness, the church enacts in worship its ministry as a healing community.”
The purpose of a Health and Wholeness service is to encourage those who are feeling discouraged or depressed, sick or lonely, guilty or overburdened, to come together in our brokenness before the LORD and accept His healing power.
Our Presbyterian Book of Order states, “The vital element of worship in the service for wholeness is prayer, since this is essentially a time of waiting in faith upon God. Thanksgiving for God’s promise of wholeness, intercessions, and supplications should be offered. Adequate time for silent prayer should be provided, as well as occasions for prayers spoken and sung. Enacted prayer in the form of laying on of hands and anointing with oil is appropriate. . . . Healing is to be understood not as the result of the holiness, earnestness, or skill of those enacting the prayers, or of the faith of the ones seeking healing, but as the gift of God through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Services will include readings from the Scriptures as well as music, prayer, confession, and, at times, the laying on of hands and anointing with oil. The sacrament of communion may be shared at appropriate times. James, the brother of our Lord, wrote, “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” [James 5:13-16]
While we do not question that miraculous physical healings have occurred and will occur again, we believe this is entirely at the discretion of our sovereign God. Should He choose to heal in such a miraculous fashion, we will accept it in grateful humility. But we believe that the healing of the wounded spirit is of far greater consequence, and this is our ultimate goal.
It is our expectation that persons involved in these services may experience healing in their relationship to God, in their relationships to one another, in their mind and thought-life, in their moral life, in their sense of psychological balance and well-being, as well as in their physical bodies.
Health and Wholeness services are not restricted to those who desire healing for themselves or others. In our West Side “Statement of Purpose,” we state that “. . . We will continually seek to live as Christ did, by ministering in His love to the physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional needs of those around us.” As members of the Body of Christ, we expect to bear one another’s burdens and share one another’s joys. Therefore we will come together both in our strength and in our weakness for this celebration of health and wholeness. And in all things we will seek to glorify the name of Jesus.