Vicar’s sermon. Feast of St Luke 18.10.26

St Luke’s Day: 2026
In a few minutes time, whilst we receive communion, the ministry of healing will be offered to you by those to whom we have entrusted this ministry. I know that there are folk here who particularly appreciate this ministry but, should you not have come across it before let me explain what happens. Quite simply, after you have received communion if you wish to make your way to the south transept and there you will be asked if it is OK for a couple of folk to put their hands gently on your shoulders and pray for you. We use a short set prayer. And then one of our clergy (Judith or Geoff) will make the sign of the cross on your forehead with oil and pray a second time for you. This ministry doesn’t involve any medical consultation…no great noise or histrionics, just God’s people praying for one another, supporting one another and looking to Him for grace and mercy. Of course, should you wish to talk a little more about what troubles you that’s more than possible on another occasion: just ask.
It seems unremarkable: I hope it feels both precious and ‘normal’. A shorthand way of explaining what is taking place is that the laying on of hands is our ritualised way in which we, as a church can say to you ‘you are not alone. God’s people are here for you whatever ails you – a troubled mind, a broken heart, a chronic illness – you don’t have to bear these things by yourself’. But then the anointing with oil – oil blessed for this purpose by our Bishops in Holy Week – this speaks of God’s faithfulness towards you. He desires the very best for you. Seeking out this sort of prayer seems to me to be a great act of faith. Like the woman in the bible story who reached out to touch Jesus’ clothes, taking those few steps and asking for prayer involves being open to the possibility that the God of the universe not only cares for you but wishes to strengthen and encourage you. God ministers to us through other people and through the stuff of His creation: human touch, the prayer of someone we trust, the reassurance of their care and the anointing together all speak of His goodness poured out for you.
Prayer for healing is not the same as prayer for cure. You have heard me say this before. This is a helpful distinction that has been learned through the parish’s involvement with the GoHealth organisation and its podcasts and training: you can find them online. Prayer for healing is not the same as prayer for cure, nor does it short circuit or cut across the many other ways that God heals: doctors, surgeries, consultants, counsellors, pharmacists. The prayers of the community of faith sit alongside the ministry of healing that others exercise: do please keep taking the tablets and keep your appointments at the local surgery. But what our prayers do is remind us that we are complete people: a unity of body, mind and spirit: health and healing must address all of us, not just part of us.
Modern medicine is increasingly recognising this ’whole person’ approach and its importance. It’s not that our doctors ever forgot it but that the necessary specialism involved in medicine tends towards dividing a person up into symptoms or body parts. The ‘liver person’ needs to talk to the heart specialist who needs to talk to those involved in post operative care and the local surgery or social care provider. And in the mix, the person who is unwell is a mother and a daughter, a wife or partner who lives within a network of relationships that have all been upended by their experience of illness. And, of course, a person is not just a machine: whether an individual has a faith or not Christian theology (and that of other faiths too) says that things of the spirit are important, indeed they are sometimes key to our physical wellbeing.
Some of you here will remember Orla Whitehead who used to attend St Mary’s with her boys. Orla is a doctor who has been working on a research project aimed at enabling medical practitioners to become more confident in speaking with their patients about faith and hope. The SHARP project (Spiritual Health Awareness and Recommendations in Primary Care) is now being rolled out nationally. It was mentioned a while back in the Church Times and one or two quotes stand out. Speaking about the aims of the research and how they connect to social prescribing it says that the question asked of patients should not just be ‘what’s the matter with you?’ but ‘what matters to you?’ Healing here is set in the context of meaning and purpose. That makes sense to me. Sometimes, where cure is not possible, it is still possible to live with joy and purpose. For me, that’s where our community choir and orchestra, our MU and Wednesday communion, Smuffies and bellringing all play a part in our ministry of healing – ‘you are not alone’ and there are communities here that can carry you. As the song says: ‘You ain’t heavy, your my brother.’
A second quote from the article reads: ‘even when much is lost (to a patient), the spirit can still be found. The task before us in health care and in the Church is to make space for that rediscovery. Both church and health care have always shared a calling to restore wholeness — to recognise that health is not merely the absence of disease, but the presence of hope, connection, and meaning.’
Again, this makes absolute sense to me: that the ministry of healing belongs to the whole church, not just to a niche part of it. Why? Because all of our ministry as Christians connects to what it means to be human, what it is to be a child of God, and what His purposes for us are.
On Wednesday, Revd Professor David Wilkinson was talking to us about some of these things in his lecture about Artificial Intelligence and Humanity. One of the many wise things he said in his lecture was that at the heart of what it is to be human is the fact that we live in relationship to and with others (and to God). There is much in our current way of living that atomises our lives, that cuts us off from one another. No wonder we are anxious and live in an anxious time. We have phones but are nervous of phoning anyone : ‘I’ll send a text’. Baptism families want to book a baptism online without speaking to the Vicar. Wedding couples likewise. Younger generations are in continual touch with one another but frightened of real relationships and commitment to them. We counteract this trend by building up communities of real people that are intergenerational, open, inclusive and non-judgemental – these are precious things, to be guarded and nurtured. A church might dare to aspire to be like this but these communities don’t just happen, they take work. Those who belong to them need to avoid turning inwards. They need to know names and use people’s names. Being friendly is not the same as making friends. Being seen, recognised, missed when absent – these things matter and are part of any congregation’s care.
So, who is on the edge of this community needing to be embraced and made welcome, helped to feel at home? I ask this because the ministry of the 12 in Luke chapter 9 and then the ministry of the 72 sent out in Luke chapter 10 seemed to have a radical inclusiveness written into it. The mission of those sent out by Jesus involved creating real relationships expressed in vulnerability, sharing (receiving hospitality) and the ministry of healing. This inclusion of all people said that everyone, not just the able bodied or physically fit should hear of God’s closeness, of the coming Kingdom and enter into it.
All of us, at some time, will need extra care from others. We all become vulnerable in our own ways: shaky on our feet, no longer able to do what we used to do, no longer able to remember things quite as well. For some acute illness can shake them to the core. For others a chronic condition undermines their confidence. Mental health difficulties sap our energy. We can all, however, play a part in offering healing to one another in Jesus’ name. The conversation you have with a person may be the only voice they hear in their day. The offer of a lift to enable someone to stay in touch and feel they belong: this helps. An awareness of the person stood by themselves at the back of church as we serve refreshments can become an introduction for that person to your friends, a widening of the circle to make room. These things, focussed in our prayers reflect the embrace of God for His people, all His people. We can reflect His image in our common life and make people whole by doing so.
Happy St Luke’s Day.