Prayer
Opening Prayer
Gracious God,
we echo these words of praise before you today as we declare:
Bless the Lord, my soul; bless the Lord and do not forget all of God’s benefit.
We recall with thanksgiving the many times and ways in which you have come to our aid.
We give thanks that in our moments of sickness and weakness,
we have experienced your healing.
We give thanks for hands that have ministered your healing touch to our bodies,
for lips that have uttered comforting words bringing calm to our troubled minds,
feet that have carried us when we were too weak to bear our own weight,
communities that have supported us, renewing our faith in you and each other.
Through life’s changing scenes and seasons, we have known you to be the God who heals.
Help us to believe once again that in this season and at this time,
you will grant your children healing.
We pray this prayer through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Scripture Reading: Luke 17: 11 – 19
11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Reflection
It would not be altogether wrong to say that our desire to experience healing is always foremost in our minds when we are sick. Depending on the nature of our illness, it can be like an all-consuming fire if we are not careful. During such times, healing ascends the hierarchy of our human needs, and we would do whatever it takes to be healed. In the reading for today, we encounter ten men who possessed such a desire. We do not know their ages, their family of origin or their previous social status, now they are simply identified as lepers. As such, they had been pushed to the margins of the society of their day. Deemed as outcasts to be socially distanced from the rest of the community, they had created their own.
In this reading, we recount another instance in which God's healing power was manifested through Jesus. Yet unlike other instances in which those seeking healing asked directly, this community of outcast lepers approached Jesus, pleading for mercy. In essence, they sought compassion, a relief from the oppression and burden that was theirs because of their physical condition. Their words to Jesus pointed beyond the desire to better their physical ailment. It was also a plea for them to be recognized fully for who they were – human beings created by God and reflecting that divine image. In uttering these words, they interceded for a change in them and for change around them. Mercy, should it be granted to them, would also encompass the community in which they had been marginalized.
Jesus’ instructions to them, the obedience of which would guarantee their healing, reflects such a duality. In instructing them to present themselves to the priests, Jesus was seeking to do more than follow the requirements of the Mosaic law; he was also opening the doorway to bring healing within the community in which relationships had been severed because of the leprous condition. In their walk to the priests, the act of mercy, when granted, was realized in physical healing. Concurrently, the arrival of the other nine to the priests and presenting themselves as no longer marred by leprosy can be viewed as a manifestation of God’s mercy in bringing healing to the entire community. Those on the margins, through divine mercy, had been repositioned, and a community that had before estranged others was now exercising hospitality as it affirmed the humanity of others.
During this time of COVID-19, might our prayers for healing begin with a plea for mercy. And mercy, when granted, results in healing and transformation of individuals and communities. The fullness of mercy and healing, though, is translated to wholeness and wellness when we remember to utter not only pleas for mercy and healing but also voice our praise and thanks to God. In these times, may our faith lead us to approach Jesus, pleading for mercy coupled with the expectancy of healing for bodies, minds, and souls.
Prayers of Intercession
We pray for all healthcare workers, nurses, doctors, allied health professionals, hospital and community-based health workers, care providers in care homes, and others. We also pray for families caring for the sick, at home and in communities.
Hear from heaven and heal your people.
We pray for all the sanitation workers and those who work in the community, in villages, towns, cities, and in both the public and private sectors, to keep the environment clean and healthy.
Hear from heaven and heal your people.
We pray for all service providers, such as police, drivers and public transportation workers, shop attendants, hairdressers, all who interact with the public, to serve and ensure the smooth functioning of society.
Hear from heaven and heal your people.
We pray for teachers and childcare providers who ensure the formation, training, and provision of a safe environment for children and young adults.
Hear from heaven and heal your people.
We pray for all children, youth, and adults who have struggled through this period, facing physical, spiritual, and mental crises. Uphold them and help our communities to accompany them.
Hear from heaven and heal your people.
We pray for the provision of protective equipment that help us to protect ourselves from the pandemic. We pray that we can ensure that all have equitable access to the protection needed for the healing of our communities.
Hear from heaven and heal your people.
We pray for the healing and renewal of creation despite this global pandemic.
Hear from heaven and heal your people.
We join together in praying as Jesus taught us: Our Father . . .
Benediction
May the freedom that is granted through Christ
be lived in the power of the Holy Spirit,
as we affirm what God, the Creator, declared over all that was created. . . it is good. Amen.
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, © copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.
