Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
² Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
³ who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
⁴ who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
⁵ who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1-5)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

God is a god who blesses. God is a god who forgives. God is a god who saves. God is a god who heals. God is active and incarnate. God is present here and now. God has been present in the past and in far away places. God will continue to act in the world and bless His people. As recorded in Revelations, “I (God) am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelations 1:8) That is who God is. He defines Himself with verbs. He makes Himself known by ‘being.’ As He told Moses from the midst of the burning bush, “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14) God ‘being who He is’ is a God of action.

During this upcoming season of Lent, we will focus on various ways that God heals. We will focus on the opening verses of Psalm 103 each week – remembering His benefits to us as we bless his holy name.

Oftentimes we have a narrow understanding of healing and limit it to our bodies. God’s healing is broader than our physical ailments. Even mainstream medical science has begun to acknowledge the benefits of holistic healing.

Portico (the benefits & pension department of the ELCA) published a wholeness wheel around the time they switched names. Both were pieces of a vision shift away from crisis management and toward wholeness and prevention.

Portico did not invent this wheel. It is an adaption/compilation of several versions published behavioral science studies. Various recognized experts list anywhere between five and nine areas of wellness or well-being. Portico did put it into a Christian context. At the very center of all wellness is our identity as baptized children of God and surrounding all wellness is our Spiritual well-being.

God blesses us with healing. Yes, sometimes that healing will include the eradication of a physical ailment, but more often it includes so much more than that. God’s healing grants wholeness. Being whole includes every part of us, mind, body, spirit. Notice that the Psalmists lists forgiveness prior to diseases. God heals us of sin. Jesus Himself emphasized a strong correlation between forgiveness and healing. After being criticized for forgiving a man’s sins, Jesus asks the scribes, “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’?” (Mark 2:9)These are not the exact categories we will be exploring this Lent during Midweek services, but this graphic can help you visualize an overall concept of wellness and healing. In addition to our meditation on the opening verses of Psalm 103, our worship will focus on the healings described in the eighth chapter of Luke and the promises recorded to the Romans in the eighth chapter of Paul’s letter to them. These characters are just a snippet of those who have been healed by Christ. They will give us a glimpse at the blessing that wholeness in Christ is.

The hymn, ‘There is a Balm in Gilead’ (negro spiritual) puts a clear Christian spin on the healing God does for His people. “There is a balm in Gilead; To make the wounded whole; There is a balm in Gilead; To heal the sin-sick soul” Again, healing is broader than mere physical restoration. In actuality, this hymn focusses very little on physical healing. It does emphasize the wholeness and strength that come from God, empowering us to follow Christ.

God’s healing comes about when His Son, His faithfulness, His ‘Being’ dwells in us. The final blessing in the 1^st Letter to the church in Thessalonica begins, ^“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NKJV) When the very ‘being’ of ‘“I am who I am.” dwells in you, you are made whole, full, complete, well. You are healed.

The blessing in Thessalonians continues, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24 NKJV) God does make you whole. Christ does forgive your sins and heal your diseases; Jesus does redeem you from death and crown you with love and mercy. The Lord does strengthen you and make you soar. Be well in Jesus’ name. Be made whole in Jesus’ name. The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:27)