The Rev’d Andy Miller
In an Anglican Compass article entitled, Why Should an Anglican Church Have a Healing Ministry, author Hannah King testifies that after suffering from chronic back pain for years, she was a regular recipient of prayer during Communion on Sunday mornings. She writes, “One Sunday morning I walked into church particularly discouraged, almost unable to find the words to even ask– again– for healing. But I got in line and tearfully repeated the refrain, ‘Please pray for my back.’ That day, I was healed. Inexplicably and unsensationally, God answered the prayers of these church volunteers and I was delivered from chronic pain. Eight years later, I give thanks to God for the church that walked with me and prayed for me and participated in my healing.”
A casual reading of the gospels makes it clear that much of Christ’s earthly ministry was devoted to healing—whether for physical, mental, or spiritual ailments. In fact, we are told in Matthew’s gospel that “Jesus went about curing every disease and every sickness (Matthew 4:23-24).” We as the church are charged with the command to continue the work that he began—to “do this” until Christ returns: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).” In the gospel of Mark, we are told that one of the signs that will accompany those who believe is “they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover (Mark 16:18).” I believe it is safe to say that making disciples and healing prayer were never meant to be mutually exclusive ministries.
King notes that “this ministry belongs to the whole church. Though some individuals may be uniquely gifted to pray for healing, the book of James instructs the elders of the church to anoint and pray for those who are sick: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” (James 5:14). Whether James was referring to elders in a formalized sense of leadership or a more generalized sense of mature Christians within a congregation, just as Christ did in the previous passage, he is clearly referring to a plurality of ministers.”
She continues, “This is why Anglicans have a corporate liturgy for healing where after a time of teaching, confession, and communion, people are invited to come forward with prayer requests, as well as for laying on of hands and anointing with oil when deemed appropriate. There is a very close relationship between the eucharist and healing in the sacramental tradition. If Jesus makes himself present in the breaking of bread, then His healing power is uniquely released when we come to the Table." This is why many Anglican churches, [and why we here at St. Peter’s] have determined to offer healing prayer ministry during Communion on Sunday mornings: we receive Christ’s life and then we pray for its application in the myriad of ways we need it.”