“THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS”
John 1:5
PART III – THE LIGHT OF HEALING
December 14, 2013
WPUC

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… In that Word was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” [John 1:1,4-5]

The real date of Jesus’ birth has been lost in the sands of time, but we have adopted a time of year to celebrate his birth which symbolizes who Jesus is to each one of us and to the whole world. When only the very first hints of lengthening days are upon us we celebrate the birth of the one who is the light of the world, who lightens our darkness, who brings the light of peace to a world darkened by war, who brings the light of justice to a world darkened by oppression and who brings the light of healing to a world darkened by degradation and disease.

We called the first candle of our Advent wreath the candle of peace because Isaiah dreamed of a day when all the nations would beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. [Isaiah 2:4] We called the second candle of our Advent wreath the candle of justice because Isaiah hoped for a messiah who would restore the throne of David and rule justly by treating the poor and meek with equity. [Isaiah 11] We have called today’s Advent candle the candle of healing because Isaiah had a vision of a restored Israel in which both the land and the people were healed. Of the land he says, “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.” [Isaiah 35:1&2] Of the people he says, “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.” [Isaiah 35:5&6] Isaiah hoped for the healing of his land and his people, just as he longed for peace and justice, because he knew that God is a God of healing just as much as a God of peace and of justice. We also know that our God is a God of healing so as we lit our Advent candle this morning we prayed that Jesus would bring the light of healing to a dark world of sickness and degradation of the earth.

God not only creates, God also restores and heals. The prophet Malachi knew this and that is why he was able to have a vision of hope for the future in which he saw the sun, rising on a new day, which he called the “sun of righteousness,” and he described it as rising “with healing in its wings.” [Malachi 4:2] As Christians we believe that Malachi’s longing for a new dawn of righteous healing has been fulfilled in Jesus, so when we celebrate Jesus’ birth every Christmas we use Malachi’s words in one of the verses of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

Hail the heaven born Prince of Peace,
Hail the sun of righteousness.
Light and life to all he brings,
Risen with healing in his wings.

Jesus was a healer. Healing people of their diseases was a vital part of his ministry. That’s why, when the disciples of John the baptist came to him and asked, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus’ answer was, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” [Matthew 11:3-5] It is the legacy of Jesus’ teachings which we seem to value most today but in his own life time he was particularly famous for being a healer.

Jesus’ ministry of healing continued amongst his followers in the Church that they founded. They were able to carry forward his ministry because they were given the empowering gift of God’s Holy Spirit, including the gift of the capacity to heal. Healing people and healing the earth are part of the ministry we have been given as followers of Jesus. We labour for wholeness and health because that is what God intends for us and for the world in which we live. God has given us scientific knowledge in our age, far surpassing that of any other time in history, which enables us to accomplish great wonders of healing. Unfortunately, many of the by-products of our scientific advances have degraded the earth with pollution, which in turn imperils our health. It is ironic that in an era when advances in medicine and scientific knowledge have been so breathtaking the pollution of our environment, due to that same human capacity for inventiveness, has taken back much of the gains for good health that have been made by medical science.

Not that degradation of the earth is unique to our time. In fact the deserts which blossom and flourish in Isaiah’s vision were once a heavily forested and very fertile area, but the semi arid conditions which prevailed throughout all biblical times had come about as a result of massive deforestation due to the press of ever more populous and demanding human civilization. Even in Isaiah’s day, twenty seven hundred years ago, the  advance of the deserts was already taking its toll on what had been fertile ground. It took centuries upon centuries for the ravages of human civilization to corrupt the earth and turn fertile ground into deserts, and it was done in ignorance of the consequences of tearing down the forests. Today we are no longer ignorant about the consequences of abusing the earth, of tearing down its forests and polluting land, sea and air, but knowledge of the truth does not always lead to right action. Unfortunately we have today the technological ability to corrupt and destroy at blinding speed. What took the ancients thousands of years to accomplish can now be done with awesome rapidity, and, despite our knowledge of the consequences of our actions, the deserts which Isaiah hoped one day would blossom and flourish are advancing more quickly than ever.

Isaiah’s vision of the deserts blooming and the feeble being strengthened is one which should continue to be our dream and our hope as well. Just as we are called to work for peace and for justice we also need to work for healing and wholeness – for the good health of our bodies, of our communities, and of the earth itself. And just as we need to pray for peace and justice we need to pray for healing and wholeness. We must not falter in working and praying for healthy bodies, healthy societies and a healthy environment, because it is central to the ministry that is ours as followers of Jesus Christ.

God has given us many gifts to be used for the healing of our souls and bodies, our communities and nations, and the good earth itself. We have scientific knowledge and sophisticated technologies that enable us to work many modern miracles of healing. But no amount of science and technology can erase our need to turn to God for healing and making whole. As we approach the day of the year when we remember God’s greatest miracle of all, the incarnation of the Word of God to be a never fading light, let it be a reminder to us that God does work miracles of healing. In Jesus Christ the light of God’s healing power shone forth with brilliant clarity, and his light of healing still shines through the faith and action of those who worship him.