9-9-2015

        Good Morning All!!                 

        Ephesians 4: 12-13; “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,  until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,”

     I spent much of my high school and college years watching the television show “M*A*S*H.”  I still watch it if I can find it.  I was not and am not sure how completely accurate the show was but I think a lot of it was relatively close.  I think the way they portrayed human reaction to the stress of warfare was close.  I was always fascinated by the Battalion Aid station stories.  The battalion aid was the forward most medical positions.  The wounded soldiers would go there first and be treated and then either sent back to fight or sent for more surgery.  The battalion aid workers were definitely on the frontline for bringing healing to the wounded.

     That is kind of how we can read this portion of Scriptures.  The word for “equip” in Greek is “katartismos.”  The really interesting thing is that this is the only place in the Bible that this particular word is used.  When it is used in other Greek writing, it is used in reference to supplying an army.  It is used to mean the forward supply units, the rest units, the medic units and the like.  We can think of it as bringing in the soldiers from the front line, tired, wounded, needing encouragement before they go back to the fighting.  Paul wants us to see the Church as providing this needed service for believers everywhere.

    So as the believers come to the Church, it is the Church’s primary job to bring healing, to give rest, to feed and nourish and to encourage the believers as they battle against the devil and the ways of this world.  The first job of the Church is to heal and we do that by pronouncing God’s forgiveness to the wounded.  We nourish with the sacraments and we encourage with God’s Words of hope and salvation.  We bring healing and hope.

    So, just as the medic doesn’t berate the wounded soldier for being wounded; neither should we berate the wounded Christian for needing healing.  It is our task to being about healing.  However; just as a commander may warn his soldiers that such action is dangerous and causes pain and suffering; so the Church warns the same thing.  This is why Jesus told those whom he forgave to “go and sin no more.”  Do not continue in the activities or make life choices that damage your relationship with God.  Do not walk in a path that goes against God’s will and design.  When you do this, you sin.  It is this sin that causes our wounding.  This is why we teach “sin no more”.  It is to protect us from a wounding that could destroy us.

Father, your healing touch is needed by all your children.  Send us the grace to deliver this healing.  Send us your mercy that we may receive your healing touch.  Give us wisdom that we may go and sin no more.  Guard and protect us by your mighty hand.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret