Pentecost XX - C October 14th, 2007

Meadowvale Lutheran Church, Mississauga

Pastor Peter Lisinski

HEALTH AND/OR WELLNESS

 Nowadays one cannot watch TV for very long before being inter­rupted by a commercial related in some way to achieving, main­taining, or enjoying good health.  Ask people what they are most thankful for, or what they are most afraid of losing and -- with the exception of their loved ones -- good health is the most com­mon answer.  Even our recent election campaign reminded us that more than half of our annual $80 billion provincial budget is spent on health care!  Nothing, it seems, is more important to more people today than achieving, maintaining, and enjoying good mental and physical health.  And that's nothing new. 

In his lifetime Jesus met many people concerned about getting and staying healthy.  In the Gospel of Luke, through which we have been reading Sunday after Sunday during this year, there are many stories of Jesus' healing miracles.  Today's reading is one of four occasions when Jesus seems to make a direct connection be­tween faith and healing.  "Your faith has made you well," Jesus tells the one leper among the ten who returned to thank him. 

But, as the familiar question that threads its way through Martin Luther's Small Catechism asks, "What does this mean?"  Does it mean that the more faith we have the healthier we will be? Some believe so.  Or does it mean that when our prayers for healing go unanswered it's because we don't have enough?  Some believe so. But I believe Jesus makes a distinction between being healthy and being well?

 Although all ten lepers were healed of their leprosy, only the one thankful leper was pronounced well!  Long before the wellness centres springing up in many hospitals nowadays, Jesus understood that there is a difference between being well and being in good physical or mental health.  A person of faith is well, as Jesus understands wellness, even if that person may not be in good physical or mental health.  Conversely, without faith even the strongest, best-conditioned athlete is not well, as Jesus understands wellness.  Without faith even the soundest mind or toweringest intellect is not well, as Jesus understands wellness!

 Being well, or being made well, as Jesus understands it, depends on faith -- faith that even beyond our own inevitable loss of health and, ultimately, of life itself; faith that beyond our various fears and failures, weaknesses and limitations; faith that beyond the suffering in the world around us -- and in spite of our apparent helplessness to heal its pain -- God has not, and will never, abandon us.  In the divine humanity of Jesus Christ God is with us, within us, and among us, working to free us from all of life's distortions, disorders and disasters, and lead us and all God's children beyond them to personal, social, global and cosmic wellness!