God's Healing to Speak - October 24
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 41, 52; PM Psalm 44; Ecclus. 19:4-17; Rev. 11:1-14; Luke 11:14-26
So much of Jesus’s ministry is focused on healing. People who are crippled, blind, and unable to live into the fullness of life are restored to wholeness. This is a fundamental part of the Christian story. Today’s healing story is a little bit different with a person who is mute because of a demon. The demon is cast out and the one who had been mute speaks. The people are amazed. The person has found their voice. Maybe it is my imagination, but the story might not just be about speaking, but a person who learns to speak about the power of Christ and God’s unconditional healing and love.
I am writing a little later than usual this morning. Last night, I returned from a three-day retreat as a part of the international Cursillo movement. The Episcopal Diocese of Alabama has been offering these retreats to provide renewal for adults in the Episcopal Church since 1979. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to the weekend as much as I should have been, feeling the pressure of attending as more of a work obligation than balm for my soul.
The retreat is beautiful, filled with moments of wonder and a recognition of the care, love, and prayer of others in tangible and meaningful ways. In a practical sense, it is a series of talks given by lay people with a chance to reflect on those talks and to watch an entire community realize the beauty of the unconditional love of Christ through the hospitality of others. If you think that sounds vague, it is, and it’s true, but it really doesn’t make sense until one experiences it.
As we ended the weekend, each person who attended shared a moment of wonder about where they saw God in their life that weekend. I was amazed by the words that each person offered, and how they touched my own life. It was as if, God’s unconditional love gave voice to each person there to claim God’s love in their own lives. Two people shared how this weekend, taught them that the church had become their family, the healing power of the Body of Christ. It was incredibly renewing and beautiful.
If you want to know more, I’d love to share it, or connect you to others so that you may have an experience like I did. What I know to be true is that the power of God’s love to heal, renew, and give life is real. And I am grateful for those encouraging voices who nudged me to attend.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: Where have you experienced healing in your own life?
Daily Challenge: You can learn more about Cursillo by watching this video.