Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Wholeness and Healing

Morning Worship

San Francisco Theological Seminary

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Montgomery Chapel

Welcome to a Service of Wholeness and Healing Chaplain Charles Marks

*Call to Worship

Are any among you distressed?

Are any among you sick?

They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them,

anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.

The prayer of faith will save the sick,

and the Lord will raise them up,

and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another,

and pray for one another,

so that you may be healed. (from James 5:14-16)

Come, let us worship God.

*Hymn VU # 374 Come and Find the Quiet Centre

Call to Confession

To be at peace with God, with others,

and with ourselves, is to be whole.

Let us confess those things that separate us from God

and make us less than who God calls us to be.

Prayer of Confession

Eternal God,

in you we live and move and have our being.

Yet sometimes we cannot feel your presence

and we forget your love.

Cleanse us from wrongdoings.

free us from harmful thoughts and desires.

Help us to remember your love

which never lets us go;

help us find in you wholeness and strength;

in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon

Sisters and Brothers in Christ, hear the Good News:

God loves us. God forgives us. God sets us free.

Be at peace. Amen.

Prayer of Illumination

God of Life, you are as near to us as breath.

Touch our eyes that we may see you;

open our ears that we may hear your voice;

enter our hearts that we might know your love.

Grace our souls and bodies with your presence,

that we might feel your strength, and your healing touch;

in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Scripture Reading Luke 7:11-17

Prayer of Silence

Prayer for Wholeness and Healing

As we continue in prayer, let us pray together a prayer for wholeness and healing, lifting up those who are suffering. Let us pray, responding to the phrase, “Jesus Christ, lover of all,”

with the words, “bring healing, bring peace.”

Christ our Lord, Long ago in Galilee,

there were many who were sick and suffering

and needed friends to bring them to your side.

Confident of your goodness,

we now bring to you those who need your healing touch.

We name before you those who are ill in body:

whose illness is long, painful, or difficult to cure;

who suffer restless days and sleepless nights.

(names of particular individuals may be said aloud)

Jesus Christ, lover of all, “bring healing, bring peace.”

We name before you those who are troubled in mind:

distressed by the past or dreading the future;

those who are trapped and cast down by fear.

(names of particular individuals may be said aloud)

Jesus Christ, lover of all, “bring healing, bring peace.”

We name before you those for whom light has been turned to darkness:

by the death of a loved one; the breaking of friendship,

the fading of hope. (names of particular individuals may be said aloud)

Jesus Christ, lover of all, “bring healing, bring peace.”

In silence we name before you those whose names we may not say aloud.

Silence.

Jesus Christ, lover of all, “bring healing, bring peace.”

Prayer and Anointing

The Scriptures ask, “Are any among you distressed? Are any among you sick?” If so, we are to gather together, pray for each other, and anoint each other with oil. As we continue in prayer, you are invited to come to the four stations around the sanctuary to receive anointing as a sign of God’s healing work in you – for you and for those whom you carry in prayer. Let us continue our prayer: Gracious God, may your Spirit be upon us and on this oil, that those who receive anointing may in faith be restored and made whole.

Invitation to the Community and Anointing

Prayer of the People

As we have been outwardly anointed with oil,

so may our loving Creator grant you

the inward anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Out of love, may God release you from suffering

and restore you to wholeness and strength. Amen.

*Hymn VU # 612 There Is a Balm in Gilead

*Charge and Benediction

*Passing of the Peace

Participants in Worship

Rev. Dr. Charles Marks, Chaplain

Rev. Gail Doering, President, SFTS Alumni Council, Liturgist

Dr. Sharon LaTour, Middler, Liturgist

Rev. Stephanie B. Croom, Musician

Mr. Aric Clark, Chaplain’s Assistant

Mr. Scott Clark, Chaplain’s Assistant

Mr. Joshua Dunham, Chaplain’s Assistant

Ms. Kitty Lum, Chaplain’s Assistant

The liturgy for this service of wholeness and healing is drawn from Celebrate God’s Presence (2000), a worship resource of the United Church of Canada.

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