Healing Service Bulletin — Zion Episcopal Church

A Service of Healing – August 3, 2021

This service is adapted from A Public Service of Healing found in The Book of Occasional Services (p. 171). While not able to provide the laying on of hands and/or use oil for anointing, we are able to share prayers, concerns and reflections during this time of the pandemic. As we adjust to new ways of worship, we are reminded that nothing – not even social distancing and engaging in various forms of social media – can separate us from the love of God and the healing power of community.

The Word of God

The service begins with the following greeting

Presider: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the

Holy Spirit be with you all.
People: And also with you.

Let us pray.

After a period of silence, the Presider then says one or more of the following Collects

Loving God, the comfort of all who sorrow, the strength of all who suffer: accept our prayers, and to those who seek healing [especially N. and N., and all whom we name in our hearts], grant the power of your grace, that the weak may be strengthened, sickness turned to health, the dying made whole, and sorrow turned into joy; through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.

God our healer, whose mercy is like a refining fire: by the loving- kindness of Jesus, heal us and those for whom we pray; that being renewed by you, we may witness your wholeness to our broken world; through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Spirit. Amen.

Gracious God, we commend to your loving care all who suffer, especially those who come [here] seeking your healing grace [for themselves or others]. Give them patience and hope in their distress; strengthen and uphold them in mind and body; and grant, by your intervention, that all your people may be made whole according to your desire, through Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Selected from A Table of Suggested Lessons and Psalms found in the Book of Occasional Services

First Lesson: James 5:14-16

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. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.

The Psalm

Psalm 145

I will exalt you, O God my King, *
and bless your Name for ever and ever.

Every day will I bless you *
and praise your Name for ever and ever.

Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; *
there is no end to his greatness.

One generation shall praise your works to another *
and shall declare your power.

I will ponder the glorious splendor of your majesty *
and all your marvelous works.

They shall speak of the might of your wondrous acts, *
and I will tell of your greatness.

They shall publish the remembrance of your great goodness; *
they shall sing of your righteous deeds.

The LORD is gracious and full of compassion, *
slow to anger and of great kindness.

The LORD is loving to everyone *
and his compassion is over all his works.

All your works praise you, O LORD, *
and your faithful servants bless you.

They make known the glory of your kingdom *
and speak of your power;

That the peoples may know of your power *
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; *
your dominion endures throughout all ages.

The LORD is faithful in all his words *
and merciful in all his deeds.

The LORD upholds all those who fall; *
he lifts up those who are bowed down.

The eyes of all wait upon you, O LORD, *
and you give them their food in due season.

You open wide your hand *
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.

The LORD is righteous in all his ways *
and loving in all his works.

The LORD is near to those who call upon him, *
to all who call upon him faithfully.

He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; *
he hears their cry and helps them.

The LORD preserves all those who love him, *
but he destroys all the wicked.

My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD; *
let all flesh bless his holy Name for ever and ever.

THE GOSPEL: Luke 13:10-13

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God.

Response to the Word

Silence and Reflections from the Presider and others may follow

A Litany of Healing

The Presider introduces the Litany with this bidding

Let us name before God those for whom we offer our prayers.

The People audibly and/or silently name those for whom they are interceding. A Person appointed then leads the Litany

God the Father, your will for all people is health and salvation;

We praise you and thank you, O Lord.

God the Son, you came that we might have life, and might have it more abundantly;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.

God the Holy Spirit, you make our bodies the temple of your presence;

We praise you and thank you, O Lord.

Holy Trinity, one God, in you we live and move and have our being;

We praise you and thank you, O Lord.

Lord, grant your healing grace to all who are sick, injured, or disabled, that they may be made whole;
Hear us, O Lord of life.

Grant to all who seek your guidance, and to all who are lonely, anxious, or despondent, a knowledge of your will and an awareness of your presence;

Hear us, O Lord of life.

Mend broken relationships, and restore those in emotional distress to soundness of mind and serenity of spirit;
Hear us, O Lord of life.

Bless physicians, nurses, and all others who minister to the suffering, granting them wisdom and skill, sympathy and patience;
Hear us, O Lord of life.

Grant to the dying peace and a holy death, and uphold by the grace and consolation of your Holy Spirit those who are bereaved;
Hear us, O Lord of life.

Restore to wholeness whatever is broken by human sin, in our lives, in our nation, and in the world;
Hear us, O Lord of life.

You are the Lord who does wonders:

You have declared your power among the peoples.

With you, O Lord, is the well of life:

And in your light we see light.

Hear us, O Lord of life:

Heal us, and make us whole.

Let us pray.

A period of silence follows. The Presider concludes the Prayers with one of the following or some other suitable Collect.

Almighty God, giver of life and health: Send your blessing on all who are sick, and upon those who minister to them, that all weakness may be vanquished by the triumph of the risen Christ; who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

or this

Gracious God, we give you thanks for your beloved Jesus Christ, in whom you have shared the beauty and pain of human life. Look with compassion upon all for whom we pray, and strengthen us to be your instruments of healing in the world, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

or this

Open us to your healing power, O God. We entrust ourselves to your care, knowing that you are doing for us and for all the world far better things than we can ask or imagine. With you as our companion and guide, strengthen us to hope for all that is good, and to fear no evil. For your love is stronger than death, and your faithfulness reaches to the heavens; and to you we give glory, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, now and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Confession of Sin

A Confession of Sin may follow

The Presider says

Let us confess our sins to God.

Silence may be kept.

Presider and People

God of all mercy,
we confess that we have sinned against you, opposing your will in our lives.
We have denied your goodness in each other, in ourselves,
and in the world you have created.
We repent of the evil that enslaves us,
the evil we have done,
and the evil done on our behalf.
Forgive, restore, and strengthen us
through our Savior Jesus Christ,
that we may abide in your love
and serve only your will. Amen.

The Priest, says

Almighty God have mercy on you, forgive you all your sins through the grace of Jesus Christ, strengthen you in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep you in eternal life. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The service concludes with one or more of the following Collects.

May the God who goes before you through desert places by night and by day be your companion and guide; may your journey be with the saints; may the Holy Spirit be your strength, and Christ your clothing of light, in whose name we pray. Amen.

or this

May God who is a strong tower to all, to whom all things in heaven and on earth bow and obey, be now and evermore your defense, and help you to know that the name given to us for health and salvation is the Name of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Peace

The service may conclude with the Exchange of the Peace

The following or another form of the Dismissal is used

Presider: Go forth into the world,
sharing the Good News of God’s love.

People: We go in the Name of Christ.