a liturgy for healing by Revd Jenny Quince and Revd Deb Cole

ME WHAKAORA HOKI NGĀ HOIA TAOTŪ!
WOUNDED SOLDIERS NEED HEALING TOO!

Mihi

Waiata:

E toru ngā mea                                          There are three things
Ngā mea nunui                                          That a great
E Kī ana                                                         According to
Te Paipera                                                   The Bible
Whakapono                                                Faith
Tūmanako                                                   Hope
Ko te mea nui                                            The greatest of these
Ko te aroha.                                                Is love.

M: The peace of Christ be always with you

W: And also with you.

M: We have come together to acknowledge God’s presence

With praise and affirmation, to seek reconciliation

And to pray for healing and wholeness.

M: The Lord be with you.

W: The Lord bless you.

M: Jesus said, ‘Heal the sick… and say to them,

The kingdom of God has come near to you’ (Luke 10.9)

W: We affirm that God is the source of healing and wholeness.

We open our lives to this loving God in praise and in prayer;

for ourselves and others.

Te hohou I te rongo/Confession and assurance of forgiveness.

M: Let us pray:

“Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46: 10a)

“If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (Matthew 18:20)

M: Sisters in Christ,

God knows our needs before we ask,

and in our asking prepares us

to receive the gift of grace.

W: Father God as we open our lives to your healing presence

we let go of all that separates us from you,

our neighbour, and from our own self.

We confess to you Lord

All that has wounded us

Those things that we have done that has brought injury to others.

We need your healing merciful Lord

Forgive us, we pray.

Set us free that you may minister to us;

Set us free that we may serve you afresh.

Through Jesus Christ. Amen.

M: God, who calls us to wholeness,

Forgives, reconciles and renews us in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Te inoī o te Karaiti/The Lord’s prayer………..(in whatever language you wish).

Inoī o te Ota o Ruka Tapu/Prayer of the Order of St Luke.

W: Almighty God, you inspired your servant Luke the Physician

to proclaim in the Gospel

the love and healing power of your son;

graciously continue in your church

the same love and power to heal

spirit, soul and body

to the praise and glory of your name

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Waiata:

Te Pānga o te Ariki ki au To get a touch from the Lord is so real

Whakatata ki a ia If you draw near to Him

Ka whakatata mai ia He will draw near to you

Te pānga o te Ariki ki au To get a touch from the Lord is so real.

Hāreruia! Hāreruia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

E haere, e haere mai ana Īhu! Jesus is coming, is coming again!

Hāreruia! Hāreruia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Ko Īhu te haere mai nei. Jesus is coming again.

Minitatanga o te Kupu/Ministry of the Word.

R1: Whakarongo ki ēnei kupu o Ruka Tapu/Hear these words from St Luke

When Jesus had called the twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. (Luke 9:1-2)

R2: After this the Lord appointed seventy two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. The seventy two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” He replied, “I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven

(Luke 10:1, 17-20)

Silence

Ngā hoia taotū/Wounded Soldiers:

R3: A great majority of clergy and lay in our churches have at some time experienced a depth of wounding or burn out that has threatened not only their capacity to minister, but also their ability to deal with daily life.

R4: Surviving such seasons of stress can be difficult. We know that Church Counsellors are available but many are unwilling to take the offer up for all sorts of reasons.

R5: The sufferer has probably been to his or her family doctor for any number of associated physical symptoms and has been given a clean bill of health. This has caused confusion and discouragement because the aches, pains and other ills are very real and truly do hinder the ability to function properly.

R6: In the N.T. Paul wrote: “As you live this new life we pray that you will be strengthened from God’s boundless resources, so that you will find yourselves able to pass through any experience and endure it with joy!” Coll 1:11

R7: In his letter to the Ephesians 3:16 he wrote:” I ask God from the wealth of His glory to give you power through His Spirit to be strong in your inner selves”. i.e. know the strength of the Spirit’s reinforcements.

R8: The parable of the vine and the branches reminds us that life in the branches is dependent on the sap coming from the vine’s root.

Paul also wrote in Galatians 3:20 “It is no longer I that liveth but it is Christ who lives in me. This life I live now I live by faith in the Son of God. Who loved me and gave His life for me”.

R9: It is important that we open ourselves to receive this renewal of strength by allowing the Word of God to dwell in us richly.

The disciples tarried in Jerusalem until they were given power from on high before truly becoming fearless witnesses to and for Jesus Christ.

R10: St Paul’s life was full of storms and trials – never the less he lived victoriously and the source of the same strength he had is available to us too.

R11: As Paul said: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me power”. The witnesses we have through the actions of the first leaders is beyond our comprehension – they lived in fearful times – they lived knowing their lives there in mortal danger. Jesus crucified – Paul beheaded were just two of many.

He reta ki te Atua/A letter to God:

R12: Dear Father,

Creator, Redeemer and Giver of Life, who is, who was and is to come.
As your daughters, we humbly write this.
We vowed at our ordinations to accept the order and discipline of the Church, we also accepted the responsibility that those in need be cared for with Christlike compassion and humility.

R13: Covid arrived and for over two years now we have been restricted in our ministry. Govt mandates made it virtually impossible for us to operate. The Churches closed their doors, the hospitals wouldn’t let us in, Retirement Villages, Funeral Parlors wouldn’t let us in and Pastoral visits were frowned upon.

R14: We who had vowed to bring comfort and healing to the needy were severely restricted. Licences were removed from Priests who refused to be vaccinated because they wanted to go to the unvaccinated on an equal footing (right or wrong we won’t debate at this time).
Having to give the Last Rites over the phone to patients who didn’t even have Covid was really hard.

Many of us confess that we did home visits, gave Holy Communion and shared your love with some very sick people.

R:15 When we were allowed into the hospitals we had to pass by whanau screaming to be let in. Our hearts broke for them.
We heard of the elderly in rest homes, those in hospices with no one to hold their hand as they died. Our heart broke for them.

R16: We phoned, we zoomed, we tried our best.
People are back in the pews now Lord but as you know the numbers have dropped.
There is still fear and uncertainty and a fake sense of hope that the mandates will protect us.

R17: Lord many of us have anxiety problems because we have dared to step out into the world against govt mandates, church and our own families wishes.
We are not looking for a crown we are looking for healing from the brokenness that we are experiencing.

R18: Father God our questions are:
Were we wrong to step out in faith?
Did we do as Jesus would have done?
God of Grace we humbly reach out to you through your Holy Spirit. Gentle as a dove, living burning as fire, to empower us so that we can boldly walk in your footsteps, fully restored with your compassion, grace and wisdom flowing through us.

R19: Your Word tells us that if you, Lord, are in us and we are in you then we will never be afraid; it also says, “By your stripes we are healed”.
Father God, strengthen our faith through scripture so we can be what we claim to be, your daughters, empowered by your spirit to be your hands and feet, your love in this world.

W: Lastly Lord, we do love you with an unending love.
Lots of love and kisses from all your daughters.

Te wā o te wahangū me te whakaora/Time of reflection, silence and healing

Waiata:

Be still and know that I am God x 3

I am the God that health thee x 3

In thee O Lord do I put my trust x 3

M: Whakarongo ki ēnei kupu o Hoani Tapu/Hear these words from St John:

‘When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter,

“Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”

‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.’ He said to him “Feed my lambs.”

A second time he said to him, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, you know that I love you’.

He said to him, “Tend my sheep”.

He said to him a third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was so grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me? And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep’. (John 21:15-17)

M: Kia īnoi tātou/ let us pray: