April 07, 2004

For the Healing of Soul and Body

Having been unable to blog for the last few days, I don't know where to start again. It has been a usual Holy Week for us, with only one service and that was tonight with the Service of Anointing. Our community considered having a Paschal service, but it didn't seem that there would be enough of us there and there is always the problem of using another church's facility, as we do.

I'm glad we have the Anointing, and I'm glad to have it after I've seen Mel Gibson's film which opens with words of Isaiah 53. This all brings together the healing work of the Christ's Passion. However, as I have moved away from Western soteriology, I think I have a better understanding of Isaiah 53.

It also helps that in the last few weeks, I have been present at two Chrismation services. One of at our 21st March Liturgy and the other was in Shrewbury on Lazarus Saturday at the Vespers of Palm Sunday. I noticed that the words spoken during the anointing in the service as the same as those during Chrismation, "For the healing of soul and body."

By his stripes we were healed. As a good charismatic, I grew up with that verse. And it is true that God does many healing miracles on the body. It is entirely out of context to say that Isaiah is referring primarily to the healing of physical infirmities. It is because of our transgressions and iniquities that we need healing. Salvation is a healing process of taking a soul injured by sin and making it whole again.

Posted by david at April 7, 2004 11:54 PM | TrackBack
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