As I sat down to work on this meditation, a friend called wanting to borrow some issues of “Sharing,” the journal of the Order of St. Luke (OSL). The International Order of St. Luke the Physician is an ecumenical organization dedicated to the Christian healing ministry with members throughout North America and the world. Many Episcopal Churches have local OSL chapters, and while we don’t have one at Trinity, I have been a member for some years. I told my friend that when I finish reading each issue, I put it in the Trinity Library on the periodical shelves (where the current issue can be found on the angled shelf and the back issues on the flat shelf beneath). When I read the lessons appointed for this week and realized that three of the four lessons deal with the healing power of God, I recognized the synchronicity of the timing of that phone call and felt inspired to describe the healing ministry at Trinity, to share how we play our small role in God’s continued healing of the world.

Every Sunday during the prelude before the 10:30 service, the altar is open for those who want to receive anointing with oil, laying on of hands, and healing prayer. Those who come may ask for prayers for themselves or for others, or they may come with hearts full of thanksgiving for all the ways they experience God’s healing grace in their lives. When a crisis arises in someone’s life, Trinity’s Prayer Chain is available to start prayer immediately. Currently, there are seven links in our chain who commit to pray for thirty days unless the situation is resolved sooner. We also include in our Prayers of the People during the liturgy and the Sunday bulletin a list of specific people who need prayers from all of us. In addition, we provide healing mantles, prayer shawls that have been blessed by our priest, to those who may want or need to experience the healing presence of God’s love in a symbolic, yet tangible, way. Our healing mantle ministry was described in an article in “Sharing in 2002. Volunteers knit the shawls on their own time, and the shawls are available to caregivers as well as to those who may be distressed, grieving, ill, or infirm.

Participation in the various aspects of our healing ministry is open to all. If you are interested or want more information, please give me a call.