An Eye Update: Preach the Gospel and Heal the Sick

It is bitterly cold outside. A stiff Arctic wind blowing over from Canada has over run much
of Scotland. The strong winds suck warmth and life out of anybody who goes outside. At-
tendance in church was down today: twenty adults and children. Most of our elderly mem-
bers stayed home in their warm quarters. Others are more fortunate: away on holiday in
warmer climes this time of year.

Today at St Fergus Parish Church, we celebrated Palm Sunday. We remember the gospel ac-
counts of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem.  Today is the beginning of the week of his
passion, death, and Resurrection. Today began what many call Holy Week, when we who
call upon the Name of Jesus Christ remember the heart of the Gospel: Jesus' death, burial,
and Resurrection. My passion as a pastor is to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I will
write more on that in an upcoming posting.

I have spoken at the Fishermen's Mission in Peterhead. On the wall behind the pulpit is a life-
saving buoy with the purpose of the Mission: Preach the Gospel and Heal the Sick. That sums
up what I see as the mission of my pastoral ministry in St Fergus and Northeast Scotland. Eve-
ry Sunday I purpose to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The season of Lent and Holy
Week, culminating in Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, is full of rich opportunities to
preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

But it is the second part of the purpose of the Fishermen's Mission that interests me in particu-
lar: heal the sick. Over the years I have been part of healing prayer teams. A major component
of my pastoral visits is to pray for healing of the person I am visiting.  Healing flows out of
Jesus' salvific work on the Cross and his rising from death to life. It is fraught with difficulties
and abuses; yet it is the Gospel mandate. Praying for the healing of others is a significant part
of my pastoral ministry. It is an area of growth for me.

The mission to heal the sick has taken on personal significance since I started having eye prob-
lems in early February. I have been asking the Lord to heal my right eye. I have asked others
to pray on my behalf for the healing of the eye. I was in to see the eye doctor on Friday. What
little sight I had before, was gone. It had been gone for a week. When I had lost sight before, it
had always came back after a regimen of drops and steroids. Even now, vision has not been re-
covered. The eye has been shutting down. The doctor said we were running out of options. I
face tough choices when I meet with her again on April 8.

I pray for wisdom to make the decisions that have to be made; I continue to pray for the heal-
ing of my right eye. Whatever happens, I am at peace. The Lord is in control. Jesus has brought
me this far and He won't let me down. Christ never has before. Whether my eye is healed and
restored or not, blessed be the name of the Lord. I will continue to call upon the Lord for heal-
ing and to ask other Christians to lift me up in prayer. As always, I covet your prayers on my
behalf.

Blessings to you and yours,