The following are words given by participants at the streamed meeting. 1 Corinthians 14:29 says that "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others weigh carefully what is said." 1 Thess 5:19-21 tells us not to despise prophecies, but to test everything and retain what is good.
At beginning of meeting Scripture Reading Matt 8:28-34 - "When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him. They were so savage that no one could travel by that road. They cried out, "What have you to do with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?" Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding. The demons pleaded with him, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine." And he said to them, "Go then!" They came out and entered the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea where they drowned. The swineherds ran away, and when they came to the town they reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district."
Scripture Reading Psalm 121:1-8 - "I raise my eyes toward the mountains. From where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. God will not allow your foot to slip; your guardian does not sleep. Truly, the guardian of Israel never slumbers nor sleeps. The Lord is your guardian; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. By day the sun cannot harm you, nor the moon by night. The Lord will guard you from all evil, will always guard your life. The Lord will guard your coming and going both now and forever."
Scripture Reading Psalm 150:1-6 - "Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament. Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness. Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp. Praise him with tambourine and dancing; praise him with stringed instruments and flute. Praise him with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals. Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!"
Scripture Reading Nehemiah 9:5-6 - "Blessed be you, Yahweh our God, from everlasting to everlasting. And blessed be your name of glory that surpasses all blessing and praise. Yahweh, you are the only one. You made the heavens, the heaven of heavens with all their array, the earth and all it bears, the seas and all they hold. To all of these you give life and the array of the heavens bows down before you."
Scripture Reading Isaiah 40:9-11 - "Jerusalem, go up on a high mountain and proclaim the good news! Call out with a loud voice, Zion; announce her good news! Speak out and do not be afraid. Tell the towns of Judah that their God is coming! The Sovereign Lord is coming to rule with power, bringing with him the people he has rescued. He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers."
One of the songs that really struck me was, "He comes in power when we call on his name and for our inheritance give us a lot." I think we always think our inheritance is eternal life, but that word really struck me: to give us a lot. It sort of reinforces our need to evangelize and invite everyone to pray.
It's just as bible verses given from Isaiah: to speak out and not be afraid. I think it's a call to evangelize wherever we go, not only with our words but also how we live the Gospel.
Fr. Robert Miller spoke on "God wants to heal us." God has three faces: the face of anchoring love, face of liberating salvation, face of the passion and the power of the Spirit of God. Mark 3:7 - "Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea and a great multitude from Galilee followed, from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and beyond the Jordan. Hearing everything he did, they came to him. He told his disciples have a boat ready for him because of the crowd lest they should crush him for he had healed many. So all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him and whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and they cried out, "You are the Son of God." And he ordered them not to make him known." All of us human beings are born with this innate desire, this need for other people. We need human touch. We need divine touch to soften us and shape us. When we start pulling away from others, problems begin. Psalm 139 says God is familiar with all of our ways. God knows that we need to be touched; touched by others, touched by God. All healing begins with a touch of love. How did Jesus heal people? Almost always, he touched them. Mark 1:31 - Jesus took her hand and helped her up and healed her. Mark 1:41 - He stretched out his hand and touched him. Luke 7 - Jesus touches the bier and the young man comes to life. Mark 8 - Jesus lays hands on the blind man twice. The power of touch and faith. Luke - The woman touched the hem of his garment and power went out. Seven Sacraments: in nearly every sacrament, the minister touches the person. Where do we need the touch of the Lord to pull us out of isolation or loneliness? Where do we need the touch of the Lord to restore wholeness? We can get out of balance. The Lord's touch restores that balance. Luke 5 - Sometimes, Jesus needs to forgive before he can heal. Put your brokenness in God's hands. Where do we need the touch of the Lord to rejoin us together, to reunite us to other people? One of the things that separates us is resentment and we begin to pull apart from other people. We run away. LOVE HEALS. Story of children's ward in a hospital in Germany and Old Anna who carried small children on her hips all day. When everything else failed, this healed the children. She was always successful.
Leslie shared that the cataract surgery on her right eye went very well. Her blurred vision cleared up after 3 days and now she has 20/20 vision. Thank you, Lord.
Last week, Margaret asked for prayers for her brand new great great nephew who had heart surgery when he wasn't a week old yet. He had a successful procedure that bought him more time until the next procedure. Thank you, Lord. Everyone is grateful for the prayers. He will have to have a procedure done again and when he gets older, he will need open heart surgery.
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