October 20, 2012 - Church at Worship

Sermon: "A Healing Presence–In Jesus’ Name" - Lowell Cooper

Pastoral Welcome: Randy Roberts

University Welcome: Richard Hart

Baptism: Michelle Charlene Ankrum - Doug Mace
Benjamin James Ballou - Tom Quishenberry
Hayley Jordan Perry - Tom Quishenberry

Children’s Feature: Rob Mohr

Meditation:

The mission of God addresses every dimension of human existence:  spiritual, intellectual, social, political, economic, and environmental.  Jesus is the agent of God who arranges the restoration of all things.  The Church, following the example of Jesus, and in the name of Jesus, engages in the healing ministry in response to human need.
 
“Our Lord Jesus Christ came to this world as the unwearied servant of man’s necessity.”  —Ellen G White, Ministry of Healing, p. 17
 
“Christ stands before us as the pattern Man, the great Medical Missionary—an example for all who should come after.  His love, pure and holy, blessed all who came within the sphere of its influence… We are to do the same work that the great Medical Missionary undertook in our behalf.”   —Ellen G White, Loma Linda Messages, p. 61

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42:5–7, TNIV - Pierson Sam David

Sermon Notes: 

In ancient cultures, religion and medicine were closely linked. The adoption of
Christianity as the state religion of the Roman Empire drove an expansion in the
Church’s engagement in social service. The first Council of Nicaea inA.D. 325
urged the Church to social action. Every cathedral town was ordered to have a hospital. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the concept of Christian care
evolved into a more secular one. Hospitals began to appear, serving only medical
needs and staffed with professionals trained in the sciences.

It is estimated that there are more than 28,000 hospitals worldwide. Of these, 173
are owned and operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. In addition, the
Church operates several hundred clinics, nursing homes, retirement centers, and
orphanages.

What is the role of a faith community in healthcare and the treatment of disease in
a time when the nature of care has become highly industrialized and technologydependent? What is, or should be, different about a Church-owned healthcare
facility? What is the mission of Seventh-day Adventist healthcare? How does this
relate to the mission of the Church?

These are some of the questions that we will explore today.

Lowell C. Cooper
General Vice President
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

Note: Baptisms and child dedications are listed in the extras section in the DVD