He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. Matthew 8:15
Name. Address. Date of birth. Those important pieces of information are necessary for many business transactions. Without them, neither the doctor nor the car salesman will deal with us.
We know nothing about the woman Jesus healed in Matthew chapter 8 except that she was Peter’s mother-in-law and was sick with a fever. When Jesus came into the house, He went to her, touched her, and healed her. Her healing was complete and instantaneous. How do we know that?
Matthew tells us that she arose and immediately began to serve Jesus and His friends. By her willing service, she expressed her thanks to Jesus.
Her name, address, and date of birth are not important, but her loving actions set an example for God’s people. His gift of healing from the worst-possible disease — sin — comes to us by grace through faith alone. Our response to His gift is our loving and faithful service.
A SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE PRAYER FROM WELS LUTHERANS FOR LIFE
Dear Father, you created this world and all of us in it. After you gave life to our first parents, you commanded them to be fruitful and increase in number. Life is precious to you. You give life and breath to all people. In you we live and move and have our being. Help us and people everywhere to value life as a precious gift from you. Lead people to see the sin of abortion and all other sins that would shorten a person’s time of grace when they could come to faith, grow in faith, live the faith, and share the faith. Help us to speak up and defend the rights of the unborn child and those who cannot speak for themselves. Restrain the world leaders from making decisions about the unborn, gene therapies or the aged that would demean the sanctity of human life. Guard and protect us from anything that might shorten lives. Lead us to do all in our power to preserve and extend the lives you have given us and other people. We ask this in our Savior’s name. Amen.
For every unborn child
and for his or her mother and father:
that God might teach us how to love and support them;
We pray to the Lord
For women and men
whose hearts are weighed down by the sin of abortion:
that our merciful Lord might bring them peace;
We pray to the Lord
For abortionists and those who work for them:
that they may realize the lives they are taking
and turn from the destruction and stop aborting babies:
that our merciful Lord might forgive them;
We pray to the Lord
For all medical researchers:
that God might give them the grace
to use their talents and skills
to preserve and protect all human life
from conception to natural death;
We pray to the Lord
For our legislators,
that they may preserve the right of each of us
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness;
We pray to the Lord
For a growing love of the weak and the vulnerable:
that in the model of Christ Jesus, our Lord,
we might work to sustain and protect the lives of all who are in need;
We pray to the Lord, Amen
