( James 5:13-16 ) - [ Deutsch ]
Dear confirmands, I thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. As a community, we walk this path with you. We are a community on a journey. And in two weeks, we will also celebrate your confirmation day with you. We are a community of celebration as well. But being a community is more than just for good times. We are there for each other even in times of trouble. Listen to the scripture passage from the Book of James in the 5th chapter, and then I would like to share my thoughts with you.
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
What the apostle writes helps me: "Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise."
Praying helps me when I am suffering. And there is indeed much that I suffer, especially when even the news anchor says so. The world is in uncertainty, with the cruel war in Ukraine and now in Israel.
And when I am not feeling well myself, it also helps: praying, talking to God, sometimes saying nothing and sometimes enduring that God doesn't say much. But with eyes closed and hands folded – sometimes like Albrecht Dürer's "Praying Hands" [with upright, clasped hands], sometimes like this [with fingers intertwined], sometimes sitting with a bowed head, and sometimes standing upright and looking towards heaven.
"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise."
Last year, while I was in a rehabilitation clinic in Germany, I started singing Psalms to my own melodies, not just reading them. The mood it created within me was overwhelming at times. When I'm in a good mood, I sing a song or listen to music, both spiritual and secular, and I sing along to feel good or make myself feel better.
"Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."
What helps me in every case is knowing that I am not alone. No one here is alone, neither in the Johannesgemeinde nor in the visible or invisible Church. There is always someone you can call when you are sick or in distress. And I encourage you to do that. When we know about your troubles, we can take action.
"And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."
It helps me to know that someone is praying for me. And when my faith is weak, there is someone who believes that prayer helps when I am ill, undergoing surgery, or in therapy.
"That the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven."
I want to believe that the Lord will indeed raise someone up. Forgiveness of sins lightens the burden and allows us to walk through life more uprightly. It's good to know that there is a lot of faith from other people who include you in their intercession.
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed."
It is not just about praying hard enough to guarantee healing. It is not about not praying enough if someone becomes ill or stays ill, or lacking in faith. The prayer of faith is not a special gift or a panacea, but an expression of deep trust, trust that God acts. God bestows His blessing on the praying community. A miracle is not guaranteed, but companionship and forgiveness. Sometimes someone gets well, that happens. But even without healing, the prayer will help the sick person. God will raise them up. This also applies to the dying, who can bid farewell in peace.
I believe in the God who I encounter in Jesus, who lovingly embraces me and stands by me in the deep valleys of my life and death.
This faith is good for me.
We all make mistakes in our lives and are all sinful people... But we are sinful people loved by God. It is good to confess our sins to each other because it not only helps us but also others who suffer from our mistakes.
Confessing our sins to one another, admitting that our own slate is not as clean as we would like it to be, is not easy but internally healing. And part of healing is living sincerely, not only towards others but also towards ourselves. Do not just look at the faults of others; look primarily at your own. They will be forgiven, and forgiveness brings healing. When I am well within, it naturally has a positive impact on my body.
"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
Sometimes I am not righteous, perhaps more often than I think. And sometimes I am not so earnest. But one among us may be, even if it's not me, when I feel weak in my life and faith. And that helps me.
Dear confirmands, dear community,
We are a community on a journey,
A community of celebration,
A community in times of trouble,
A community of faith and prayer for one another. Amen.