December 11: Physician
♫ Music:
Day 12 - Thursday, December 11
Title: Physician
Scripture #1: Isaiah 61:1–3 (NKJV)
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”
Scripture #2: Jeremiah 8:21–22 (NKJV)
For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt. I am mourning; astonishment has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?
Scripture #3: Matthew 4:23–24 (NKJV)
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.
Poetry & Poet:
“The Celestial Surgeon”
by Robert Louis Stevenson
If I have faltered more or less
In my great task of happiness;
If I have moved among my race
And shone no glorious morning face;
If beams from happy human eyes
Have moved me not; if morning skies,
Books, and my food, and summer rain,
Knocked on my sullen heart in vain:
Lord, thy most pointed pleasure take
And stab my spirit broad awake.
Christ the Physician
One of the most comforting realities of Christ in the New Testament is that of a Physician, or Healer. This was reflected in Christ’s ministry plan, as revealed in his home synagogue at the beginning of his earthly ministry in Luke 4, as he read from the scroll of Isaiah 61. But this was not merely physical healing—it was the healing that comes from hope restored, freedom from a variety of prisons, and healing of the broken hearted. And then it was inaugurated with the healing of a blind man and paralytics, as well as raising the dead to life. Christ’s healing is not merely a cessation of pain or the renewal of strength. It offers wholeness to every part of our being.
Our songs for today express this well. I Speak of Jesus reminds us of peace in his presence, as well as hope, freedom, conquering of fear and recovery from depression. The first song embraces spiritual healing: power, life, the breaking of strongholds and the ability to see the light through our shadows.
Christ, the God-Man, is the Physician of every area of our broken lives.
Robert Louis Stevenson’s poetry expresses his desperation and anguish in the search for meaning amid suffering. It is a common challenge to believe that Christ is the Great Physician, and yet there remains pain, violence, and death in our broken world.
Our artist, Edward Knippers, is a powerful presence in the art world today. His paintings are biblical narratives which feature nude figures and have often been misunderstood by Christians. But his use of nudity is deeply rooted in his profound belief of the incarnation of Christ. He seeks to restore the human body to its central place in our divine/human encounter. In this painting, “The Pest House,” our eyes are drawn to the nude back of a man. This is Christ—not distant from the pain and dangers of such sickness, but in the midst of the hurting—touching, embracing, and healing. The “pest” pictured is of Kaposi’s Sarcoma, a skin cancer which is associated with AIDS—a contemporary version of leprosy. Christ is willing to share in even the most destructive of our circumstances. This is the work and character of Christ, the Great Physician.
This past summer I was struck with the very serious illness called sepsis. When I was admitted to the hospital, my husband was told that I was within two hours of my organs shutting down and, most likely, death. Our family and the pastoral staff of our church were informed, and prayers began. The physicians were unrelenting in fighting this blood infection with the strongest of antibiotics. Within forty hours, my blood pressure was stable and the infection in my blood began retreating. I felt God had chosen to raise me back to life!
That weekend I watched the streaming of our pastor preaching on Acts 9 and the raising of Dorcas from the dead by the Apostle Peter. This solidified my belief that God had chosen to raise me from the dead, for His purposes—and I rejoiced.
I knew if this horrid infection has caused my death and I had entered into Glory, I would still know the fullness of Christ’s healing. I could say, with Paul, in Philippians 1:21 “For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better.”
Truly, Christ is our Great Physician.
Prayer:
We beg you, Lord, to be our help and our support. Free us from our troubles; take pity on the lowly; raise up those who have fallen; give help to the poor, health to the sick, and bring home those who have wandered away. Feed the hungry, ransom captives, give strength to the weak and courage to the faint-hearted.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Amen.
(Apostolic Church Father, St. Clement of Rome)
Dr. Dianne B. Collard
Alumna of Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Biola University
Founder of ArtsCharlotte in North Carolina
About the Artwork:
Pest House (Christ Heals the Sick)
Edward Knippers
1987
Oil on canvas
8 x 12 ft.
Used with permission from the artist
"The Pest House (Christ Heals the Sick) is one of a series of paintings about the character of Christ. It presents a nude Christ, his back to us, turning from his ministrations to a figure on his left who is writhing in agony. He is reaching out to touch a standing man whose body is covered with Kaposi's Sarcoma, the skin cancer frequently associated with AIDS—our contemporary version of leprosy. The few other figures in the painting sprawl and writhe, or shrink back into the darkness, in fearful anticipation of Christ's visit. And then there is a particularly disturbing corpse, evidently advanced in decay, lying on a table in the right foreground. [...] Although the light on the ravaged body Christ reaches toward suggests that something supernatural is happening, we see no easy healing. The painting's central concern is with a different and more difficult order of miracle. The painting shows Christ with us—in the flesh—ministering to a sick and infirm humanity as much through his willingness to share our circumstances as through his ability to get us out of this pest house.”
https://liftupthineeyes.blogspot.com/2015/03/edward-knippers-and-episcopalian.html
A pest house, plague house, pesthouse or fever shed was a type of building used for persons afflicted with communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, cholera, smallpox or typhus. Often used for forcible quarantine, many towns and cities had one or more pest houses accompanied by a cemetery or a waste pond nearby for disposal of the dead.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pest_house
About the Artist:
Edward Knippers (b. 1946) is an American artist whose major works are large-scale paintings depicting biblical narratives featuring nude figures. He is widely regarded as one of the founding fathers of the interdisciplinary conversation between Christian faith and contemporary visual art. He is a nationally exhibited artist, with over one hundred one-man and invitational exhibitions, including a four-person show at the Los Angeles County Museum. Knippers' work has been published widely and can be found in Life magazine and Christianity Today and in numerous public and private collections including the Vatican Museum, Rome; Armand Hammer Museum, Los Angeles; the University of Oklahoma; and the Billy Graham Center, Wheaton, Illinois. His work is primarily described as figurative paintings of biblical narratives—dramatic tableaux that are baroque in their expressive intensity. Knippers recognizes the importance of the body to the biblical narratives of creation, incarnation, and resurrection.
http://edwardknippers.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
About the Music #1: “I Am the God that Healeth Thee” from the album God Will Make a Way: The Best of Don Moen
Lyrics #1:
I am the God that healeth thee.
I am the Lord your Healer.
I sent My Word and healed your disease.
I am the Lord your Healer.
I am the God that healeth thee.
I am the Lord your Healer.
I sent My Word and healed your disease.
I am the Lord your Healer.
[Spoken word interlude]
You are the God that healeth me.
You are the Lord my Healer.
You sent Your Word and healed my disease.
You are the Lord my Healer.
You are the God that healeth me.
You are the Lord my Healer.
You sent Your Word and healed my disease.
You are the Lord my Healer.
You sent Your Word and healed my disease.
You are the Lord my Healer.
You sent Your Word and healed my disease.
You are the Lord my Healer.
About the Composer/Performer #1:
Don Moen (b. 1950) is a singer-songwriter, pastor, and producer of Christian worship music. He has produced eleven albums for the Hosanna! Music series of worship albums and worked for Integrity Media for over twenty years. His discography reflects his passion to create resources for the church that lead people into an honest and intimate relationship with the Lord. In 2002, his peers recognized that lifelong commitment and presented him with the Ray DeVries Church Ministry Award. Don has also received a Dove Award for his work on the musical God With Us and has received multiple Dove Award nominations for his songs, CDs, and choral resources.
https://donmoen.com/
About the Music #2: “I Speak Jesus”
Lyrics #2:
I just wanna speak the name of Jesus,
Over every heart and every mind,
'Cause I know there is peace within Your presence
I speak Jesus.
I just wanna speak the name of Jesus,
'Til every dark addiction starts to break.
Declaring there is hope and there is freedom,
I speak Jesus.
'Cause Your name is power.
Your name is healing.
Your name is life.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadows,
Burn like a fire.
I just wanna speak the name of Jesus,
Over fear and all anxiety,
To every soul held captive by depression,
I speak Jesus.
'Cause Your name is power.
Your name is healing.
Your name is life.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadows.
Burn like a fire.
Shout Jesus from the mountains,
Jesus in the streets,
Jesus in the darkness, over every enemy.
Jesus for my family,
I speak the holy name, Jesus.
Shout Jesus from the mountains
And Jesus in the streets
Jesus in the darkness, over every enemy
Jesus for my family
I speak the holy name Jesus.
'Cause Your name is power.
Your name is healing.
Your name is life.
Break every stronghold.
Shine through the shadows.
Burn like a fire.
About the Composers #2: Jesse Reeves, Dustin Smith, Abby Benton, Kristen Dutton, Carlene “CeCe” Prince, and Raina Pratt
Jesse Reeves is a songwriter, musician, church planter, and father. As a songwriter, he has co-written several songs that are sung in the church around the world today, including “How Great is Our God,” “I Speak Jesus,” “Our God,” “I Will Rise, “Lord, I Need You,” and many more. As a musician, Jesse spent seventeen years leading worship, touring, and playing bass guitar in the Chris Tomlin Band. As a church planter, Jesse and his wife, Janet, have been a part of planting the Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas, and the Passion City Church in Atlanta, Georgia. Currently he and his family live in Austin, Texas, where they pastor a network of house churches called KingsPorch.
https://theologyintheraw.com/podcast/from-success-to-burn-out-in-the-christian-worship-industrial-complex-jesse-reeves/
Dustin Ray Smith (b. 1975) is an American Christian musician. His first release with Integrity Music was in 2012, You Are the Fire. This album was his breakthrough release upon the Billboard magazine Heatseekers Albums chart. The subsequent release, Rushing Waters, was just a re-release of You Are the Fire with a bonus DVD disc, but minus the three studio tracks. In 2014 he released a fresh album called Coming Alive, and this charted on the aforementioned chart alongside a charting on the Christian Albums chart. He was the worship leader at World Revival Church, located in Kansas City, Missouri, where his services were watched by over two hundred nations spanning the globe. Smith is married to Jeanna, and they have three children together, two sons and a daughter. Dustin formed the music group Here Be Lions with his wife and others. He and his wife are now the pastors at HopeUC Nashville.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dustin_Smith
Abby Benton is a composer and lyricist known for her talent and dedication to her craft.
Kristen Dutton is an American singer-songwriter.
Carlene “CeCe” Prince, singer, songwriter, recording artist, and speaker, is at heart a worshipper who, despite deep personal hurts in her past, has a joy and confidence to sing boldly before the throne of grace. She enjoys helping quiet an atmosphere, providing a landscape through music that invites the listeners to experience God's whisper, and know of His nearness, love, and revelation in their lives. Prince willingly shares from the heart, and tells her life's story of redemption after devastation, and the vulnerable journey and peaceable fruit of continual healing common to us all. Carlene believes firsthand in the ability of music to regenerate and touch us all in powerfully emotional, engaging, and inspirational ways, and she has finally released her first full-length albums of all original songs.
https://doitagainministries.com/artist-carlene-prince
Raina Pratt is a painter, songwriter, daughter, wife, mother, and friend.
https://www.facebook.com/people/Raina-Pratt-Art/100063498998224/
About the Performer #2:
Charity Gayle was raised in a home full of worship and has been involved in ministry since she was a child. By the age of sixteen, she was directing multiple choirs. She has said, “I love harmonies in gospel music. I think about Heaven being full of every type of voice from every nation, finding their part and praising God at the top of their lungs together around the Throne.” She spent two years in Nashville in 2014 and 2015, and there she fell more in love with the art of writing songs for the church. She has authored the songs “Amen,” “‘Psalm 100 (Enter In),” and “New Name Written Down in Glory.” Most recently, Charity received a Dove Award for the song “Benediction (As You Go)” on Selah’s album Firm Foundation. Charity lives and leads worship with her husband, Ryan Kennedy. They are cultivating a movement for twenty-four-hour prayer and worship called GatherHouse, and are continuing to write and spread the gospel in the US and globally.
https://www.charitygayle.com/aboutcharity
About the Poetry & Poet:
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, essayist, poet, and travel writer. He is best known for his literary works such as Treasure Island, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Kidnapped, and A Child's Garden of Verses. Born and educated in Edinburgh, Stevenson suffered from serious bronchial trouble for much of his life but continued to write prolifically and travel widely in defiance of his poor health. In 1890, he settled in Samoa where, alarmed at increasing European and American influence in the South Sea Islands, his writing turned from romance and adventure fiction toward a darker realism. A celebrity in his lifetime, Stevenson's critical reputation has fluctuated since his death, though today his works are held in general acclaim.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Louis_Stevenson
https://robert-louis-stevenson.org/
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Dianne Collard
Alumna of Cook School of Intercultural Studies
Biola University
Founder of ArtsCharlotte in North Carolina
Dianne B. Collard received her M.A. and D.Miss from Biola’s School of Intercultural Studies. She and her husband have been missionaries for thirty-seven years, primarily in Europe. She currently serves as the Europe Ministries Director of A.C.T. International. Living in Charlotte, North Carolina, she ministers to local artists when she is not in Europe. She is the author of I Choose to Forgive: a Personal Journey with God Expanded Version). She is blessed with three children, five granddaughters and now, a beautiful great-granddaughter.