Giving my First Talk at Church

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we do not have a priest/preacher/pastor that gives a sermon every week. Each week 2-3 different members of each ward are asked to speak on a topic that is selected by our Bishopric- the three men who lead our ward. We’re given guidelines as to how long our Talk should be, as well as direction in selecting appropriate source material. And, generally, each member can expect to be asked to speak every year or so.

Somehow, I slipped through the cracks for 15 years, but recently that streak ended when I was asked to speak in Church for the first time! I was given the topic ‘Jesus Christ is the Great Healer’ and, below is the Talk that I delivered. I hope you enjoy it!

Jesus Christ is the Great Healer

It is impossible to leave this world and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven unscathed. Heavenly Father knew this would be the case, because He wanted us to have our agency. He knew we would face trials and tribulations that would leave us not just physically battered and bruised, but would leave our hearts broken and confused as well. He knew we would need someone to show us the way back home, to help us when things get tough, and to teach us what we need to know, not only to survive, but to thrive in this world. Because of this, He sent us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who is our guide, our teacher, and most of all, our healer.

The Gospels are filled with stories about Christ performing healing miracles for the blind, the paralyzed, and the sick. He addressed their physical ailments in order to remove barriers to their hearts, for it is our hearts He most wants to heal. He specifically shares this in Luke 4:18, stating, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…” Christ succinctly shared His mission with us in this verse, including His mission of healing our broken and confused hearts. So, how does He do this? How can Christ heal each of our hearts when we all need individual attention?

In her talk titled, ‘The Master Healer’ Sister Carole M. Stephens outlined three ways that Christ heals our broken and confused hearts. Sister Stephens shared, “First, the Savior, the Master Healer, has the power to change our hearts and give us permanent relief from the sorrow caused by our own sin... Second, the Master Healer can comfort and strengthen us when we experience pain because of the unrighteous actions of others... [and] Third, the Master Healer can comfort and sustain us as we experience [the] painful ‘realities of mortality,’ such as disaster, mental illness, disease, chronic pain, and death.” Each of these are powerful tools for healing, and Christ uses them masterfully- so much so that we often don’t notice His healing work in our lives until it’s complete.

One of the most profound examples of Christ’s ability to heal our broken hearts through change is that of the Samaritan woman at the well found in John Chapter 4. This woman found Christ waiting at Jacob’s Well near Sychar, when she went to draw water in the heat of the day. It was no mistake or chance encounter that Christ was there. He knew her heart needed healing- through a series of husbands and repeated cycles of poor choices, her heart had become buried in sorrow. Through a simple discussion that first allowed her to discover His identity as the long-awaited Messiah for herself, Christ lead this precious woman to the realization that He would not be speaking with her if she was not forgiven. Because she knew Christ had forgiven her, her heart changed, becoming whole again as she was able to forgive herself.

Another remarkable instance of Christ’s gift for healing our broken hearts is that of Hannah. The excruciating pain and anxiety Hannah suffered was a result of the unrighteous actions of Peninnah, her husband’s second wife. Peninnah chose to bully Hannah because of Hannah’s inability to conceive and bear children- something entirely out of Hannah’s control. But, as we follow Hannah’s story through 1 Samuel Chapter 1, we see Hannah pour out her heart to God instead of retaliating against Peninnah. Hannah knew that Heavenly Father heard her prayers- her fears, her cries for help, her requests for blessings, and her need for comfort and strength- and because of this, her heart was healed through Christ when her prayers were answered with the delivery of her son.

Finally, an outstanding example of Christ’s power to mend our wounded hearts is that of Ruth. Ruth’s husband unexpectedly fell ill and passed away. In an instant, her world changed. She didn’t have any sons- any children at all- and her mother-in-law planned to sell their house and return to her people. So, as we learn in Ruth Chapter 1, Ruth had a choice: return to her family and seek a second marriage, or boldly choose to go with her mother-in-law, Naomi, on a long and difficult journey that would ultimately change her life forever. Ruth chose to go with Naomi, and throughout their perilous journey to Naomi’s childhood home, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ protected and provided for them, comforted and encouraged them, and- ultimately- sustained them through the pain of their mortality. Not only did Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ protect and provide for them, Ruth’s heart was healed as she gained confidence in her abilities to work hard and care for Naomi, before finding redemption in her marriage to Boaz.

Christ not only shared with us His purpose of healing our broken hearts, and has proven He is capable of and will do the job if we let Him, He has given us a roadmap to follow to seek His healing: the Sermon on the Mount, found in Mathew Chapter 5. As one of my favorite authors shared about Christ’s Sermon on the Mount, “I don’t think the Beatitudes are just individual groups of people or different seasons of our life that aren’t connected… I think Jesus is giving us the stages of brokenness so that we won’t get lost when we get so very hurt.” (Lysa TerKeurst) So, before our hearts ever even become broken and confused, our Great Healer has given us instructions on where to find Him to begin our healing journeys.

It is impossible to leave this world and enter into the Kingdom of Heaven unscathed. Heavenly Father knew this would be the case, because He wanted us to have our agency, so He gave us our Savior, Jesus Christ who is also our Great Healer. Christ heals our broken and confused hearts through forgiveness of our sins, strengthening us as we experience the unrighteous actions of others, and sustaining us as we traverse the difficulties of mortal life. He even gave us instructions on how to find Him to begin our healing journeys. As He stated in Luke 4:8, Christ was sent to heal our broken and confused hearts, and He has accomplished that purpose in ways only He can.