Scripture
James 5:13-15
Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up, and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven.
Story of Belonging
Last July, my dad suffered a terrible mountain biking accident. He was rushed to the trauma center at Grady Hospital, where doctors discovered his femur—the most painful bone in the body to break—was shattered. Consumed with worry for my dad and preparing to leave home for college, all I could do was pray.
And God answered—through the loving embrace of our church family. Almost immediately, calls and texts poured in. Friends sent handwritten cards, flowers, and homemade meals. Hannah Vassar, my youth minister at the time, offered rides to and from the hospital. Bart McNeil prayed with my parents over the phone before surgery. Chris George even shared a meal with my dad at his bedside during recovery. Surrounded by this outpouring of love and faith, my dad made a full recovery—one year later, we are filled with gratitude.
Too often, today’s churches fall into the trap of a “feel-good” gospel that keeps faith shallow and self-focused. But the Gospel calls us to something deeper. At Smoke Rise, we are not just a gathering of individuals—we are one body in Christ. When one member suffers, we all come alongside to carry the weight together. That is what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Through the love of my church family, I learned that the breaking of bread occurs not only at the communion table, but also in living rooms, hospital corridors, and hospital beds—wherever people gather for one another in Christ’s name.
– Lauren Smith
Pondering
How have you cared for someone in need of healing?
When have you allowed others to care for you?
How were you changed by both the giving and receiving of compassion?
Prayer
Lord, when we are sick or weary, help us reach out to one another—to pray, to care, and to believe in the healing only You can bring. May our church always be a place of compassion, where no one suffers alone and every joy is shared. Teach us to trust in Your power, not just as words we speak, but as acts of faith that connect us to Your restoring grace. Amen.