6th February 2026

Whilst working out how best to engage with distressing news stories, I am also drawn towards more heart-warming reports.

At a recent conference researchers described their progress towards improving lives of those living with various medical conditions. There was special focus on solving problems of inequalities in healthcare provision. For instance, for organ donation for transplantation, there is a better chance of not only finding a suitable match from a donor of the same ethnicity, but better outcomes for the patient. Researchers are investigating ways to be able to help patients have better outcomes, even in the absence of a perfect match.

During Jesus’ ministry, we are told: “The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor” (Matthew 11:5).

Ruth Burgess and Kathy Galloway referenced the ministry of healing in the life of the Iona Community in Praying for the Dawn: a resource book for the ministry of healing: “The healing of divisions and splits in our own lives, of broken bodies, painful memories, divided communities and nations, the healing of the earth itself and of our relationship with it, are all part of the integrity to which God calls us. They are all part of the ministry of healing.”

There are many ways in which God calls us to be part of His healing work. It might be as simple and wonderful as making a hot lemon & honey for a cold-ridden student (someone at Tyndale did that for me, and I’ve never forgotten it)!

Ruth Allen