Anointing Service

It came to my attention recently the importance and significance of anointing people with oil as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Prior to these recent thoughts I did not spent much time thinking about anointing people either as there is not an abundance of Anointing Service materials and resources available. However, what you see below is the anointing service for Sunday evening, November 16, 2008 at Trinity Church of the Nazarene. I must express tremendous gratitude to several people for helping me think through this, especially Dr. Richard Wilson (my childhood pastor). And as many of my posts give credit, this picture is from scripturepics.org.

What is Anointing and why do we Anoint?

Anointing has been a practice of the church for a long time. We see various examples in scripture of anointing. We see kings anointed for service. We see the woman (a sinner) anoint Jesus with oil and her tears. Anointing has been a vital part of the Christian faith and the people of Godf for ages.

Today we become a part of the story of anointing as we bring our lives to God, believing and hoping God has the power to work within history, now. We believe God has the power to make us God's people for God's glory.

When we come before the minister to be anointed with oil, we know it is God who heals, not us. We do not come before God hoping to bend God towards our will or make God do what we think is best. We simply bring our petitions to God, knowing that sometimes God gracious chooses to heal, other times God uses medical professionals and procedures, in other times God heals in ways beyond our understanding or comprehension, and sometimes we wait for ultimate healing as we look towards the hope we have in Christ.

We come before God for many types of healing. We come before God to ask for healing of our physical bodies, healing for relationships, healing for our emotional well-being, and even healing for our spiritual life with God. And sometimes, we come before God to be anointed on behalf of another; someone we love.

We anoint because we have faith in God. Not faith that we know and understand how God should and does work but instead we anoint because we have faith in God, regardless of how God works. When we come before God to be anointed, we submit our lives to God beside the elders of the church, our friends, to support us with whatever may happen in future days.

When we come together for anointing, we pray for each other, we hug each other, and we love one another as we ask God's will to be done in whatever may need healing.

Anointing is a time where we focus on the God who has the power to heal and we look forward to and hope towards the resurrection. In the same way God raised Jesus from the dead, we look forward to the hope that death will not be the final enemy. No matter what happens, even if God does not heal in the way we hoped God would heal, we anoint because it looks forward to the hope that EVEN death will be conquered.

We also anoint because we believe God cares about us in our suffering. We believe God cares about our physical bodies, our relationships, our emotional health, and our spiritual well-being. Anointing is a physical act where we submit all of who we are to God and ask for God's will to be done, in all our brokenness. We believe God cares about us and we look around to see all the people praying for us, realizing they care about us too.

Perhaps you have something wrong with you physically. Perhaps someone whom you love has something wrong with them physically. Perhaps you need healing from a broken relationship or you need emotional healing. Perhaps you need healing in your spiritual walk with God. But whatever healing your body and life might need, know God cares and the Church of Jesus Christ cares.

Let's Pray Together (based on the Book of Common Prayer):

God our Father, the one who had the power to raise Jesus Christ from the dead, we come before you even now and ask for your healing touch. May your Spirit sanctify this oil, so that in the same way your disciples anointed the sick and healed them, so also may we gather here in faith and repentance to be made whole through the healing of Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, and the Spirit, one God forever and ever, Amen.

Instruction:

In just a moment I will invite all who desire to be anointed today to come forward towards the altar with our Associate Pastor, Pastor Ray, Darin Goodwin (our resident licensed minister), and myself. And I would ask that as each person is anointed that you, the community of faith, would gather around your friends to love and support them. Show them with your physical presence, you are surrounding them with the love of Christ. Show them with your touch, you are touching them with the love of Christ. And show them with your prayers, you are petitioning to the Father on their behalf.

Remember that as we bring our requests before God, it is God who heals, not us. The pastors who gather around you do not heal. The people who love you and surround you do not heal. Only God heals us and makes us whole.

I would invite you to come forward if you wish to be anointed.

Prayer for Each Person Being Anointed (Based on the Book of Common Prayer):

(name), I anoint you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (with oil making a cross on the forehead).

As you are outwardly anointed with this oil, may our heavenly Father grant you the inward anointing of the Holy Spirit. In God's great mercy, may God forgive you of your sins. May God release you from your suffering. May God restore you to wholeness and strength. May God deliver you from all evil, preserve in you goodness, and bring you to everlasting life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(specific prayer for that person, with their needs, asking God to intervene on their behalf for God's glory). Ex: Relieve pain, carry them close to your heart, guard from danger, restore your gifts of gladness and strength, comfort in suffering, fill their heart with confidence, strengthen them.

Lord God, we submit ourselves to you and your soverign will. No matter what happens, we confess you alone are God and to you alone do we trust and give our faith.