I’ve been dealing with a lot of personal grief these days. This was the first series of holidays without someone that was real dear to me. I started looking for something to cling to in my grief so I wouldn’t drown in my hurting. Then I remembered the recipe for anointing oil. Anointing someone with oil is one of the sacred spaces I get invited into periodically. Every time I anoint someone with oil I feel like I’ve stumbled onto holy ground. We see this practice all throughout the Old and New Testament of the Bible. People where anointed with oil for a variety of reasons. Kings where anointed. Priests were anointed. If a prophet was commissioned to speak to the ills of a nation or if someone was sick they would be anointed with oil. I think it is one of the most special things we can do for one another. Anointing reminds us of the importance of the intimacy of touch. It confirms and affirms those being anointed with oil. I think it’s a sacred act of love that cuts through the staid ritual of just going through the motions of faith. It’s amazing what a little oil, the laying on of hands, and a warm word can do for a person…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-leroy-wilson/a-recipe-for-purposefulne_b_8914536.html
