Ridgell's Originals

During the time I served as an elder, one of my favorite shepherding activities was to anoint the sick.  I still remember when the church where I was an elder started doing it.  It started because several of us kept reading about it in James 5.  Now I had read that passage many times.  I even remember it being discussed some as I was growing up.  But I never saw it practiced.  In fact, most classes I ever heard about it was why we should not do it.

Here was the reasoning.  It was a cultural practice and not intended for Christians today.  The equivalent today would be to get the very best medical care possible (which would have been anointing with oil in the first century) and then get the elders to pray.  So in the first century they would be anointed and prayed over.  Today we would go to the Doctor and be prayed over.

Sounded right except it didn't.  Not really.  And of course, we shouldn't do it today because there were no instructions and the specific type of oil was not listed so it was not for today.

Except there it was right in James 5.  Several elders started kept talking about it and it seemed to us that if we were going to be a people that followed Scripture, we ought to figure out how to do it.  As to the instructions, we figured if God did not have the Holy Spirit be any more specific then maybe we were overthinking it.

So we started anointing sick members.  And praying over them.  We started letting our church know we were willing to do it.  To be honest, some members really wanted the praying but not the anointing.  OK.  We were never going to refuse to pray over a sick member.

So what kind of oil did we use?  Mostly virgin olive oil.  One time a deacon, I think, mixed some up using spices listed in the Bible. 

How did we anoint?  Some elders poured it on the head.  Some a little.  Some a lot.  I led a lot of those anointings and I usually put some on the forehead and used my thumb to make a cross.

We gathered around, laid hands on the sick one (and often members of their family) and we always read James 5.  Usually said something to the effect of the power being in God and not just the oil as we anointed. Did it in the name of Jesus.  And we prayed.

Our oil is held in small vials.  We give the vial with the remaining oil to the sick and tell them that every time they look at it they should remember the day that God healed them.  I look at mine every day. 

So was everyone healed?  Yes.  And no. We have had some amazing stories of physical healings.  Cancer gone.  Or surgeries that went exceedingly well.  Sometimes the physical healing did not occur the way we asked.

But without fail, every person we have ever anointed expressed a deeper faith in God, a willingness for his will to be done, and a peace for what was to come in the days ahead. I do believe some of that may be connected to whole forgiveness of sins mentioned in that passage. 

So I am suggesting you elders start anointing your flock.  Ask your elders to anoint you.  Because God said to and it works.  Of course.

I had led many anointings, been a part of others.  My wife has been to many.  All my kids and grands have even been to and been a part of anointings. 

And I have been anointed when I had a melanoma cut out of my chest.  My daughter Julie has been.  And one of my grands.  All healed. 

Powerful stuff. 

Thank you God for righteous men who listen to you and who pray for your healing in the lives of your flock.