LVII.
ANOINTED AND BLESSED
(5/12)
You anoint my head with oil…(Psalm 23:5)
In the Biblical tradition, anointing with oil is a sign of divine favor. To be anointed is to be chosen and to have a special relationship with God and your community. In times of illness, anointing with oil mediates God’s healing touch. Anointing not only soothes our skin, it also calms our spirits. Anointing transforms our cells; it also heals our souls.
These days, we all need divine anointing. We all need the calm and comfort – the sense of wellbeing – that comes from God’s touch. When God anoints you, you know that you are blessed and that everything’s going to be alright despite challenging circumstances. When another person lovingly touches us we feel at home in the world.
Kate and I regularly give mini-massages and reiki healing touch treatments to our grandchildren. We do this not only because loving and welcome physical touch receives stress, it also promotes overall wellbeing. It often also relieves head and muscle aches. When we give them healthy touch, it helps them be embodied in a healthy way and reminds them, even at the cellular level, that they are loved.
Even when you are alone, you can be anointed. You can message your arms or legs with lotion, bathing your cells and souls with health and wholeness. You can even pray for God’s healing presence to anoint you, giving you peace, calm, and physical wellbeing.
You are anointed. You are blessed. You are loved. God is with you.
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Holy One, thank you for loving me. Thank you for being a healing presence in my life. Let me accept the anointing that heals my soul and my cells. Let me be blessed that I might be a blessing. Amen.
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Bruce Epperly is a Cape Cod pastor, professor, and author of over fifty books including FAITH IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC and GOD ONLINE: A MYSTIC’S GUIDE TO THE INTERNET
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