Anointing with Oil – not just for the Queen!

The four day holiday for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at the beginning of June will be a joyful time for our whole country. A special commemorative booklet, ‘Our Faithful Queen’ by Catherine Butcher has been produced specially for the occasion, and you will be able to pick up a free copy at one of our Thanksgiving Services in Sedbergh or Dent on Friday 3 June (details below).

The book explains that at the Queen’s coronation, when it came time for her to be anointed with oil, a special canopy was erected in order to hide the proceedings from view of the TV cameras. This was to respect the sacred nature of this act. (Although you can watch a dramatisation of this moment in the TV show ‘The Crown’!)

Anointing the monarch with oil is a practice that has its roots in the Hebrew Bible, where we see the great Kings of Israel anointed for service to God. It is an act of setting someone apart for a special life of service and dedication. In fact, the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ means ‘anointed one’, as does the Greek work ‘Christ’. It signifies God’s call upon a person’s life. This is embodied supremely in Jesus Christ, who holds the three-fold office of Prophet, Priest, and King.

But it is not only Kings and Queens who receive anointing from God. In the Christian rite of baptism, the candidate is anointed with Holy Oil, and signed with the sign of the cross, as a symbol of their being called by God into his care and service. Each one of us has a vocation (calling) from God, from the greatest to the lowliest. As it is expressed in the letter of 1 Peter, we are all invited into the ‘Royal Priesthood’ of Christ, without distinction.

There are also special times of the year when anointing is used to mark the Holy Spirit’s presence and action in our lives, and to rededicate ourselves to God. One of those times is the festival of Pentecost, which appropriately takes place alongside the Platinum Jubilee celebrations this year. So if you would also like to experience the special meaning of anointing with Holy Oil, please do join us at our special service of Evening Prayer with Anointing for Personal Renewal on Saturday 4 June, 6pm, at St Andrew’s Sedbergh.

Special Services and Events for the Platinum Jubilee

Service of Thanksgiving for the Reign of HM Elizabeth II – Friday 3 June, 10.30am, St Andrew’s Sedbergh and 2pm St Andrew’s Dent

Service of Thanksgiving with Platinum Jubilee Picnic – Saturday 4 June, 2.30pm, St John’s Cowgill

Evening Prayer with Anointing for Personal Renewal – Saturday 4 June, 6pm, St Andrew’s Sedbergh

Cautley Community Picnic Lunch – Sunday 5 June, 12.30pm, St Mark’s Cautley

The Big Jubilee Lunch – Sunday 5 June, 1pm, St Andrew’s Sedbergh

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