The oil of power, renewal and healing.

In the news over the last few months we have seen the environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, where millions of barrels of oil have gushed out each day, to pollute beaches, kill fish and birds, and destroy the livelihoods of thousands of people.

It's been a sober reminder to us of the cost of our dependence on the oil we use to power almost everything in our economy. Even with the heroic efforts of BP to stem the leak miles under the ocean, it will take years to overcome the damage.

Of course, we will all be relying on oil this summer – to power our cars as we drive away on holiday, or the aircraft that jet us away to the sun. Away on holiday I hope we use protective sun-tan-oil and lotion to protect us from ultra-violet rays that can damage us. So oil has many good and healing uses.

In our services of baptism and confirmation we use oil to anoint and bless those who are making a commitment to Jesus Christ as a sign of the Holy Spirit of God. We also use oil to bless those who are sick and in need of God’s healing touch.

Anointing people with oil can be traced back to earliest times and is recorded in both the Old and the New Testaments. In the times and the place when and where Jesus lived, oil was used regularly in society. It was used to greet people who honoured the host by coming to his house. Oil was also used to give a blessing and a sign of protection on those who were travelling away, perhaps on a dangerous journey or on a specific hard task.

Like an increasing number of churches, at All Saints' we hold ‘Healing Services’ where people of all needs and none come together to pray for healing and wholeness. ‘Wholeness’ is intended to encompass everyone’s needs – for we all have broken parts and cracks in our lives.

I hope and pray that you will have a relaxing and refreshing August and September – a time of healing and wholeness; to mend broken relationships, bad memories, hurts unforgiven? And I pray that you will return with your strength renewed to face the rest of the year, empowered by God’s Holy Spirit.