Shining Faces

In our sermon text today, we noted that the tabernacle and the priests were anointed with oil for their dedication. In the New Testament, all Christians are ordained to the new priesthood through the water of baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit. But in James 5 it says that if anyone is sick, he should call for the elders of the church to come pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord (Js. 5:14-15). The elders of Trinity take this seriously, and this is why from time to time we gather with individuals and families and anoint them with oil and lay hands on them and pray for their healing. One of the things that we regularly say when we perform this is to remind the individual or family that this anointing should remind them and is a prayer to God to remember their baptism, to remember His promises to them in Jesus. It’s a way to enact prayer before God with actions, we are asking the Holy Spirit to heal, to empower, to transform a difficult trial, a sickness into an occasion for great glory. We want Jesus to shine out in power, just like the oil makes your face shine. This table is a similar sort of prayer. We eat this bread with thankful hearts and we drink this wine with joy, with our faces lifted up to heaven, shining with the glory of Jesus, and we remind God of His claim on us, His claim on loved ones who aren’t walking with Him, His claim on those who suffer. We remind Him of His promises for the whole world, we ask Him to turn our story, our circumstances, our trials, our cross into glory. And faith means believing that He will. He may do it now. He may do it in 200 years. He may do it at the very end in front of the whole world. But faith means believing that the death and resurrection of Jesus secured our success, our victory. We can give up our lives, our money, our fame, our reputations, our jobs, even our families. We can give up all things gladly, cheerfully, with a smile on our face and in our hearts, because God has promised to put all things right. This next year holds a number of changes for Trinity Reformed Church. Lord willing, we will be moving into a new building, Peter will be leaving, Joshua’s calling will be clarified (whether to go or stay), and you’ll be stuck with me. But we are anointed with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, and He leads us. He is shining the face of Jesus on to us. So look up, look to Him. Smile, He’s watching and piling up glory for all who wait for Him.