Laying of hands and anointing

Holy Anointing and the Laying on of Hands at St John’s
There is a moment in our worship when words begin to give way to presence.
After Holy Communion, when we have received the sacrament, carrying Christ within us, the Church opens a quieter space. At St John’s, this is the moment when holy anointing and the laying on of hands are offered, on all Sundays except the second and the last.
If you wish to receive this ministry, you are invited to head to the left of the church after Communion, before taking your seat again.

A practice older than words
The anointing of the sick and the laying on of hands are among the most ancient actions of God’s people. In the Letter of James we hear the instruction plainly, “Are any among you sick? Let them call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.” This is not metaphor but embodied prayer, drawing body, mind, and spirit into God’s healing presence.

Oil in Scripture is never merely practical. It heals, but it also consecrates. Kings are anointed. Prophets are anointed. The sick are anointed. The same holy sign marks vocation, authority, and vulnerability, reminding us that God meets us most powerfully where strength and weakness intertwine.​

The laying on of hands echoes throughout the Gospels and the life of the early Church. Jesus touches those others would not. The apostles lay hands on those seeking healing, blessing, or the gift of the Spirit. Theology here is not only spoken, it is enacted.

Why it follows Communion
There is a deep wisdom in offering this ministry after we have received Holy Communion. Having shared in Christ’s body and blood, we come not as isolated individuals but as members of his body, already gathered into his life.
Anointing at this point in the liturgy is not an add-on. It flows directly from the sacrament. What we have received inwardly is gently affirmed outwardly, through touch, prayer, and oil. Grace continues its movement.

Why touch matters
In a world often marked by distance and restraint, the Church continues to trust that God works through human hands. Not instead of prayer, but as prayer. Not instead of medicine, but alongside it.

When hands are laid and oil is traced in the sign of the cross, the whole person is held before God. Physical illness, emotional weariness, spiritual confusion, grief, hope, and joy can all be brought without explanation.

Healing may come as physical restoration, or as peace, clarity, courage, or comfort. Sometimes it comes simply as the assurance that one is known and not alone. All of this belongs to God’s mercy.

How to participate
Before heading back to your pew after receiving Communion or a Blessing, our resident Reverend Christopher Cowper will be waiting at a small table at the left side of the church. He will lay a hand often on your shoulder and pray a short prayer over you. after which, put your palms facing up infant of you and he will again pray whilst anointing your hands and your forehead with the symbol of the cross. 
​This special oil won't mark you in anyway and is clear in colour. It's been blessed specially for this purpose by our wonderful Bishop. Afterward, please head back to your seat as usual. 
It is of course entirely optional but a lovely addition to the service should you wish to take part. 

For whom is it?
This ministry is for anyone.
For those who are ill or in pain.
For those who are weary or overwhelmed.
For those facing decisions, loss, or change.
For those who simply desire prayer.
There is no need to have the right reason or the right words. The Church meets you where you are.

A liminal and ancient moment

The anointing offered among us belongs to a long and tender history. In the Gospels, Jesus himself enters a liminal space at Bethany, where a woman breaks open a jar of costly oil and pours it over him. It is an act of devotion that confuses onlookers and unsettles assumptions, yet Jesus receives it without hesitation. He understands what others miss. This is preparation, blessing, love, and grief interwoven. It is worship enacted through touch.
Bethany sits on the threshold of Holy Week, poised between table fellowship and the cross. The anointing there holds together intimacy and sacrifice, vulnerability and reverence. It is not hurried. It is not efficient. It is profoundly human, and profoundly holy.
When the Church anoints today, she stands in that same threshold space. This is a ministry that resists spectacle and explanation. It lives in the in-between, where prayer is felt as much as spoken, and where grace moves quietly through ordinary signs made holy by love.
Here, history breathes. The same oil, the same gesture, the same trust that God meets us not only in words, but in presence. What was offered to Christ at Bethany continues in his body now, a reminder that tenderness has always been at the heart of holiness.