A hand-carved limestone baptismal font fashioned in Florence, Italy, and donated to Second Presbyterian Church in the 1880s.
By Magdalena I. García
Today my friend J. was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). The service took place at Second Presbyterian Church, in Chicago, a church that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and designated a Chicago Landmark by the City Council of Chicago in 1977. The church is one of Chicago’s architectural gems, with painted wall murals, Tiffany windows, and lots of other beautiful details.
It’s great to be in such a beautiful and ornate space for an ordination, because it helps one stay awake during these rather long liturgies that include several speeches. I was a member of the ordination commission. Yes, I said a commission, because in the Presbyterian tradition a group of clergy and lay members—including an ecumenical representative—perform the ordination on behalf of the whole church, instead of a bishop.
My particular role at J.’s ordination was to read some Scripture and to anoint her with oil, following the ordination prayer with the traditional imposition of hands. Although anointing is mentioned throughout the Bible as part of the ceremony used to set people, places and even utensils apart for a purpose or service, it is not a required part of the ordination rite in the Presbyterian Church. So it was quite a privilege to have an opportunity to research this tradition, and to design my own ritual for the anointing.
I also had complete freedom to pick the oil, so I went to a local department store and found some fragrant massage oil (Rose Passion) in a fancy black bottle that looked very ministerial. But after doing a little research on the funky name for the product, I discovered that Agent Provocateur is also a retailer of sensual lingerie. Ooops! Jesus may have been an “agent provocateur” of sorts and, among other things, ministers are called to provoke change in the world, but I knew better than to take the risk of embarrassing my friend. I opted for a generic lavender oil I had purchased at a drug store in Puerto Rico two years ago, and put a few drops on a pretty dish, placed discretely on the communion table. The moral to the story is: beware when you don’t get your liturgical stuff from a regular church supplier (and I rarely do because it’s all rather masculine-looking and expensive!).
Anyway, J. is starting out her ministry as a chaplain, and since so much of what we do in pastoral ministry involves the use of our hands, after making the sign of the cross on her forehand (recalling her baptism), I charged J. with these words:
"J., we anoint your hands, praying that the fullness of God’s Spirit might be with you…
as you raise your hands to lead worship,
as you open the Scriptures and proclaim God’s Word,
as you carry infants to be baptized,
as you embrace members to be confirmed,
as you cover the head of those to be ordained,
as you lift up the bread and the cup for communion,
as you wash the feet of servant leaders,
as you wipe the tears of those who grieve,
as you anoint the sick and the dying,
and as you hold hands with all God’s people in prayer and witness."
For more information about Second Presbyterian Church visit:
http://2ndpresbyterian.org/
For information about Friends of Historic Second Church visit:
http://www.2ndpresbyterianfriends.org/index.html
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