Reverend Ref +

HEALING SERVICE

I received an e-mail from our new Canon to the Ordinary (C2O) the day before I was to leave for convention. In part, it read something like this: You have been assigned to serve as a healing minister during the Saturday morning Healing Eucharist.

Um ... what???? Let me just say that this is out of the norm for me. I have trouble with those extemporaneous healing prayers. I never went anywhere during CPE without a book of prayers. So this whole healing thing was ... uncomfortable at the least.

After ranting and raving to both Mrs. Ref and a good friend, it was pointed out that, yes, this is part of the job and I'm called to do it just as I'm called to serve at the Eucharist. I hate it when they say that. So, I got over it and got myself ready.

I spent some time looking at a few prayers that I didn't exactly memorize, but became familiar with. I managed to find a nice little container for my oil stock. I spent some time relaxing.

And during the Eucharist, I hung out and offered the sacrament of healing. I was actually surprised at the number of people who came up for it. But I was most surprised to see my bishop in line to receive healing from me. I hope he doesn't think, "Dang -- who let him get ordained??"

But I survived and at least one person complimented me.