Imagine sitting in a pew at church and, surprise, water is being sprinkled on you! That was my experience three Easters ago. Canon Josh Bales of the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Orlando came down the aisle with his aspergillum (water vessel) getting everyone wet with holy water. It was kinda wild.
I completed that liturgical prayer, called asperges, last week, though not part of a worship service. Our staff was in prayer for each other and all of you, the church. I took that aspergillum and sprinkled the doorways, the nave, the chancel, the music area, the sacristy, the acolyte room, and the walkways outside in order to bless those areas and the people using them. As we walked through all of those areas we prayed for God’s mighty power to transform his people and be a witness to Ocala.
I used holy water for those blessings. Holy water is associated with purification and dedication. We use holy water in every Eucharist, adding it to the wine to be consecrated. The celebrant priest washes his hands with the same water.
Many of you use the same holy water when you enter the building. We place blessed water in the font by the door. Dipping your finger into it and then crossing yourself is a way to ask God’s blessing on your life, as you enter for worship or leave to go back into the world. It’s a form of prayer that God will hear and see and remember his child coming to him.
The Israelites kept water at the entrance to the tabernacle in order to wash themselves before entering the holy place (see Exodus 30:20).
What’s fun for me is taking ordinary water, adding salt to it, and praying the prayer of blessing (and I paraphrase):
“I mingle this salt and water together in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. O God, King of the Empire, the ever glorious Conqueror, we ask you to use this salt and water, to mercifully shine upon it, to make it holy by your lovingkindness, that wherever it is sprinkled in your Name, all evil spirits would flee, and the presence of your Spirit made known to us who ask for your mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Next time you walk through the red door, dip your finger in the water of blessing and thank God that he brought you to church.
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