Welcome
This week as we draw closer in our Lent journey to Jerusalem and the Cross, we examine a story that some say happened in that week leading up to Easter. It’s a story about Mary and as we delve into it, I think we should ask how do Mary’s actions speak of true worship.

Call to Worship (Inspired by Psalm126)
We gather today to worship our God, the God who brought back the Israelites
from Exile so long ago, and the people said,
“God has done remarkable things!”

And though we sow seeds of God’s kingdom in the midst of all kinds of trials and temptations, we will return one day amazed by what’s appeared, and we will say,
“God has done remarkable things!”

HYMN 202 Stand up and bless the Lord

Prayer:

Eternal and wonderful God
We come together in Your presence now,
bringing to You our praise and adoration.
You are a great God beyond all measure
and we bow in awe before the brightness of Your glory.
We join our hearts and voices with the seraphs
in Your presence who call to one another,
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.’
We worship You, God of creation
and stand in awe before the myriad ways
in which the vast universe and the world of nature around us
display the wonders of Your wisdom and love, generosity and beauty.
Open our eyes afresh to the signs of Your presence everywhere.
Fill us with delight and gratitude as we remember how in love
You gave to each of us our being
and the ways You have enriched our lives from our earliest years.
King of salvation,
we praise You that You have not kept at a distance from our human predicament,
but in Jesus You have come into our fallen, broken world
to share our humanity and to bring us redemption.
We marvel again at Jesus’ willingness in love to identify in this way with us,
to share our sorrows and to walk the long and painful road
to a new exodus in the achievement of the cross,
gaining for us freedom from sin and pain and death.
At this time, when we are called to reflect on our own path of discipleship,
help us in Your presence to face the truth about ourselves
with honesty and openness.
We confess that we have all fall far short of Your glory,
that too often we have compromised rather than confessed our faith.
Forgive us that we have been way too narrow in our vision
and often self-centred in our concerns
and have not loved You and others as You have called us to do.
Look on us, gracious Father, not in ourselves but as found in the Christ
who loved us and gave Himself for us.

As we focus in these coming days
on the wonder of what Jesus Christ, Your suffering Servant, achieved for us,
give us a new heart to follow Him more fully,
to take up our cross and in serving Jesus our Lord,
humbly to serve others, especially those most in need around us,
with the same self-emptying mind which Jesus displayed.
Amen

Scriptures:

Isaiah 43:16-21
Thus says the Lord,
    who makes a way in the sea,
    a path in the mighty waters,
¹⁷ who brings out chariot and horse,
    army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
    they are extinguished, quenched like a wick:
¹⁸ Do not remember the former things,
    or consider the things of old.
¹⁹ I am about to do a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
    and rivers in the desert.
²⁰ The wild animals will honour me,
    the jackals and the ostriches;
for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
²¹     the people whom I formed for myself
so that they might declare my praise.

John 12:1-8
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ² There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. ³ Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them^[a] with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. ⁴ But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ⁵ ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii^[b] and the money given to the poor?’ ⁶ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) ⁷ Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it^[c] so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. ⁸ You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’

HYMN 490 Jesus, lover of my soul

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Reflection:

I can remember as if it was yesterday, I just had to have those boots, genuine leather cowboy boots, but one hundred and twenty dollar was extravagant and extreme. In modern day lingo it was over the top. I had been a student for the previous two years and my wife and I were between jobs but I just had to have those boots. This was 2003 and Carol (my wife) and I were enjoying a ten-day holiday in the United States before we headed back to South Africa to start our new careers. Working with rands the budget was extremely tight and I couldn’t really afford them, it was exorbitant but we were in Texas so I bought them anyway. This was a once in a life time trip. What about you, what is the most extravagant, over the top purchase you have made? Did you regret it?

Our journey continues in Lent as we head to Easter. The time we will reflect on Jesus’s death and celebrate his resurrection is drawing nearer. The Old Testament text of Isaiah takes us back to a time in the Israelites history they would rather forget. A time of Babylonian bondage, a time of exile in a foreign land. Hard times which were a stark reminder of their heritage of bondage in Egypt. Isaiah however brings a message of hope and liberty. Their exile is about to end, they will be able to return to their homeland. God is at work! As I wrote this I had to stop and pause and wonder how millions of Ukrainians are feeling as they flee their land; in a real sense heading into exile. I am sure even as they flee, they are wondering if they will return and to what. Isaiah brings a message of hope. It is extreme and over the top. Isaiah not only predicts their salvation is eminent but he paints a picture taking the Israelites back to that epic moment of their victory and freedom. He paints a vivid picture of when they as a people had seen God’s hand at work on their behalf. Isaiah 43:16,17 “Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters,¹⁷ who brings out chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “Can you imagine the excitement! There is going to be a new exodus, a new liberation. Isaiah goes on to tell them to forget the past something better is ahead. Could there possibly be something better than their rescue at the Red Sea? The Passover and the Red Sea foreshadowed the cross, the place of our liberty and redemption, but could there be some event ahead that will be even more glorious? Could the Israelites imagine a greater moment of liberty than the Red Sea? As we look back to Easter, can we imagine a greater moment when the ‘New Thing’ that Jesus came to accomplish will be fulfilled. A time when the world and everything in it will be fully restored and all will worship in joyful harmony to the glory of God.

In the gospel text today, Jesus is journeying towards Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and although he has repeatedly predicted what is about to happen even those closest to him cannot imagine or accept his predictions. John has the story of Jesus’s anointing six days before the Passover in the Bethany at a dinner by Mary and Martha to honour Jesus because Lazarus their brother had been brought back from the dead even though he had been dead four days. Some commentators note that there were possibly two anointing stories. Mark chapter fourteen has an unnamed woman at Simon the lepers home two days before Passover after Jesus had entered Jerusalem on a donkey. This woman anoints Jesus’s head with perfume and the disciples are angry at the waste. Luke chapter seven has a sinner gate-crashing a party at Simon the Pharisees house. This woman weeps on Jesus’s feet wipes them with her hair, kisses them and anoints them with perfume. This woman gate-crashes Simon’s party and in terms of the culture of the day acts in a most undignified way. If we picture that scene, she is a mess as she expresses thanks to Jesus in the face of an accusing crowd. Some commentators suggest that John most probably combines these two stories adding his own unique elements. What is John trying to convey to those who would hear his message, to you and to me?

John 12:3 “Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them^[a] with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.” The stench of the fourth day before Lazarus was raised is replaced with a fragrance that fills the whole house. The perfume nard was extremely expensive costing about 300 denarii. A day’s wage was about one denarii so this is in reality about a year’s wage. This is an extreme act of Thanksgiving and worship. Note that it is pure, undiluted; you could get cheaper, watered down, but this was pure. Nard smelt like gladioli, a sweet scent, and it had a reddish colour. In the context of what lay ahead for Jesus, can you picture his head being anointed and the vast excess running down his garment. Could it be that he carried that scent with him as he was arrested, as he stood before Pilot and Herod, as he was falsely accused and the crowd shouted crucify him. Would it really have all gone on his feet and would it be wiped off? Do you see the anomaly in John’s version? Why would you anoint the feet with an extremely precious and expensive perfume and then wipe it off? There is so much to this story.

We don’t know how much Mary knew but she knew tension had been building and Jesus’ life had been threatened, even now her brother’s life too was under threat. It may be that Mary had some idea of what lay ahead. The only time someone would anoint feet was at the time of burial. Yes, the head would be anointed of the prophet or the king but there is something else at play here. Mary’s expression of love and devotion is not hidden but seen by all. Perhaps she thought this close circle of friends would understand. They too had seen, heard and experienced Jesus’s love and compassion on all. They too must have known of the tension brewing and Jesus’s predictions. Maybe she expected others to join in with their own expressions of devotion. But Judas responds negatively: “Why wasn’t it rather sold and given to the poor” (John 2:4,5). Mark 14:4 “Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume”. How would you have responded; would you be embarrassed and walk out or would you stay and voice your complaint? In the Luke chapter seven story when the women gate-crashes Simon’s party and unashamedly goes against all the rules, conventions and traditions of the day to express herself. Simon the Pharisee is embarrassed and expresses his complaint and in response Jesus tells a parable. In the parable one owed 50 and another 500 but they were both released of their obligation. Jesus then poses the question: “Who would love more?”

When people spend extravagant amounts on a car, or tickets to a rock concert or the rugby, it expresses love and devotion, it shows where their passion lies. As we draw closer to Easter a time of honouring Jesus. Do we really know that we are forgiven? That we stand in this amazing place of grace and that the only fitting response is for us to give our all. We who believe have been rescued and a glorious return and celebration awaits. Mary (in John) and the sinner (in Luke) wipe Jesus’s feet with their hair but Jesus rebukes Simon for not giving him water so he could wash his feet and not greeting him with a kiss or anointing his head with oil. It was the custom of the day to provide a bowl of water and towel for people to wash their own feet when entering a home. This was customary as people would be walking on dusty roads with sandals. Generally, you washed your own feet unless you were a special guest and then the host would arrange a servant. Only slaves would wash someone else’s feet. It is clear that as John writes his gospel, he is looking ahead to the Passover shared as recorded in John 13. And even although everyone knew the feet needed washing in that upper room it was Jesus who served, washing their feet and wiping them with a towel around his waist. Mary at the feet of Jesus is taking the place of a slave and serving. She is doing what Jesus would challenge his disciples to do even before he had made that challenge. “For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done” (John 13:15).

So, what stops you from being extravagant in your worship of Jesus? What stops you from giving your all? What stops you from serving others, washing feet? John in retrospect writes that Judas complained because he was in charge of the money bag and took for himself. That is always the other side of the equation, isn’t it? Self. Self-preservation or Self-advancement versus honouring Jesus by serving others extravagantly. So often our pride gets in the way and we are fearful of what others may think and say. Not Mary and definitely not the sinner in Simon’s house. Can I challenge you as we draw closer to Easter, will you worship extravagantly, knowing you are forgiven, knowing the cross is behind and it has brought freedom and life eternal? We do not need to be fearful of death in the face of his sacrifice but we look ahead to the time when God will make all things new. We should not have to hold on to our riches, rules and traditions so tightly that we cannot express our devotion in the face of a world that desperately needs to know death has been defeated and true joy is experienced in sacrificially serving others. Decide today that in the next two weeks I am going to worship extravagantly by serving others generously. Mary’s generosity is juxtaposed against Judas’s selfish ambition. Mary prepares Jesus for burial by anointing his feet and many enjoyed the fragrance of her servant heart. Judas prepared Jesus for burial in a different way by betrayal as he continued to serve self.

Mary pre-figures what will happen later in John’s narrative, Jesus will wash his disciple’s feet and call them to do likewise. Mary pre-figures what will happen later in John’s narrative as Jesus’s body will be anointed for burial. May we be like Mary as we live generously serving others as we await His return. In Luke chapter ten Mary is at the feet of Jesus listening to his teaching. In John chapter eleven, she knelt in sorrow at the feet of Jesus, crying at the death of her brother even although she knew Jesus had the power to restore. In John chapter twelve, Mary brings an extravagant offering in a position of a slave at the feet of Jesus? May you this Easter spend more time at the feet of Jesus listening to his teachings and crying out to him to move in the areas of your life that need life? But ultimately may you spend time in joyous service of others because that is the only real way to honour God as we wait for all things to be made new!

HYMN 500 Lord of creation, to you be all praise!

Prayers:

Lord Jesus Christ,
as we think of the testing to which You were subjected in the wilderness
and throughout Your ministry to its very end,
we bring to You all who today are struggling with life’s trials and pressures.
We remember those who are facing tough choices and hard situations;
those enduring physical or mental pain;
those striving to come to terms with painful loss – of a loved one, of employment, of cherished hopes;
those facing challenges for which they feel hopelessly inadequate.
Hold them in Your love and let them know Your peace
and the sufficient strength of Your grace
which is able to turn even calamity into a blessing.

We pray for all who find themselves wrestling with powerful temptation:
those who struggle with things that are destructive,
those tempted to give up on God in light of life’s harsh realities;
those who wonder whether life is worth living at all in face of the bleakness of their prospects.

Lord Jesus Christ,
You are familiar with the wilderness of life.
Through that wilderness, in all its desolation,
You have made a way and You are leading Your people by a new exodus to a new creation, a perfect world of peace, justice and love.
Help all who today are worn down by the trials and temptations of life
to turn their face to Jesus, the suffering servant.
Let us all find in Jesus the joy of liberation,
the assurance of unfailing companionship on the journey home from exile
and the sure hope of a new heavens and a new earth, in a future more glorious than we can begin to imagine.

We offer these our prayers in Jesus’ name. Amen

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

HYMN 694 Brother, Sister, let me serve you

Benediction

Let us go out gladly to serve, in the peace and the power of the Spirit.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.

Sung Amen

Acknowledgements:
Bible Quotations taken from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

English translations of The Lord’s Prayer, © 1998, English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC), and used by permission. www.englishtexts.org
Prayers and final blessing adapted from Church of Scotland Weekly Worship for 3 April 2022.