09 July 2016

Sermon 13 March 2016 John 12:1-8 Lent V Year C

            You know the question: If you could have anyone, living or dead, at your dinner table, who would it be? So what about the two guys in today’s gospel: A guy who’s been brought back to life, and a guy who’s on his way to die? Don’t you imagine the conversation must have been interesting? It’s a pity none of the Gospel writers recorded what else they talked about that night. But then, maybe they talked about ordinary things: the good food, Martha’s pretty dishes, Mary’s new hairdo, and even the weather. It’s possible the gospel writer gave us what we have because it was the only important part of the whole meal.
         What John’s gospel gives us is the interruption to the meal rather than the meal itself. The event reminds me of what a boss of mine used to say when anyone would complain about customers interrupting our job. He’d always retort, “Those interruptions are your job!” And so Mary’s interruption of Jesus’ dinner was the job. It was the most important act at a relatively unimportant dinner. It was an act of supreme understanding of the nature of God.
Jesus began his ministry with a lavish and extravagant act: turning water into wine at the wedding at Cana. In the second chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus declares his public ministry in this act of extravagant generosity. Jesus turned water into wine, and not just any wine, but the best wine in an amount so great it was contained in jars that normally hold water for washing and quenching thirst. The beginning of Jesus’ ministry was marked by lavish and extravagant generosity.
 Now, Mary marks the ending of Jesus’ ministry on earth by her lavish and extravagant generosity in anointing Jesus. Everything she does shows she understands what Jesus has taught.
Mary defies convention. She lets down her hair; something no well-behaved Jewish maiden would do in front of a group of men. Mary knows Jesus calls us to love and act and in lavish and extravagant ways that have nothing to do with the expected or ordinary. Mary understands.
Mary touches Jesus. Jesus in his ministry touched the untouchable and embraced those whom no else would embrace. A single woman would not touch a single man to whom she was not related; yet she touches Jesus. Mary understands.
Mary anoints Jesus’ feet. Jesus has demonstrated throughout his ministry that he is neither a king of might nor of military power. Mary demonstrates her understanding by anointing Jesus’ feet rather than his head. A king would be anointed on his head; a corpse would be anointed on his feet. Mary understands.
Finally, Mary empties the jar of costly perfume on Jesus’ feet. The perfume was so costly that it was worth three hundred days of hard labor. Mary uses an entire pound of shockingly expensive perfume and fills the whole house with its fragrance. She demonstrates the lavish and extravagant God who turns water into wine, feeds a crowd with a few fish and a couple of loaves, and pours himself out for all humanity. Mary understands.
Mary understands the most lavish, extravagant and yes, shocking, thing of all. That God’s extravagance became real in the flesh of Jesus. That God became flesh and then poured out that flesh for us. That God is a God who loves us freely, lavishly, extravagantly; without counting the cost and without hesitation.
I know you have all experienced ways in which God has loved you freely, lavishly, extravagantly, without counting the cost and without hesitation. So as our final thoughts to add to our banner for Palm Sunday, please pick up one of the pieces of paper and a marker from the aisle end of your pew, and put that love and blessing on paper. You can write it, or draw it. It doesn’t have to mean anything except to you. Just think of when God loved you this way: freely, lavishly, extravagantly, without counting the cost, and without hesitation. When has God anointed you with love the way Mary anointed Jesus?
Take a moment to put that on the paper. Then when the offering plate comes by, along with your regular offering, add your piece of paper with God’s love for you on it. We’ll add all of our drawings and writings to our banner so we can carry it on Palm Sunday. AMEN.

The Rev Nicolette Papanek

©2016

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