Restored in Christ
Restored in Christ Broken Vessel A Lenten Devotional • The Opening Hymn is sung by the congregation to the tune Patmos 77 77: Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee; Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise. Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love; Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee. Take my voice and let me sing always, only for my King; Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee. Take my silver and my gold, not a mite would I withhold; Take my intellect and use ev’ry pow’r as thou shalt choose. Take my will and make it thine, it shall be no longer mine; Take my heart, it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne. Take my love, my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store; Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee. • The Opening Litany is read responsively by the pastor and the congregation: L God surrounds and overwhelms us with a world that is rich in sensory experiences. C We see and we hear, we feel and we taste, we smell and we delight in the goodness of God. L We see the rich blue of the vast sky above us, we hear the simple song of the sparrow. C We see and we hear, we feel and we taste, we smell and we delight in the goodness of God. L We feel the warmth of the sun on our face, we taste the sharp and sweet juice of the orange. C We see and we hear, we feel and we taste, we smell and we delight in the goodness of God. L We smell the rich promise of rain-soaked land and the fragrant blossoms of spring. C We see and we hear, we feel and we taste, we smell and we delight in the goodness of God. L Every day, God sends so many gifts, so many reminders of his abundant grace and love for
us, his creatures. • The Confession and Absolution is read responsively by the pastor and the congregation: L Not all that we experience with our senses brings joy and delight. C We see and hear and smell much that brings sorrow, disgust and regret. L Indeed, we see violence, we hear angry shouts, we smell decay and death—and we encounter all this not only in the world, but in our own lives. So we pause, and we confess the reality of the failure and brokenness that invades our lives. C Lord, you gave us a beautiful world, but it is so often filled with what is ugly and repulsive. I am so often filled with what is ugly and repulsive. You bless freely, and I am reluctant to share. You shower gifts without measure, and I am grudging in my gratitude. You are wildly liberal in your generosity, and I am miserly and selfish in my response. I fall so short of what I should be. What I see, hear and smell brings grief and shame. L God sees your reality and hears your confession. And because Jesus has given everything for you, God forgives your failure and removes your shame. He makes you whole again. He makes you fresh and new and able to do what he gives you to do. Delight in the rich reality of God’s grace. C Amen. • The First Reading, Exodus 30:30-33, is read by the pastor: L Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, “This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people.” • The Second Reading, 1 Samuel 16:11-13, is read by the pastor: L So [Samuel] asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
• The Gospel Reading, Mark 14:1-9, is read by the pastor: L Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the
chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” • The Sermon is delivered by the pastor: L A woman named Mary, twelve seasoned disciples, a room filled with the heady fragrance of the finest perfume, a broken alabaster flask, and a Savior drenched and dripping with the finest imported nard. You know the story, right? It was Holy Week. Jesus was only a few days from arrest and trial and crucifixion. But, tonight it was a celebration. It wasn’t so long ago before this night that Lazarus had been dead and buried. But tonight, he was sitting at the table with Jesus – and his sister Martha and Mary were there. It was springtime; the weeklong festival of Passover was just around the corner. Jesus was with friends in the familiar village of Bethany. It was a happy night. But we don’t hear about that. No, this evening meal is recorded by Matthew, Mark, and John for one reason only: because of what Mary did. Mary had already made a mark on the Gospel stories. Remember, she was the one sitting and listening to Jesus while Martha cooked. But, tonight, Mary really did it! Sometime, while everyone was still seated, or as John tells us, reclining around the table, she came to Jesus with an extraordinary gift. Nard was imported. It came from northern India, from a plant that grew there at the foot of the Himalayas. It wasn’t cheap. Mary had almost 12 oz. of it, worth three hundred denarii, or about a year’s worth of wages—by today’s standards, it was worth not hundreds, but tens of thousands of dollars. And this precious nard, which was not oily or greasy, but simply wonderfully fragrant, was bottled in a glass-like, translucent alabaster flask or bottle, with no lid. This bottle was sealed, as one piece, the nard encased within. It did not have a screw top, a wax plug, or even a cork. There was only
one way to open it—snap off the top. It was a single-use dispenser. There was no way to use just a bit, no way to save some for later. So Mary used it, pouring it—all twelve ounces of it—over Jesus’ feet and hair. We’re actually not told exactly why Mary did it. We’re given no definite clues about her motivation. Was it love for her Lord? Was it gratitude? Was it an act of worship? We can’t know for sure. We just know what she did … and we know what the disciples thought about it. John’s Gospel singles out the reaction of Judas, but Matthew lets us know that this time, at least, Judas was speaking for all twelve disciples. They were shocked. They simply could not believe what they were seeing. Just like that: snap—pour. The bottle was broken, and the entire contents summarily emptied onto Jesus. Just like that, thousands of dollars’ worth of perfume were dripping onto his clothes and onto the floor. Just like that, a year’s worth of hard labor was gone—poured out onto Jesus. Just like that. They were right to be shocked. This was incredible. It was way over the top. Sitting and listening while her sister worked was one thing—and Jesus had managed to turn that bit of wasted time into a teaching moment. But this was different. This was money—lots of money being wasted. It was wrong. It’s hard to fault the disciples here. And the only reason that you do side against them is because you know how the story ends, and you don’t want to be on the side of those who end up rebuked by Jesus! But, what was so wrong about the disciples’ reasoning? You can’t reject the force of the argument just because it comes from the mouth of Judas. Jesus himself had taught the lesson well—deny yourself, avoid the foolish indulgences of this world, scorn its deceitful vanities, focus on the needs of others, pay attention to the poor and to the social outcasts. So, why not take that luxury, that obscenely, embarrassingly expensive jar of pure nard, and sell it so that the money could be used for something important—something like helping homeless people, or reaching out to people who had lost everything in a sudden disaster? Why not use such a valuable resource for a good, God-pleasing purpose like doing evangelism work or building a church for a remote village that has no church? How could they justify merely pouring it out in one fleeting moment – even if it was to honor Jesus? Come on—there are other ways to honor that don’t come with such an absurd price tag. It’s hard to argue with the disciples. They had reason, common sense, and even biblical mandates all on their side. They were being wise, and careful, and even spiritual—doing what they knew was right: “Fine—honor Jesus if you must, but don’t use the most expensive stuff in the world, and don’t use so much!” The disciples were being good conservatives, demonstrating great fiscal responsibility, and even caring for the poor and needy while they
were at it. They were compassionate conservatives. They had a solid, airtight case. And Mary, Mary the liberal, Mary who knew no limits, Mary who could offer not a word of explanation, much less justification—Mary was a misguided fool at best, and a prodigal thief at worst, taking food from the mouths of starving babies to fuel her extravagant demonstration of waste! There’s no doubt about it. In this story, we find ourselves lined up on the side of the disciples, the careful conservatives who knew how to play it safe and how to do what God wants in controlled and careful ways. It’s tough to admit, but it’s true, nonetheless. We covet Jesus’ praise, but this time, to our surprise and dismay, we get his rebuke! Like the disciples, we like to play it safe. We like to do what is controlled and reasonable and frugal and careful and responsible. Sudden extravagances are the opposite of all of those good things, and such liberal actions make us uncomfortable. It doesn’t seem too smart to give all you’ve got all at once so that you end up with nothing left. It doesn’t seem very wise to give without any thought about tomorrow. So, we give what we can afford —and consider that a great feat. But, what’s the big deal if you’re only doing what you can afford? And we covet and hoard our time and guard it against getting overextended, but what are you saving your time for? Sacred hours before the TV? Some one-on-one time with your backyard? A few extra, undisturbed morning hours of fellowship with your pillow? Playing it safe may win you lots of points with your insurance company, your financial advisor, and your doctor, but it leaves Jesus unimpressed. You know, I can’t think of a single time in the entire Scriptural record where anyone was ever commended or praised by God for playing it safe. Every time someone tried to play it safe, it ended with a rebuke from God. And Jesus never had praise for people who used common sense and caution and took it easy. The faithless servant who buried his single talent was rebuked! The rich fool who had every future plan perfectly covered and retirement all worked out was condemned. And we won’t even talk about Annanias and Saphira or the lukewarm and safe church at Laodicea! God is not impressed with a play-it-safe attitude. So the conservative, play-it-safe disciples missed out entirely. They failed Jesus. And in a few days in the Garden, when Jesus was arrested, they again did the safe, responsible thing, and they turned tail and ran. At Golgotha, only John mustered the courage to make a brief appearance —the rest were nowhere to be found. Of course not, it was dangerous to be there … better to play it safe, right? God is not impressed with caution. He’s not gratified when we hold back. He’s not pleased when we save something for another day. The disciples were wrong. Mary was right.
Mary was 100% right! She was completely vindicated. Jesus did not play the role of mediator. Jesus did nothing to try to pacify both sides in this confrontation. Jesus could have made everyone happy…all he had to do was to say, “They’ve got a point, Mary. This time its OK; but don’t get carried away with this kind of thing. Don’t make a habit of it.” But he didn’t. He did not even gently remind Mary of the importance of keeping things in balance, and the need to avoid extremes. No, Jesus took Mary’s side, completely. It was not an issue of neglecting the poor. Jesus’ ministry proves his love and concern for them. And it was not an issue of making choices between competing goods—like a careful board of trustees. There was nothing to balance, nothing to consider. It was simple. It was an issue of a broken container. It was a matter of a vessel that had been broken and now could only be used completely with nothing held back. And the vessel that was broken, the vessel that won the praise of Jesus was Mary herself. The broken alabaster container was only a tangible manifestation of a much more significant breaking that had already happened. In her love for Jesus, and in her singular desire to serve and honor him, Mary was holding nothing back. Like the broken jar that had to be completely spent once it was broken, so Mary could keep back not one thing in her devotion. She did not give herself halfway. She did not give part. She did not do what was safe, or reasonable, or expedient. She did what she knew she had to do. She gave herself completely and unreservedly. Mary was a broken vessel pouring herself out in eager service. Once she had been broken, there was no option—she gave it all—of course she did; she could do nothing else. And Jesus praises her because that total surrender, that complete giving, that all-out, totally sold-out life is precisely what he wants for every one of his people! Mary was doing it. The disciples … well … they still didn’t get it. They were still playing it safe trying to figure out the best way to do the job – the least expensive, most practical way to get it done. Mary was just doing what broken vessels do—they give everything. Mary had it right. It’s not a comfortable conclusion to reach, is it? Oh, and if you’re waiting for me to come to your rescue now—I guess not. There’s no talk here of balance or caution or careful planning. No, the point is the very opposite—broken vessels, broken people, all-out, nothing-held -back giving. That’s what Jesus praised. So, what’s that mean for you? It seems to me that the lesson is at once obvious and painfully demanding. Jesus is not content with careful, play-it-safe disciples. He wants people who spend everything in their service, people who are broken and are pouring themselves out without limit. Jesus calls you to a life like that. He calls you to a life not of careful calculating and prudent saving but a life of all-out giving. He calls you to live not with caution and conservative saving but with abandon and liberal spending. That’s what Mary did. So does this mean that you need to go out and drop
$40,000 on a bottle of perfume, and then go looking for a likely candidate who could use anointing? Probably not. But it does mean that perhaps it is time now to pull out the stops and to knock down the safety barriers and to go all-out in this living-for-God thing. I mean, what are you saving yourself and your money for? What are you waiting for? If Mary had waited just a week, she’d have missed her chance. She gave herself while and when she could. What are you waiting for? Stop playing it safe. Stop looking for the balance. Stop hiding behind the comfortable and expedient. Stop honoring the reasonable way. Break the vessel. Go all out. Some will sell your huge home and do something radical with the cash—give it all to a missionary; use it to build a school in a remote community. Some will stop their fruitless, mind-numbing, safe and secure job and do something unreasonable: enter a new ministry that pays far too little and demands far too much. Some go back to school and get trained to do what God’s calling them to do. (Maybe seminary.) Head to the mission field, with no exit strategy! Stay there and die there! Walk across the street and down the street and knock on neighbors’ doors with the message of the Gospel. Clear your over-extended schedule of all the worthless busy-ness and pour your precious 24 hours each day into things that count for eternity. Quit your “busy” jobs and spend your life at a chosen lower standard of living so that you can spend your whole self raising your kids and grandkids to know and to serve Christ. It’s a hard lesson—it will demand much of you! It will not be safe or easy or even smart. But that’s the way it is with broken vessels. It doesn’t have to add up or make sense. It can’t be reasonably explained. There’s nothing held back. Don’t arrive at your funeral with unused energies, hoarded hours, and stockpiled resources. Spend what you’ve got, now. Spend it doing what God gives you to do. Spend it in service to Christ and his people. I’m not sure that Mary fully realized what she was doing that evening in Bethany. She just did what she knew she had to do. And it was the right thing. Jesus was anointed—an early embalming—a preparation for the passion, death, and burial that was only days away. You never know what will come of your all-out giving. Just give it, and let God do with it what he will. He’s full of surprises, you know. Think about it—it turns out that Mary was the only one who got to anoint and embalm the body of her sacrificed Lord. The hapless women who waited until Easter morning never got the chance! Amen.
The Offering. (You are encouraged to gather your weekly “Lenten offering” and donate it to a worthy cause.
• These Prayers are offered by the pastor with this response after each petition: L Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. + L Lord God, our lives overflow with the incredible flood of your lavish giving. Our senses are overloaded with the richness and variety of the gifts that you have built into the creation. And when we consider the love and life given to us in the work of Jesus, we are undone. There are not words or actions sufficient to thank you for what you give to us. Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. L Though we strive to live lives that honor you, Lord, we know that we so often fail. Sometimes we fail by sheer disobedience. Sometimes we fail by ignorance and unthinking inaction. But sometimes we fail by our own misguided efforts to do what is careful and wise and right. Forgive our many failures, especially our failure to love and to serve without restraint. Teach us to learn to live and to love without the need always first to evaluate, calculate, and measure. Teach us to give ourselves without limit to you and to the work you give us to do. Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. L There are those around us, Lord God, who need what we have to give. You place us in the midst of neighbors and friends and coworkers who need our gifts of love. Give us courage to serve them by our actions and by our words of your gospel truth so that they may also come to know the sweet and wonderful reality of your love. We pray in particular for those we name before you in our silent prayers [silence for personal petitions]. Give each of these people the comfort of your mercy and the assurance of your grace, and use us to serve them well. Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. L Lord God, your good creation has been marred by the evil of sin. We see and hear and smell the sorrow and the decay all around us. Give us renewed zeal for the work you give us to do in fighting evil, resisting decay, and restoring what is broken. Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. L Give us again your perfect grace and peace—give us the wondrous gift of Jesus and his perfect sacrifice for us. In his strength enable us to accomplish all that you give us to do. We pray in his name. Amen.
• The Lord’s Prayer is offered by the pastor and the congregation. • The Benediction is spoken by the pastor: L Out of his great love for his creation, the Father sent his Son Jesus to offer himself as the prefect sacrifice, a fragrant offering for your sake. Now, God’s Holy Spirit brings the grace of that sacrifice to you and through you works to bring it to others. Go in the wonderful fragrance of God’s grace and peace. Amen. • The Closing Hymn is sung by the congregation to the tune Jesu, Meines Lebens Leben 87 87 88 77: Christ, the life of all the living, Christ, the death of death, our foe, Who, thyself for me once giving to the darkest depths of woe: Through thy suff’rings, death and merit I eternal life inherit. Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus, unto thee. Thou hast borne the smiting only that my wounds might all be whole; Thou hast suffered, sad and lonely, rest to give my weary soul; Yea, the curse of God enduring, blessing unto me securing. Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus, unto thee. By Joel Biermann. © 2013 by Creative Communications for the Parish, 1564 Fencorp Dr., Fenton, MO 63026. 800-325-9414. www.creativecommunications.com. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
us, his creatures. • The Confession and Absolution is read responsively by the pastor and the congregation: L Not all that we experience with our senses brings joy and delight. C We see and hear and smell much that brings sorrow, disgust and regret. L Indeed, we see violence, we hear angry shouts, we smell decay and death—and we encounter all this not only in the world, but in our own lives. So we pause, and we confess the reality of the failure and brokenness that invades our lives. C Lord, you gave us a beautiful world, but it is so often filled with what is ugly and repulsive. I am so often filled with what is ugly and repulsive. You bless freely, and I am reluctant to share. You shower gifts without measure, and I am grudging in my gratitude. You are wildly liberal in your generosity, and I am miserly and selfish in my response. I fall so short of what I should be. What I see, hear and smell brings grief and shame. L God sees your reality and hears your confession. And because Jesus has given everything for you, God forgives your failure and removes your shame. He makes you whole again. He makes you fresh and new and able to do what he gives you to do. Delight in the rich reality of God’s grace. C Amen. • The First Reading, Exodus 30:30-33, is read by the pastor: L Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests. Say to the Israelites, “This is to be my sacred anointing oil for the generations to come. Do not pour it on anyone else’s body and do not make any other oil using the same formula. It is sacred, and you are to consider it sacred. Whoever makes perfume like it and puts it on anyone other than a priest must be cut off from their people.” • The Second Reading, 1 Samuel 16:11-13, is read by the pastor: L So [Samuel] asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.” Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.” So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features. Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.” So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
• The Gospel Reading, Mark 14:1-9, is read by the pastor: L Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the
chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. “But not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.” While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” • The Sermon is delivered by the pastor: L A woman named Mary, twelve seasoned disciples, a room filled with the heady fragrance of the finest perfume, a broken alabaster flask, and a Savior drenched and dripping with the finest imported nard. You know the story, right? It was Holy Week. Jesus was only a few days from arrest and trial and crucifixion. But, tonight it was a celebration. It wasn’t so long ago before this night that Lazarus had been dead and buried. But tonight, he was sitting at the table with Jesus – and his sister Martha and Mary were there. It was springtime; the weeklong festival of Passover was just around the corner. Jesus was with friends in the familiar village of Bethany. It was a happy night. But we don’t hear about that. No, this evening meal is recorded by Matthew, Mark, and John for one reason only: because of what Mary did. Mary had already made a mark on the Gospel stories. Remember, she was the one sitting and listening to Jesus while Martha cooked. But, tonight, Mary really did it! Sometime, while everyone was still seated, or as John tells us, reclining around the table, she came to Jesus with an extraordinary gift. Nard was imported. It came from northern India, from a plant that grew there at the foot of the Himalayas. It wasn’t cheap. Mary had almost 12 oz. of it, worth three hundred denarii, or about a year’s worth of wages—by today’s standards, it was worth not hundreds, but tens of thousands of dollars. And this precious nard, which was not oily or greasy, but simply wonderfully fragrant, was bottled in a glass-like, translucent alabaster flask or bottle, with no lid. This bottle was sealed, as one piece, the nard encased within. It did not have a screw top, a wax plug, or even a cork. There was only
one way to open it—snap off the top. It was a single-use dispenser. There was no way to use just a bit, no way to save some for later. So Mary used it, pouring it—all twelve ounces of it—over Jesus’ feet and hair. We’re actually not told exactly why Mary did it. We’re given no definite clues about her motivation. Was it love for her Lord? Was it gratitude? Was it an act of worship? We can’t know for sure. We just know what she did … and we know what the disciples thought about it. John’s Gospel singles out the reaction of Judas, but Matthew lets us know that this time, at least, Judas was speaking for all twelve disciples. They were shocked. They simply could not believe what they were seeing. Just like that: snap—pour. The bottle was broken, and the entire contents summarily emptied onto Jesus. Just like that, thousands of dollars’ worth of perfume were dripping onto his clothes and onto the floor. Just like that, a year’s worth of hard labor was gone—poured out onto Jesus. Just like that. They were right to be shocked. This was incredible. It was way over the top. Sitting and listening while her sister worked was one thing—and Jesus had managed to turn that bit of wasted time into a teaching moment. But this was different. This was money—lots of money being wasted. It was wrong. It’s hard to fault the disciples here. And the only reason that you do side against them is because you know how the story ends, and you don’t want to be on the side of those who end up rebuked by Jesus! But, what was so wrong about the disciples’ reasoning? You can’t reject the force of the argument just because it comes from the mouth of Judas. Jesus himself had taught the lesson well—deny yourself, avoid the foolish indulgences of this world, scorn its deceitful vanities, focus on the needs of others, pay attention to the poor and to the social outcasts. So, why not take that luxury, that obscenely, embarrassingly expensive jar of pure nard, and sell it so that the money could be used for something important—something like helping homeless people, or reaching out to people who had lost everything in a sudden disaster? Why not use such a valuable resource for a good, God-pleasing purpose like doing evangelism work or building a church for a remote village that has no church? How could they justify merely pouring it out in one fleeting moment – even if it was to honor Jesus? Come on—there are other ways to honor that don’t come with such an absurd price tag. It’s hard to argue with the disciples. They had reason, common sense, and even biblical mandates all on their side. They were being wise, and careful, and even spiritual—doing what they knew was right: “Fine—honor Jesus if you must, but don’t use the most expensive stuff in the world, and don’t use so much!” The disciples were being good conservatives, demonstrating great fiscal responsibility, and even caring for the poor and needy while they
were at it. They were compassionate conservatives. They had a solid, airtight case. And Mary, Mary the liberal, Mary who knew no limits, Mary who could offer not a word of explanation, much less justification—Mary was a misguided fool at best, and a prodigal thief at worst, taking food from the mouths of starving babies to fuel her extravagant demonstration of waste! There’s no doubt about it. In this story, we find ourselves lined up on the side of the disciples, the careful conservatives who knew how to play it safe and how to do what God wants in controlled and careful ways. It’s tough to admit, but it’s true, nonetheless. We covet Jesus’ praise, but this time, to our surprise and dismay, we get his rebuke! Like the disciples, we like to play it safe. We like to do what is controlled and reasonable and frugal and careful and responsible. Sudden extravagances are the opposite of all of those good things, and such liberal actions make us uncomfortable. It doesn’t seem too smart to give all you’ve got all at once so that you end up with nothing left. It doesn’t seem very wise to give without any thought about tomorrow. So, we give what we can afford —and consider that a great feat. But, what’s the big deal if you’re only doing what you can afford? And we covet and hoard our time and guard it against getting overextended, but what are you saving your time for? Sacred hours before the TV? Some one-on-one time with your backyard? A few extra, undisturbed morning hours of fellowship with your pillow? Playing it safe may win you lots of points with your insurance company, your financial advisor, and your doctor, but it leaves Jesus unimpressed. You know, I can’t think of a single time in the entire Scriptural record where anyone was ever commended or praised by God for playing it safe. Every time someone tried to play it safe, it ended with a rebuke from God. And Jesus never had praise for people who used common sense and caution and took it easy. The faithless servant who buried his single talent was rebuked! The rich fool who had every future plan perfectly covered and retirement all worked out was condemned. And we won’t even talk about Annanias and Saphira or the lukewarm and safe church at Laodicea! God is not impressed with a play-it-safe attitude. So the conservative, play-it-safe disciples missed out entirely. They failed Jesus. And in a few days in the Garden, when Jesus was arrested, they again did the safe, responsible thing, and they turned tail and ran. At Golgotha, only John mustered the courage to make a brief appearance —the rest were nowhere to be found. Of course not, it was dangerous to be there … better to play it safe, right? God is not impressed with caution. He’s not gratified when we hold back. He’s not pleased when we save something for another day. The disciples were wrong. Mary was right.
Mary was 100% right! She was completely vindicated. Jesus did not play the role of mediator. Jesus did nothing to try to pacify both sides in this confrontation. Jesus could have made everyone happy…all he had to do was to say, “They’ve got a point, Mary. This time its OK; but don’t get carried away with this kind of thing. Don’t make a habit of it.” But he didn’t. He did not even gently remind Mary of the importance of keeping things in balance, and the need to avoid extremes. No, Jesus took Mary’s side, completely. It was not an issue of neglecting the poor. Jesus’ ministry proves his love and concern for them. And it was not an issue of making choices between competing goods—like a careful board of trustees. There was nothing to balance, nothing to consider. It was simple. It was an issue of a broken container. It was a matter of a vessel that had been broken and now could only be used completely with nothing held back. And the vessel that was broken, the vessel that won the praise of Jesus was Mary herself. The broken alabaster container was only a tangible manifestation of a much more significant breaking that had already happened. In her love for Jesus, and in her singular desire to serve and honor him, Mary was holding nothing back. Like the broken jar that had to be completely spent once it was broken, so Mary could keep back not one thing in her devotion. She did not give herself halfway. She did not give part. She did not do what was safe, or reasonable, or expedient. She did what she knew she had to do. She gave herself completely and unreservedly. Mary was a broken vessel pouring herself out in eager service. Once she had been broken, there was no option—she gave it all—of course she did; she could do nothing else. And Jesus praises her because that total surrender, that complete giving, that all-out, totally sold-out life is precisely what he wants for every one of his people! Mary was doing it. The disciples … well … they still didn’t get it. They were still playing it safe trying to figure out the best way to do the job – the least expensive, most practical way to get it done. Mary was just doing what broken vessels do—they give everything. Mary had it right. It’s not a comfortable conclusion to reach, is it? Oh, and if you’re waiting for me to come to your rescue now—I guess not. There’s no talk here of balance or caution or careful planning. No, the point is the very opposite—broken vessels, broken people, all-out, nothing-held -back giving. That’s what Jesus praised. So, what’s that mean for you? It seems to me that the lesson is at once obvious and painfully demanding. Jesus is not content with careful, play-it-safe disciples. He wants people who spend everything in their service, people who are broken and are pouring themselves out without limit. Jesus calls you to a life like that. He calls you to a life not of careful calculating and prudent saving but a life of all-out giving. He calls you to live not with caution and conservative saving but with abandon and liberal spending. That’s what Mary did. So does this mean that you need to go out and drop
$40,000 on a bottle of perfume, and then go looking for a likely candidate who could use anointing? Probably not. But it does mean that perhaps it is time now to pull out the stops and to knock down the safety barriers and to go all-out in this living-for-God thing. I mean, what are you saving yourself and your money for? What are you waiting for? If Mary had waited just a week, she’d have missed her chance. She gave herself while and when she could. What are you waiting for? Stop playing it safe. Stop looking for the balance. Stop hiding behind the comfortable and expedient. Stop honoring the reasonable way. Break the vessel. Go all out. Some will sell your huge home and do something radical with the cash—give it all to a missionary; use it to build a school in a remote community. Some will stop their fruitless, mind-numbing, safe and secure job and do something unreasonable: enter a new ministry that pays far too little and demands far too much. Some go back to school and get trained to do what God’s calling them to do. (Maybe seminary.) Head to the mission field, with no exit strategy! Stay there and die there! Walk across the street and down the street and knock on neighbors’ doors with the message of the Gospel. Clear your over-extended schedule of all the worthless busy-ness and pour your precious 24 hours each day into things that count for eternity. Quit your “busy” jobs and spend your life at a chosen lower standard of living so that you can spend your whole self raising your kids and grandkids to know and to serve Christ. It’s a hard lesson—it will demand much of you! It will not be safe or easy or even smart. But that’s the way it is with broken vessels. It doesn’t have to add up or make sense. It can’t be reasonably explained. There’s nothing held back. Don’t arrive at your funeral with unused energies, hoarded hours, and stockpiled resources. Spend what you’ve got, now. Spend it doing what God gives you to do. Spend it in service to Christ and his people. I’m not sure that Mary fully realized what she was doing that evening in Bethany. She just did what she knew she had to do. And it was the right thing. Jesus was anointed—an early embalming—a preparation for the passion, death, and burial that was only days away. You never know what will come of your all-out giving. Just give it, and let God do with it what he will. He’s full of surprises, you know. Think about it—it turns out that Mary was the only one who got to anoint and embalm the body of her sacrificed Lord. The hapless women who waited until Easter morning never got the chance! Amen.
The Offering. (You are encouraged to gather your weekly “Lenten offering” and donate it to a worthy cause.
• These Prayers are offered by the pastor with this response after each petition: L Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. + L Lord God, our lives overflow with the incredible flood of your lavish giving. Our senses are overloaded with the richness and variety of the gifts that you have built into the creation. And when we consider the love and life given to us in the work of Jesus, we are undone. There are not words or actions sufficient to thank you for what you give to us. Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. L Though we strive to live lives that honor you, Lord, we know that we so often fail. Sometimes we fail by sheer disobedience. Sometimes we fail by ignorance and unthinking inaction. But sometimes we fail by our own misguided efforts to do what is careful and wise and right. Forgive our many failures, especially our failure to love and to serve without restraint. Teach us to learn to live and to love without the need always first to evaluate, calculate, and measure. Teach us to give ourselves without limit to you and to the work you give us to do. Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. L There are those around us, Lord God, who need what we have to give. You place us in the midst of neighbors and friends and coworkers who need our gifts of love. Give us courage to serve them by our actions and by our words of your gospel truth so that they may also come to know the sweet and wonderful reality of your love. We pray in particular for those we name before you in our silent prayers [silence for personal petitions]. Give each of these people the comfort of your mercy and the assurance of your grace, and use us to serve them well. Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. L Lord God, your good creation has been marred by the evil of sin. We see and hear and smell the sorrow and the decay all around us. Give us renewed zeal for the work you give us to do in fighting evil, resisting decay, and restoring what is broken. Christ who heals all brokenness, C restore the broken vessels of ourselves. L Give us again your perfect grace and peace—give us the wondrous gift of Jesus and his perfect sacrifice for us. In his strength enable us to accomplish all that you give us to do. We pray in his name. Amen.
• The Lord’s Prayer is offered by the pastor and the congregation. • The Benediction is spoken by the pastor: L Out of his great love for his creation, the Father sent his Son Jesus to offer himself as the prefect sacrifice, a fragrant offering for your sake. Now, God’s Holy Spirit brings the grace of that sacrifice to you and through you works to bring it to others. Go in the wonderful fragrance of God’s grace and peace. Amen. • The Closing Hymn is sung by the congregation to the tune Jesu, Meines Lebens Leben 87 87 88 77: Christ, the life of all the living, Christ, the death of death, our foe, Who, thyself for me once giving to the darkest depths of woe: Through thy suff’rings, death and merit I eternal life inherit. Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus, unto thee. Thou hast borne the smiting only that my wounds might all be whole; Thou hast suffered, sad and lonely, rest to give my weary soul; Yea, the curse of God enduring, blessing unto me securing. Thousand, thousand thanks shall be, dearest Jesus, unto thee. By Joel Biermann. © 2013 by Creative Communications for the Parish, 1564 Fencorp Dr., Fenton, MO 63026. 800-325-9414. www.creativecommunications.com. All rights reserved. Printed in the USA.
