The Shepherd’s Voice

Readings for Sunday, March 21^st
Isa 43:16-21
Ps 126
Phil 3:4b-14
Jn 12:1-8

Expressing Our Love for God – The Shepherd’s Voice from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo.
Download The Shepherd’s Voice – Sermon Video (.mp4)

What did you have for dinner last night? Did you have a sit down meal with the whole family or was it more of a form of grazing, people eating when they can, what they can, where ever they can?

In America we seem to have lost the idea that eating together, at a common table, at a common time is essential for family bonding. Studies have shown that eating together is a time for sharing, a time for learning, a time for experimentation with new foods, a time to unplug from the stresses of the world, and it’s a time to show love for one another by showing we care.

Not eating together as a family has shown to lead to more drug abuse, more alcoholism, more unhealthy emotional patterns, and more loneliness.

In our gospel lesson today we see Jesus sitting down to a family dinner with old friends. Lazarus was there, someone who had been raised from the dead by Jesus. Martha and Mary were present, Lazarus’ family, his two sisters were included. In Mark’s gospel (Mark 14:3-9) they talk about this as the house of Simon the leper. Although these accounts are not identical many think they are the same story seen from a slightly different perspective.

At this family dinner I’m sure emotions ran high. The people who were there had a great deal of affection for Jesus. Lazarus owes his very life to Jesus. The sisters were very thankful.

We know from another gospel story in Luke (Luke 10:39-42) that Martha was as Jesus said “anxious and troubled about serving,” so we know she had the gift of hospitality. On the other hand Mary, according to Jesus, “had chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.” Already we see a conflict brewing between splitting our time on earth between things of God and things of man.

Don’t get me wrong, both Mary and Martha were caring and loving women, they just showed it in a different manner. But remember, Jesus said Mary has chosen the good portion. Who do you relate to more in this story, Martha or Mary? When we are in our home I think I actually relate more to Martha.

As this story continues Mary takes costly perfume and anoints Jesus feet. This perfume not sold for three hundred denarii, according to Judas. Three hundred denarii would be almost a year’s wages for a laborer.

I don’t know about you, but for me this is just a little hard to comprehend. After all I don’t think these folks had government sponsored welfare or they even had unemployment or they had comprehensive medical coverage. These were people of meager means, likely minimal amenities. How could Mary do this?

Judas of course picks up on the extravagance and says “the money could have been given to the poor.” Judas, the text says had an ulterior motive since he was the keeper of the common purse.

Jesus was quick to say, “Leave her alone.” How might we understand the excessiveness of this move by Mary? How can we put this into perspective in today’s world?

Pastor Victor Shepherd tells the story of a missionary surgeon he met who was rather gruff and to the point. On one occasion the surgeon was speaking to a small group of university students about his work in the Gaza Strip. He was telling us that we North American “fat cats” know nothing about gratitude. Nothing!

On one occasion he had stopped at a peasant hovel to see a woman on whom he had performed surgery. She and her husband were dirt poor. Their livestock supply consisted of one Angora rabbit and two chickens. For income the woman combed the hair out of the rabbit, spun the hair into yarn and sold it. For food she and her husband ate the eggs from the chickens. The woman insisted that the missionary surgeon stay for lunch. He accepted the invitation, but he had to come back for lunch after he had gone down the road to see another postoperative patient.

An hour and a half later he was back. He peeked into the cooking pot to see what he was going to eat. He saw one rabbit and two chickens. The woman had given up her entire livestock supply–her income, her food, everything. He concluded his story by reminding us that we know nothing of gratitude. He wept unashamedly. He said the incident will stay with me forever.

Giving of this sort is rare in our culture. Why? Is it our affluence that makes this spirit of giving to one another so difficult? If it is, we should pray that we become poor so we can experience a deep attitude of gratitude for one another.

Mary had this deep attitude of gratitude. Mary’s extravagant gesture, anointing Jesus feet with costly perfume was an incredible act of love. By all accounts she was not wealthy. What does this teach us about expressing our love for God and one another?

When Judas was berating her for waste, Jesus v7 said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial.” Jesus seemed to know her motive, her heart, and how much she wanted to show Jesus love. This anointing was a precursor for the event to follow.

Mary had a strong emotional connection with God, Jesus Son. Where does your attitude about God come from? Have you had an event in your life that has in some way influenced your understanding of God, your acceptance of God, your love for God?

Perhaps you remember the story of Saul becoming Paul through a life changing event in Acts 9. “Now as Paul was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.”

In our 2nd reading today Paul, when he was writing to the Philippian church, admitted that his heritage and reputation could give him more reason than most people to place his confidence in his spiritual pedigree, but the overwhelming grace of God in Jesus called him to a set of new values.

Paul said, (Phi 3:5-6) he was “circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.” Could he have been a better Pharisee? No!

Is pedigree enough to claim victory in Christ? No! It has nothing to do with pedigree it has everything to do with God calling you on Christ’s behalf.

Paul once again, (Phil 3:7-9) “Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.”

Paul we see from 2 Cor 11 that he was beaten, flogged, shipwrecked, stoned and yet he says I suffered the loss of all things and I regard them as rubbish, in order to gain Christ.

This is the sweet fragrance of God’s love overflowing in Paul’s life. It’s the same sweet fragrance of God’s love overflowing from Mary’s act of anointing Jesus feet.

Is your faith alive in this same way? Do you feel God’s grace being poured out in your life so that you have this kind of passion for showing God’s love to the world? What would this look like in today’s world?

I see it in the actions of people like Ray delivering meals on wheels. I see it in Irene’s baking cookies and cakes for this church every Sunday, and for almost every kind of service we have here. I see it in Harold’s unending acts of kindness around these grounds. I see it in Terry’s tireless work on the altar guild behind the scenes and I see it in Richard’s endless work on Bible studies for GSLC.

These are only a few examples and I mention them not to slight anyone else who volunteers here or does work on God’s behalf, but I mention them so you can see some of or have a small glimpse of this sweet fragrance of God’s love being offered here at Good Shepherd. A church does not operate without people working hard behind the scenes.

Jesus knew this, Paul knew this and I want you to know that we need to encourage one another in this sweet fragrance of God’s love. Once we recognize God’s grace and Christ’s demonstration of love for us on the cross, how can we not sing his praises and tell others of his love.

Amen

Podcast (audio_feed): Play in new window | Download