February 24, 2024 — Hair, Hair, Great Wonderful Hair

“Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. So they gave a dinner for him there. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those reclining with him at table. Mary therefore took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?”  John 12:1-5

There is so much happening in this story about Mary, Martha and Lazarus.  And there are so many questions we can ask: “What was Mary thinking using this expensive perfume?”, and “Is this what discipleship should look like?”.  I have a question for us to consider: “What is so important about hair?” Doesn’t it seem odd the thing that Mary does with her hair? Why her hair, and why so soon after applying the ointment?

Well, it really isn’t about the hair, is it? What Mary does is a spontaneous, outpouring of love and “worship” with Jesus that it doesn’t matter what others think — and it shouldn’t matter what we think about Mary today.  What matters is what we think about Jesus — and then how we hope to respond to Jesus, today. Hair up, hair down, a lot of hair, no hair, wacky hair, rainbow hair, who here cares about hair? Too many people today worry about their hair – but it is a cultural expectation – just like women wearing their hair up in public was a cultural expectation in Mary’s day.  But Mary doesn’t care about public expectations in this moment because she does care intimately about Jesus, and so she responds to Jesus by letting her hair down. This is what we must ponder today — and how will we, all of us, offer some kind of response to Jesus, today – spontaneous, simple, honest response to the love, mercy and Grace of Jesus.

If Mary would have worried about what others thought, or would have worried that she would be compared to a “prostitute”, we never would have had this marvelous, wonderful outpouring of devotion recorded for us that happened over 2000 years ago.

What can you do today to express your love for Jesus?

Pastor Dave

February 22, 2024 — What Great Things Has The Lord Done For You?

The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad. Psalm 126:3

The Psalmist is proclaiming joy – he is happy because of the things the Lord has done, and the things the Lord will do in the future. This is true faith – trusting that the Lord will do great things.

The future will not always look bright to us. There are many reasons that we can fear life and have doubts. We see the church in a state of decline, and our society becoming more secular and less religious. We fear that we worship in futility, not in the futility of the promises of G-d, but in the futility of fulfilling the great commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28:19 –to make disciples of all nations. And so we worry about how we are going to reach people in the community with our message of Christ, that brings us joy. Sometimes we think we are called to go out and drag people in to hear the Gospel of Jesus. What we need to remember is our very life is a living testament to the Gospel of Christ – that when we live into the joy of Christ, we stand out. When G-d has filled us with joy and we show our happiness, everyone around us notices. So when people ask us what is up, we don’t need a sermon to explain — just a simple word of explanation to those around us about the greatness and glory of G-d, and how G-d is working in our life. If G-d is doing great things in your life, then live in a manner that people notice.

Pastor Dave

February 23, 2024 – Sacrifice

“And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.” And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, “Rabbi!” And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.” And they all left him and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body. And they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked.”
Mark 14:43-52

When it comes to making sacrifices to G-d, we need to understand what we are talking about. It is okay to give up something like chocolate or coffee for Lent, but is this really a sacrifice? I would say no. It is a good discipline, but it is not a sacrifice. G-d desires a different kind of sacrifice, one that encompasses our very being. In King David’s famous confession concerning his adultery and murder and cover up, he comes clean with G-d. No excuses, just full disclosure and ownership. No ritual ceremony, just impassioned prayer. This is what people do when they have come to the end of their rope, and the end of themselves. They bring absolutely nothing to the table, and count on G-d to be everything to them. David explains: “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of G-d are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O G-d, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17).

Just as “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4), nothing we sacrifice for G-d will “tip the scales in our favor” or satisfy his holiness. G-d alone blots out all our iniquities and restores to us the joy of our salvation. David’s point was not that sacrifices would no longer be made (they would), but simply that a sacrifice in and of itself counts for nothing apart from the heart of the one who offers it.

G-d desires our whole heart, and the only way to give yourself completely is to let go of the notion that any part of your heart or your spirit or your life is good apart from G-d. When we stop trying to justify ourselves before G-d, when we allow ourselves to see the scope of our sin our hearts will break as David’s did. We need to stop striving for a righteousness of our own, stop covering up our unrighteousness, and look only to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of G-d, who died “once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to G-d”.

Pastor Dave