I remember when I was in the infantry and we were going on patrol, we were always aware of the Line of Departure (LOD). It was at the LOD where we were leaving the safety of base camp and going into the unknown. The point where things could get real, real fast. In the church this past Sunday, Palm Sunday was the LOD for Jesus of Nazareth. For us in the church it signifies going from the season of Lent (preparation) into to Holy/Passion week.
I am sure many churches this past Sunday spoke of the triumphal entry of Jesus. I took a little different approach, and spoke from John 12:1-11. For me the basics of this passage is about worship. We see the comfortable and the extreme. My thesis was that our worship shows to others and God how we view Jesus. Now back to the passage. We see Martha once again busy in the kitchen. As I reflect on Martha I see my mother. See Martha’s ministry is food. She knows Jesus has been traveling, and as it is six days before the Passover I think she is reflecting on the words of Jesus and she knows His time is short. Like my mother the way she shows love is through food. I see her making some of Jesus favorite dishes. However the problem is like many in the church she is reverting back to the comfortable. The danger in this is once again she is busy in the kitchen and is missing the words of Jesus.
Mary on the other hand is an extreme worshiper. While she sees services as important she wants to be as near to Jesus as possible. So she takes her best most expensive perfume and pours it on His feet. I want you to think about this. When we anoint someone we anoint their head not their stinky feet. Then Martha does something which could cost her, her life. She takes down her hair. I want you to understand this was a no, no. Only the husband was to see the woman’s hair. This is a stoning offense but she does it anyway. Why? Because she does not care, she is worshiping in reckless abandonment. She understands it is not about her but about Jesus. Even though others protest she keeps on doing it.
So let me ask how you worship. Are you stuck in the comfortable? Do you winch when someone else worships in what is to you a strange way? Do you try to stop them? Do you say we have never done it that way before? To me this is saying Jesus is not welcome to invade our space. Or do you worship in reckless abandonment? Holding nothing back from God, understanding it is about Him, not you or others. As we draw close to Easter let us all resolve to worship in reckless abandonment. This signifies Jesus has all of us. It is this type of worship where we will experience the full out pouring of God in our lives.
