Anointed for Beauty

Posted on by Betsy

On April 15, 2019, Parisians awoke to the horrible news that their beloved Notre Dame Cathedral was burning. A fire had broken out under the eaves and the roof and spire were engulfed in flames. It took another day for firefighters to contain the conflagration, but thankfully they were able to move and rescue the precious relics contained inside. It took a full five years to restore the cathedral, and one can imagine the joy of the re-opening on December 7, 2021. As I read of the news of the completed restoration, I was reminded of how much God loves to rebuild things and bring beauty from ashes.

Isaiah 61 is a prophetic writing of the work of the coming Messiah, outlining the role and the duties of Christ when he would come in due time. You will remember that Jesus once went into a synagogue and opened a scroll to Isaiah and read verses 1 and 2. He then proclaimed “today, this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” and sat down. (see Luke 4: 16-22.)

Isaiah 61 (Common English Bible)

 The Lord God’s spirit is upon me,
    because the Lord has anointed me.

Isn’t it interesting that Jesus, who was the embodiment of the Holy Trinity, still needed the anointing of God’s spirit to do his work on earth? How much more, then, do we need the Holy Spirit to do ours? The word anoint simply means to be filled up with God’s spirit. We are anointed to go out as God’s workers to do God’s will. According to 1 John 2:20, all believers are anointed to offer the Truth to the world. What are you filled up with today? Is your heart set on bringing good news, or are you taken up with anger, petty grievances, disenchantment, or frustration? Listen to what filled Jesus up:
He has sent me
    to bring good news to the poor,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim release for captives,
        and liberation for prisoners,
2     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

This is where Jesus stopped reading. It is an important statement: He accepted the anointing of his mission to bring good news to the poor, relieve the oppression of the brokenhearted and those imprisoned by sin, and set us free … but his mission to herald in the day of God’s vindication won’t happen until his Second Coming. The space between these two sentences is at least 2,000 years long and counting … so far.

and a day of vindication for our God,
    to comfort all who mourn,
3     to provide for Zion’s mourners,
    to give them a crown in place of ashes,
    oil of joy in place of mourning,
    a mantle of praise in place of discouragement.
They will be called Oaks of Righteousness,
    planted by the Lord to glorify himself.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins;
    they will restore formerly deserted places;
    they will renew ruined cities,
    places deserted in generations past.

We can take hope in the fact that God has always been in the rebuilding business. Remember Nehemiah? God longs right now to rebuild us into people who wear garments of praise, who are adorned with the oil of gladness, and who sport a crown of beauty where ashes used to sit. Like Notre Dame, we will arise from those ashes as a testament to God’s love and grace. So take heart! Vindication is coming. In the meantime, we have work to do.

A Mantle of Praise by Becca Ziegler

Dressed in Joy

Posted on by Betsy

Did you know that John Wesley wrote seven specific instructions about how to sing? You can find them in the beginning of the United Methodist Hymnal. His directives include things like learning hymns before other types of songs, singing in time with those around you every chance you get, and singing spiritually by focusing your attention on God. The list is an outline for Wesley’s theology of the methodical aspect of Methodism. But my favorite is number four, which commands us to not sing as though we are half dead:

IV. Sing lustily and with good courage. Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength. Be no more afraid of your voice now, nor more ashamed of its being heard, than when you sung the songs of Satan.

Lusty singing might have been on David’s mind when he penned Psalm 30. This psalm was a celebration for the dedication of David’s palace and is a lyrical statement of God’s intervening love for David over the course of David’s life. In this moment of dedicating the elaborate palace built on a hill in Jerusalem, David rightfully gave God all the credit for his successes and survival.

Psalm 30 (Common English Bible)

30 I exalt you, Lord, because you pulled me up;
    you didn’t let my enemies celebrate over me.
2 Lord, my God, I cried out to you for help,
    and you healed me.
3 Lord, you brought me up from the grave,
    brought me back to life from among those going down to the pit.

4 You who are faithful to the Lord,
    sing praises to him;
    give thanks to his holy name!
5 His anger lasts for only a second,
    but his favor lasts a lifetime.
Weeping may stay all night,
    but by morning, joy!

Have you ever wept all night, exhausted with grief? I have. And yet as I sit here and write this, I am okay. Morning may not follow exactly 6-8 hours after weeping all night, but eventually a morning of joy will return, even as we carry that grief in a small place in our hearts. What joy to know that God brings comfort in the morning of our mourning!

6 When I was comfortable, I said,
    “I will never stumble.”
7 Because it pleased you, Lord,
    you made me a strong mountain.
But then you hid your presence.
    I was terrified.
8 I cried out to you, Lord.
    I begged my Lord for mercy:
9 “What is to be gained by my spilled blood,
    by my going down into the pit?
Does dust thank you?
    Does it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Lord, listen and have mercy on me!
    Lord, be my helper!”

Our relationship with God can change with comfort. When we are satisfied with life, it is easy to take God and all God’s benefits for granted. I was describing a wicked bout of flu with a friend, and he remarked, “I realize when I am that sick that I take a normal day of good health for granted.” That stuck with me, so every morning I wake up and feel okay I try to praise God that I’m not sick. But discomfort quickly brings out my need for God’s intervention, as it did with David.

11 You changed my mourning into dancing.
    You took off my funeral clothes
        and dressed me up in joy
12     so that my whole being
    might sing praises to you and never stop.
Lord, my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

God can change our mourning into dancing. Our funeral clothes can be removed so that we are dressed in joy. God does this so that our whole being can sing praises and never stop. Or, as John Wesley prescribed, so that we can “sing lustily.”

So go and be lusty today! Sing of God’s goodness to all who will hear.

Sing a Song of Gladness by Michelle Robertson

Disappointment

Posted on by Betsy

Oh, the joys and frustrations of being a brand new three-year-old! We recently celebrated the third birthday of our youngest twins with a wonderful morning at an indoor trampoline park followed by lunch at their favorite restaurant, Jolly Roger. The pirate theme and great kid’s menu make this a perfect place for a family outing, especially when it is someone’s (or sometwo’s) birthday(s). Our girl twin rolled with all the punches and enjoyed every minute. Our boy twin did too, playing endless games of peek-a-boo with the pirate hostess while he announced to everyone who passed, “It my BIRTDAY!!” Each child was given a pirate duck to play with, and finally our entrees arrived. Young Master looked at the pancake on his plate, knotted his eyebrows in disappointment and asked loudly, “Why I not eating CAKE???”

To be perfectly honest, I have said the same thing when sitting down to a nice, healthy, kale salad.

We were able to alleviate his momentary disappointment by assuring him that cake would come later, which it did, presented by singing pirate waitresses. They asked the kids if they wanted to hear “Happy Birthday” sung backwards, and I was so intrigued, I also voted yes. So they turned their backs to us and sang it.

Today we read about the disappointment of an army general named Naaman, who was afflicted with leprosy. He commanded Syria’s armies and was very important to King Ben-Hadad. Naaman was so important, in fact, that Ben-Hadad sent a letter to Israels’ King Jehoram asking for healing. But Jehoram was a king who did “evil in the sight of the Lord” and thus had no relationship with the God who could heal Naaman. Jehoram sent Naaman off to the prophet Elisha, knowing that this was his only hope for recovery.

2 Kings 5:9-14

9 Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots. He stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent out a messenger who said, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored and become clean.”

You can imagine the indignation that Naaman felt at being received by a mere messenger. Here he was in all his regalia, with his war horses and chariots, and this Hebrew prophet elected not to greet him.

11 But Naaman went away in anger. He said, “I thought for sure that he’d come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the bad spot, and cure the skin disease.12 Aren’t the rivers in Damascus, the Abana  and the Pharpar, better than all Israel’s waters? Couldn’t I wash in them and get clean?” So he turned away and proceeded to leave in anger.

Naaman’s anger at the brushoff was fierce. But look again at what he said in verse 11. He assumed that Elisha could just “wave his hand over the bad spot” and cure him. I wonder how many times we expect God to just wave a hand over a bad spot in our lives so that we can just go on with things? Do you ever pray for the easy way out instead of asking God to partner with you in your healing? Addicts will tell you that recovery is a lot of hard work and there is no such thing as a wave of the hand to fix things. The same applies to physical illness, grief, financial hardships, relationship troubles, etc. God invites us to do our part in finding the way. We would never learn or grow if we always got the easy way out.

13 Naaman’s servants came up to him and spoke to him: “Our father, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? All he said to you was, ‘Wash and become clean.’” 14 So Naaman went down and bathed in the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said. His skin was restored like that of a young boy, and he became clean.

The servants were wise in challenging Naaman. Truly if Elisha had given him a hard task to reverse his leprosy, he would have gladly done it. His sense of entitlement was misplaced, and he knew it.

Is God calling you to do the work of turning your situation around? Are you being told to go wash and get clean? Confession and repentance are the things that bring the cleansing of forgiveness. When you approach God with a humble attitude and willingness to work, you will never be disappointed.

Wash and be Cleaned by Michelle Robertson

Second-Hand Faith

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever felt like your provisions have run out? Have you run out of patience, out of luck, out of energy, out of hope, or out of strength? Has something depleted your jar? 

Some of us feel drained because of addiction, a bad marriage, a rebellious teenager, a financial worry, etc. If this is you, listen up: This Scripture from 1 Kings is a reminder that when you put your trust in God, your jar will be filled to overflowing and you will never run out again. 

 Elijah’s story is set against the backdrop of the reign of the evil Ahab, king of the northern Israel. King Ahab was an idolater who worshiped false gods. God sent Elijah to Ahab to tell him that a drought was coming because of Ahab’s sin. Indeed, the drought that came lasted over three years.

 It was during this time that Elijah approached a widow for a meal, and she responded that she has nothing baked, and only enough meal and oil for one last supper. You see, she was so focused on her scarcity that she could not see the abundance that was standing right before her. She could not see that this Man of God had been sent directly to her for some purpose:

1 Kings 17: 8-16

8 The Lord’s word came to Elijah: 9 Get up and go to Zarephath near Sidon and stay there. I have ordered a widow there to take care of you. 10 Elijah left and went to Zarephath. As he came to the town gate, he saw a widow collecting sticks. He called out to her, “Please get a little water for me in this cup so I can drink.” 11 She went to get some water. He then said to her, “Please get me a piece of bread.”

12 “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any food; only a handful of flour in a jar and a bit of oil in a bottle. Look at me. I’m collecting two sticks so that I can make some food for myself and my son. We’ll eat the last of the food and then die.”

13 Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go and do what you said. Only make a little loaf of bread for me first. Then bring it to me. You can make something for yourself and your son after that. 14 This is what Israel’s God, the Lord, says: The jar of flour won’t decrease and the bottle of oil won’t run out until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.” 15 The widow went and did what Elijah said. So the widow, Elijah, and the widow’s household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour didn’t decrease nor did the bottle of oil run out, just as the Lord spoke through Elijah.

Do you ever find yourself focusing on what you lack, rather than what God provides? When any kind of loss comes into our lives, it is easy to focus on what we don’t have, rather than what God will provide. The widow discovered that God provides for us in ways that we might never expect, and God uses ordinary people and ordinary things. 

 I think part of the widow’s struggle was based on the fact that she had a second-hand faith. Did you notice her response when Elijah asked for a piece of bread? Look at verse 12:  “She said, “I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don’t have so much as a biscuit.” As surely as your God lives. Not as my God lives, not as our God lives but as your God lives.

 She gives an intellectual assent to the existence of God, but has no personal relationship with God, calling him Elijah’s God. This is second-hand faith … God exists, but I don’t know him personally. There are people in our pews who don’t own their faith. They attend because of family pressure, societal expectations, or simply habit. But they haven’t made that crucial step of accepting Christ as their personal Savior.

Have you?

 No one should settle for a spiritual life that is a second-hand reflection of what someone else believes. When we give ourselves wholly to Jesus, we receive first-hand faith. God fills us up with grace that never runs out!

God Provides by Michelle Robertson

P.E.D.

Posted on by Betsy

I have a clergy friend who used to dread the week after Easter. He works primarily in music and drama ministries and has coined the phrase P.E.D. He feels that the worst part of Easter is the Post Easter Depression that falls on church folks. All the preparation and excitement of musicals, dramas, Easter egg hunts, special children’s sermons, the rush of Holy Week activities, etc. amp us up into a high frenzy of spiritual energy. When it is finally all over, a kind of confetti-scattered, chocolate-smeared, post-party-clean-up lethargy comes over us and we just want to sit still for a moment.

But when we catch our breath, we realize that Easter isn’t just a day. Indeed, Easter is a state of mind. It is an attitude. It is a lifestyle.

How interesting it is, then, to look back at the people who were present at the Resurrection. What effect did the Resurrection have on the culture of their time? How did Jesus’ followers react? What happened to them?

In the 4th chapter of Acts, Luke describes a radical, new Easter People:

Acts 4 (The Message)

32-33 The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn’t even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, “That’s mine; you can’t have it.” They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.

If Easter is meant to do one thing, it is to unite believers. Easter calls us to be of one heart and one mind. Even more challenging, Easter calls us to share what we have with those who have not. That is our witness to the power of the resurrection. Easter People realize that it’s not about them, but rather it is about grace poured out unconditionally to everyone.

34-35 And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person’s need.

Are you one of the Easter People? Where is God calling you to sacrifice and share with someone who is needy? What exactly does the resurrection mean to you? Are there needy people in your community who could experience grace through your generosity?

Let us strive to celebrate Easter all year by being the one-heart, one-mind kind of believers. Maybe this year we can turn our Post Easter Depression into People Eastering Deliberately.

He Is Risen in Me by Michelle Robertson

Be Reckless

Posted on by Betsy

The first time I heard Reckless Love by Cory Asbury was at a Youth Sunday worship service several years ago. Three teenage girls sang it, and I thought it was one of the most wonderful things I had heard in a long time. Those sincere young voices are in my heart today as we consider the reckless love of Good Friday.

Here are the lyrics to the chorus:

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine
I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God.

Our Scripture today describes Jesus’ act of reckless love as he faced his final days on earth. He was speaking to a crowd of people as his death was drawing near, and explained reckless love like a grain of wheat, which must be buried in order for it to bring forth life and multiply:

John 12 (The Message)

24-25 “Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. In the same way, anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal.

Truly his love for us is reckless. It is never-ending and overwhelming. Here he was in his final week, feeling storm-tossed about what was about to happen. But did he think of himself? No, he thought of you. He would not ask his father to get him out of it. Instead, he invited God to use his death to display his glory.

27-28 “Right now I am storm-tossed. And what am I going to say? ‘Father, get me out of this’? No, this is why I came in the first place. I’ll say, ‘Father, put your glory on display.’”

”Father, put your glory on display.”

Jesus is committing to following through. He, who was present at the creation of the world, was willing to be falsely tried, spit upon, ridiculed, beaten, scorned, pierced, and nailed to a tree for us.

How can we possibly respond to this kind of reckless love? How can we honor Jesus’ death with our lives? This is a love that you can’t earn or deserve. This is a love that chases you down. This is a love that brings the gift of eternal life.

Are you ready to stop running?

26 “If any of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you’ll be where I am, ready to serve at a moment’s notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me.”

Then follow him.

Reckless Love by Kitty Hawk United Methodist Church

The Power of Broken Things

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever heard the old saying that in order to make an omelette, you have to break a few eggs? People say this to comfort us when we are feeling broken by life. It suggests that in our breaking, we can become something new … a more refined version of ourselves, if you will. But breaking is hard work, and recovering is even harder. Good omelettes take time to perfect.

Now think about the broken bread that we receive at communion. There is such power in watching the loaf being torn in half! I bet you have received communion in many places and in many forms, from the casual retreat setting to the most formal of presentations in a church. I once took communion at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, which may count as the most elaborate setting for communion. But probably the most profound communion experiences I have had were the day I was confirmed in my childhood church in Gibbsboro, N.J., the first time I served it as a newly ordained pastor at my church in Peachtree City, GA, and the communion settings of the Walk to Emmaus retreats. Communion is one of two sacraments in the United Methodist Church and truly is the place where God meets us right where we are. I hope you feel the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit every time you receive the body and blood of Christ, given for you.

Our passage today marks the moment when the Last Supper became the Lord’s Supper for all eternity. Read it and feast:

Mark 14 (New International Version)

12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”

13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”

16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.

17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”

19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”

20 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”

22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”

23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

24 “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Amidst the disciples’ confusion, Judas’ betrayal, the ritual remembrance of the Passover (when God delivered his children from death at the last plague in Egypt),and the gathering of friends for one last meal, Jesus abruptly broke the bread and raised the cup, instituting the new covenant and the Eucharist. When we gather in our churches tomorrow night for Maundy Thursday services, we will remember this exact moment. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word for “mandate, command” and refers to the new commandment that followed this evening’s actions, as recorded in John 13:34-35 “34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

How well do we follow that new commandment? Do we live up to our communion invitation to participate in Christ by loving as he loved?

I hope you are able to attend a Maundy Thursday service. When you receive that broken body and shed blood, remember the new covenant.

Then go out and be the new covenant for the world. It is your mandate.

Take and Eat by Becca Ziegler

Missed Opportunities

Posted on by Betsy

Have you ever regretted a missed opportunity? Listen to this story of a huge missed opportunity.

When the popular streaming service Netflix began in 1997, they weren’t a website yet. Do you remember how Netflix began? They mailed DVDs to their subscribers in red envelopes, hoping to encroach on the popular business model known as Blockbuster. For you youngins, Blockbuster was a chain of stores where you could go to rent a video tape to watch at home. I have fond memories of our every Friday night trip to our local Blockbuster where the kids would choose two videos to watch over the weekend. When Netflix started, Blockbuster had over 9,000 stores. As Netflix was moving from their DVD mailing service into the unknown territory of starting up a “dot-com” business, they made an offer to sell their operation to Blockbuster. The Blockbuster executives laughed at the notion and rejected the deal. Now Netflix is a $150 billion dollar industry and as for Blockbuster? Busted.

Some would say that this was one of the greatest missed opportunities in recent history.

In our Scripture today, the great prophet Jeremiah wept over Israel’s greatest missed opportunity. God had established them as the chosen people, had given them the fertile Promised Land, and had established them as a strong and formidable nation against their adversaries. Yet in no time at all, they turned their hearts away from God and worshipped the false idols of their neighbors. Thus God allowed Babylon to conquer them and carry them away into exile.

Jeremiah 8 (Common English Bible)

No healing,
    only grief;
        my heart is broken.
19 Listen to the weeping of my people
        all across the land:
    “Isn’t the Lord in Zion?
        Is her king no longer there?”
Why then did they anger me with their images,
    with pointless foreign gods?
20 “The harvest is past,
    the summer has ended,
        yet we aren’t saved.”
21 Because my people are crushed,
    I am crushed;
    darkness and despair overwhelm me.

Their rejection of God resulted in what Jeremiah poetically called an empty harvest and a dry summer, leaving them with nothing to sustain themselves. There would be nothing coming to heal them of their self-inflicted wounds: No healing balm would be made available as they suffered the consequences of their actions. God had offered them multiple opportunities to return, and they missed every one.

22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
    Is there no physician there?
Why then have my people
    not been restored to health?

Are you missing out on an opportunity to be saved? Is God offering you a way out that you are refusing to take? God’s saving action plans often come in the hardship of giving things up, walking away from toxic relationships, stopping behaviors that are detrimental to your life, and choosing God above all things. These are hard things to do. But if the opportunity is from God, don’t miss it. It may be your only way out.

There’s Always a Way Out by Kathy Schumacher

Unridden

Posted on by Betsy

Sometimes I wish I had named this blog “Things I Never Noticed Before”. I realize that is a clunky and uninspiring name, but it would have been a very accurate description of what happens every time I sit down to write a devotional. I start to read the Scripture and some small and often obscure thing jumps up and presents itself, forcing me to take notice. I have discovered over the many years of reading and writing that it is often the case that previously unnoticed things are full of rich meaning.

Today’s passage tells the familiar story of Jesus’ triumphal entry in to Jerusalem just days before his capture and crucifixion. We celebrate this story on Palm Sunday, as the people who gathered to welcome him waved palm branches and shouted “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” Their jubilation was short lived, as this event was the catalyst for everything that happened leading up to his death.

The thing that caught my eye with the reading is the mention of the colt that was chosen for Jesus to ride. Notice that Jesus specified that the colt must be one that no one has ever ridden:

Luke 19 (Common English Bible)

29 As Jesus came to Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he gave two disciples a task. 30 He said, “Go into the village over there. When you enter it, you will find tied up there a colt that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘Its master needs it.’” 32 Those who had been sent found it exactly as he had said.

33 As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

34 They replied, “Its master needs it.” 35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their clothes on the colt, and lifted Jesus onto it. 36 As Jesus rode along, they spread their clothes on the road.

This tiny detail and the few verses afforded to the colt are curious to me. The fact that Jesus instructed the disciples to respond “Its master needs it” was not too strange, as it was common for colts to be rented or borrowed. This suggests that an arrangement had been made ahead of time and Jesus was now just collecting his Uber. The fact that Jesus selected a colt over a horse is also not surprising. Kings arrived on war horses with a great flourish of trumpets and fuss. Jesus arrived in the manner of a man of peace, like a merchant or priest would have. He chose to humble himself in this moment even though the crowd recognized him for the king that he was. He was fulfilling the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 which reads:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion.
        Sing aloud, Daughter Jerusalem.
Look, your king will come to you.
        He is righteous and victorious.
        He is humble and riding on an ass,
            on a colt, the offspring of a donkey.

So, what can we make of the fact that Jesus requested a colt that had never been ridden? One scholar suggests that our Lord was looking for a seat of authority that was his and his alone. He wanted the undivided loyalty of this beast of burden as he rode into the cheering crowds and for all intents and purposes was riding to his death. I wonder if it is a nod to his mother’s purity. He was born of the Virgin Mary and so this critical mode of transportation and presentation needed to be alike with her. One would think that a colt that hadn’t been broken might have bucked and kicked but having the Prince of Peace as its first rider prevented that from happening.

37 As Jesus approached the road leading down from the Mount of Olives, the whole throng of his disciples began rejoicing. They praised God with a loud voice because of all the mighty things they had seen. 38 They said,

“Blessings on the king who comes in the name of the Lord.
    Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heavens.”

39 Some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, scold your disciples! Tell them to stop!”

40 He answered, “I tell you, if they were silent, the stones would shout.”

In any case, this passage invites us to offer our King a humble and pure act of service. This one single act of this little colt remains part of Jesus’ story for eternity. Is God calling you to a single act of humble obedience? Where can you be part of our Lord’s story? May we find our way today!

Hosanna Tree by Becca Ziegler



Fill the House

Posted on by Betsy

If your life was a fragrance, what would it smell like? Would it be scented with florals of joy and contentment? Would it be like the salt air rushing through a car window going at high speed? Would it be a calming botanical? Would it smell like fear and stress? We all carry a ‘scent of being’ that is perceived by others … not an actual “smell” but an experience of presence. I have a colleague whose ‘scent’ might be described as steady sandalwood. His smooth and unhurried approach to life makes people relax in his presence. What is your life fragrance?

Today’s passage takes us to a time when the scent of a fragrant offering filled an entire house. The physical smell came from a jar of expensive perfume. But look to see the other scents that arose from the compassion of Mary and the treachery of Judas:

John 12 ( Common English Bible)

12 Six days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, home of Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Lazarus and his sisters hosted a dinner for him. Martha served and Lazarus was among those who joined him at the table. 3 Then Mary took an extraordinary amount, almost three-quarters of a pound, of very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She anointed Jesus’ feet with it, then wiped his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. 4 Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), complained,5 “This perfume was worth a year’s wages! Why wasn’t it sold and the money given to the poor?” (6 He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would take what was in it.)

Mary’s love for Jesus was expressed in this extraordinarily expensive gift of pure nard. Both John and Mark use the adjective pistikos to describe this, suggesting that the oil had been extracted from the exotic pistachio nut. Perfumes and oils served as currency due to their value and portability. Mary’s act was a humble expression of her devotion to Jesus. When a guest arrived in a home, their feet were usually washed in water by a servant or slave. The head was then dabbed with a tiny portion of perfume. Mary’s extreme gift was given without any sense of self-consciousness: Jewish women never let their hair down in public, so her decision to use her hair as a towel was a true mark of her unabashed love for her Savior.

Judas, on the other hand, stunk of greed and deception. John carefully explained to us that Judas didn’t care for the poor but objected to the lovely act because he was a thief. The value of the perfume was one year’s worth of wages, 300 denarii, and we can imagine that with his objection he was calculating the cost of the waste and how much he could have skimmed for himself.

7 Then Jesus said, “Leave her alone. This perfume was to be used in preparation for my burial, and this is how she has used it. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you won’t always have me.”

Jesus reminds them, and us, that we always have an obligation to take care of the poor. There will always be poor people who need our help. But he would not take away from Mary’s prevenient burial anointing. The fragrance of her gift filled the house as a witness and testimony to her adoration.

What fragrance fills your house today? May it be pleasing to God.

Filled with Fragrance by Kathy Schumacher