“What's In YOUR Alabaster Box?” Pastor Hines April 3, 2022

 

“What's In YOUR Alabaster Box?” Pastor Hines

April 3, 2022

It was six days before the Passover, nearly a week before one of the biggest events of the year. The Passover celebrated the end of a spiritual war (like the war the Russians and the Covid are perpetrating in our world today). How we long for such wars to be over! How we would kiss the ground and thank our God on the day we would become free. Passover was like that. It was a time to come together and give thanks for the mercy of God delivering God’s people from the sheer torture of oppression, from the awful circumstances that kept them anxious and crying both day and night.

The Passover was as important as our season of Christmas and Easter. There was a buzz of activity. Sales of sacrificial animals were being made like Black Friday. Room reservations were getting as scarce as they were during the Chester County storm a few years ago when we lost power for a whole week. Those without generators for heating and cooking packed the local hotels to capacity. Seller’s tent pegs were being secured and extra meals made in advance. Details were vigorously cared for with less than a week to prepare. It was a very good year in many ways. It was an exciting time. People had high hopes and high expectations for good sales and good times.  

Love was in the air. Happiness was everywhere. At the same time, the religious leaders were planning a murder. Jesus was on their hit list to be crucified ASAP. Can you imagine? They could hardly wait for Jesus to be nailed to the cross. Who does that? Jesus had predicted his death as well as his resurrection.

Jesus was at home with Lazarus. Lazarus was one of three people whom Jesus had raised from the dead. (Jesus raised the widow's son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17), Jairus' daughter (Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56), and Lazarus (John 11:1-44).)  Isn’t it wonderful? Surely, there are those among us who have been raised from the dead. Perhaps not literally, but spiritually, morally, or emotionally for sure. And, aren’t you glad about it? Someone here can testify: “I am not what I ought to be, I’m not what I want to be, but thank God, I am not what I used to be.”

With the help of a loving God, our lives have been blessed and we have much for which to be grateful and much to celebrate. Mary was grateful for the love and friendship she had with Jesus. Jesus was welcome in her home. Verse 3 says she tended to his feet, which was the humblest job, usually the work of a slave. 

The Lenten season is as good a time as ever to make our homes welcoming to Jesus and his followers. I’ve told the story of how the Holy Spirit convicted me and helped me to put my house in order. Years ago, as I prayed, my attention was dramatically drawn to a little draw of a lamp stand. When I looked inside there was a piece of paper with a

not- so-nice joke written on it. I threw it away. Another time, I had a dream of a very large rat tail extended from behind a chair. I was being alerted to a friend of mine who was more of a rat than a friend. His intentions were less than Godly. We all know that the bigger the tail, the bigger the rat. Lent is a good time remember to make our homes welcoming to Jesus and his followers.

Mary’s gratitude moved her to humble herself before Jesus by anointing him with the fragrance of love. She spared no expense. The perfumed oil she used was worth a year’s wages. It prepared him for his death as well as his resurrection. Similar stories in the other gospels tell us such perfumed oil was stored in an alabaster box and poured out to anoint Jesus’ head as priests anointed kings for God’s chosen leadership. Also, Mary is the only woman mentioned by name and instead of anointing his head, she anointed Jesus’ feet, a symbol of care and refreshment for his sorrow-filled journey that would be followed in three days with his rising to defeat death.

Mary’s alabaster box was filled with her love for Jesus. It was a sweet aroma that filled the house for all to sense. It demonstrated that Jesus was worth more than anything and anyone.

Now, the question remains, what’s in YOUR alabaster box?

Amen.