For
Sunday, April 7, 2019, 5th Sunday in Lent, Yr C, Readings: Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians
3:4b-15, John 12:1-8
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PLEASE NOTE: The Google+ platform is going away in early April
and if you wish to follow the blog you can subscribe by email (anonymously) on
the blog itself in the upper right corner. Thanks for reading! Feedback is
appreciated on the comment link on the blog or at Leeosophy@gmail.com.
Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the
sea, a path in the mighty waters...Do not remember the things of old. I am
about to do a new thing; now it springs forth...
[Isaiah 43:16, 18-19a]
The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad indeed. [Psalm 126:4]
For his sake I have
suffered the loss of all things...in order that I may gain Christ, and be found
in him, not having a righteousness of my own...but one that comes through faith
in Christ...this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward
to what lies ahead, I press on... [Philippians 3:8b-9, 13b-14a]
Six days before the Passover...Mary took a
pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them
with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume...Judas
Iscariot...was a thief. [John 12: 1a,3, 4a, 6b]
In the readings for this Sunday, Isaiah and Paul don’t so much remind us that we are to forget the
old ways as things are being made new, but tell us directly that we must look and
move – straining forward as Paul says
– to what lies ahead. We are given a way and a path with our faith that guides us to the eternal life we are
promised if we keep our eyes on the prize.
We are nearing the end of our journey through
Lent but much awaits us in the approach to Easter. While we know what is coming,
obviously those reclining and serving at the home of Lazarus that night did not.
A seemingly small moment at a gathering of friends, not so
much in our ordinary times, was quite enough to kick off the deadly series
of events that changed the world forever. The tension is building as if in
a novel. Every thought and phrase expressed reveals a clue to what is coming – as
if we didn't already know. Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany ~ a scant two
miles' walk to Jerusalem. Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus, anoints his feet with an expensive perfume made
of nard, the cost of which sets Judas off and the Gospel writer is very clear
about the thieving Iscariot's character and coming betrayal.
The fragrant nard itself is symbolic. It was customary for the household to prepare for the feet of the guests to be washed as a practical and hospitable welcome. This particular perfume, however, was worth a fortune, as much as or more than a year's wages for an average worker and this gesture might have seemed quite excessive to anyone by normal standards. This anointing is to us, if not to them, also a symbol of the Kingship of the not yet Resurrected Christ. Jesus was clear that Mary's act of love meant more than mere hospitality; it was a foreshadowing of his soon to come death and burial. The ritual of burial involved precious spices and oils and the anointing of the body always began with the feet.
Pay close attention to the readings ahead. God is about to do a new thing again and there is much to hear differently and to learn anew.
The fragrant nard itself is symbolic. It was customary for the household to prepare for the feet of the guests to be washed as a practical and hospitable welcome. This particular perfume, however, was worth a fortune, as much as or more than a year's wages for an average worker and this gesture might have seemed quite excessive to anyone by normal standards. This anointing is to us, if not to them, also a symbol of the Kingship of the not yet Resurrected Christ. Jesus was clear that Mary's act of love meant more than mere hospitality; it was a foreshadowing of his soon to come death and burial. The ritual of burial involved precious spices and oils and the anointing of the body always began with the feet.
Pay close attention to the readings ahead. God is about to do a new thing again and there is much to hear differently and to learn anew.
Yes, in our day and time we know
what is coming, yet let us forget to remember and go forward into all that lies ahead through Easter and beyond,
as if it were new and now, to rediscover and be anointed by our faith yet again.
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~
O Lord, our Way and our Path, restore
the fortunes of our souls as we renew our faith, and press on in this life toward
the goal of answering Your heavenly call.
O
God in Christ Jesus
RESPONSE: By
our faith You anoint us
~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, guide the
hearts and minds of all who govern across this world, this nation, and this
community, toward principled, ethical, and humane legislation to revitalize
every aspect of Your Creation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
God in Christ Jesus
By our faith You anoint us
~
O Lord, our Way and our Path, kindle
hope in all who
are poor in body, mind, or spirit, and to all who give them care. We now join our voices to pray aloud
for those in need…
O
God in Christ Jesus
By our faith You anoint us
~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, may those
who are grieving be consoled in knowing that all now returned to the prize of life in You, are
celebrated with heavenly shouts of joy.
We pray especially for:
O
God in Christ Jesus
By our faith You anoint us
~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, we pause in this moment to offer You our
other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials, aloud
or silently…
O
God in Christ Jesus
By our faith You anoint us
~ O Lord, our Way and our Path, enliven the spirits of
those chosen to lead and accompany in this mortal journey toward
eternity, sharing with us the joy of being Christ's own, even in
the darkest of times. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
O
God in Christ Jesus
By our faith You anoint us
The
Celebrant adds: Almighty and Eternal God, release us from the false piety of righteousness, and pride
in mere earthly achievement. Awaken us to the freedom of knowing and living
each day in Christ and the power of His Resurrection. We ask through Jesus, our Anointed Christ,
and the Holy Spirit, Your Fragrant Breath, who together with You are One God,
forever and ever. Amen.
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