An act of extravagant love

Dear friends

We are now entering Passiontide. During Passiontide we are challenged to ask ourselves, both as individuals and as a church, what matters to us more than anything else? What are we passionate about?

The gospel reading for Passion Sunday is one of passionate, extravagant love. It recounts Mary’s anointing of Jesus with expensive perfume. This drama is set near to Jerusalem, soon to be the site of the most extravagant love offering of all.

Mary is the passionate disciple, the one who loves Jesus with her whole heart, the one who loves to sit at his feet and listen to him. Mary is full of love and gratitude, and little by way of inhibition. Mary doesn’t let anything hold her back, and more than anyone else, Mary sees the big picture. She recognizes who Jesus is, and what lies ahead for him, and she acts on it. Mary does things that are not acceptable in polite company: she unbinds her hair: she loosens it as women did only for their husbands in private, or when they were in mourning. Mary pours expensive perfume on the feet of Jesus (his feet, as one would anoint a corpse, not as a king – a king would be anointed on his head). Mary touches Jesus even though she is a single woman, so inappropriate, and then she wipes his feet with her hair. She has no inhibitions at all!

Mary teaches us what it means to be a passionate follower of Jesus. She recognizes, at least to some extent, who Jesus is. Just as she recognizes who she is as his follower: one who serves, one who anoints, one who gives extravagantly without counting the cost, one whose response to Jesus is an act of extravagant love. 

It is never a waste to give from the heart and not count the cost. When we love someone, really love someone, love just flows from our heart, doesn’t it? We want to give them, not just any old thing, but something very special, however expensive it is. We want them to know how we feel, and it doesn’t matter if it’s the last jar of expensive perfume on the shelf, does it? We want to break it open, pour it out, with our hearts overflowing with love.

So, what are you passionate about this Passiontide? And, how will you express your passion?

With Blessings

Sue