Letting Go in Worship - John 12:1-8; Isaiah 43:16-21; 5th Sunday of Lent

Thank you for that Corey and Crystal. Thank you for vetoing me ideas. How is the perfume that he wouldn't you and let him bring? As I'm just a literal person.

I love the song. We just sang where you go. I will go where you stay I will stay if this life I lose I will follow you man. Talk about letting go talk talk about being willing to give up everything. Can we get the statement? I'm sure I'm not I'm not sure. I'm I was really ready to sing this morning to be completely and perfectly honest with you. I'm not sure. I'm really Letty. Excuse me up this morning really lady really ready to let go of this life that I have. I rather have become fond of this life and the way things are I'm I'm pretty comfortable. With a wife that I have and the notion of letting go of that of that security that I enjoy and that stability that I enjoy is. Is is kind of threatening? Does God want me to be secure? stable Part of the Gospel that that's true. God doesn't want us to enjoy his pieces his protection, right? But the same time God sent a savior Jesus who said whoever would Follow me must take up the cross.

the death sentence

This is morning. And in this morning. I told the the musicians as we were getting ready that I think this is the title of the sermon which I don't do very often. I don't title my sermons but I think the title of the sermon would be letting go and worship Lango and worship. Our story this morning is the one that Corey red and I'm a read part of it again, but I want to begin really with Isaiah is where in the season of Lent. I want to read from Isaiah 55. This is a lectionary text for this morning. From the Old Testament and then we have the gospel from John. What gospel was that? You read from this morning? And in which God was it Matthew Mark? Luke John was John. Okay. I thought it was a different one. But you sound different cuz it was a different and translation. The story of the Jesus is it is in all four gospels Matthew Mark Luke and John, so it's pretty important going to start with Isaiah 43 and a brief moment. and Isaiah 43

Because I do see a connection in these two these two scriptures.

And we heard this actually back. I believe him it was in September of last year. So not that long ago just a few months ago. But this morning with a slightly different context, Isaiah 43 beginning and verse

16

321

the Lord says Who makes a way in the sea? in a path in the mighty Waters

Do brings out Chariot and horse Army and Battalion. They will lie down together and will not rise. They will be extinguished extinguished like a wick.

And a parenthetical e their what? Event. Are we being reminded of by Asia can anybody say?

Parting of the Red Sea The Chariot and Battalion are being lie down together and extinguish like a wick. Isaiah reminding us of The Exodus The Parting of the Red Sea the Israelites being led out of Egypt. Isaiah continues having just reminded us of The Exodus. Don't remember the prior things.

Don't Ponder ancient history. Look, I am doing a new thing. Now it sprouts up don't you recognize I'm making a way in the desert past in the wilderness. The beasts of the field the jackals and ostriches will honor me because I have put water in the desert and streams in the wilderness to give water to my people. My chosen ones this people whom I formed for myself to Wilbur count my praise. This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. I love this and I just want to spend a minute with it Isaiah. Says Remember The Exodus remember how great it was when God brought you through the Red Sea and delivered you out of slavery. Remember how great that was in time and time again, the songs are reminding us of The Exodus that the Old Testament the Psalms constantly reminding us of how God's Mighty acts of Salvation brought the people of the Hebrew people out of Egypt into the Promised Land. Isaiah says remember that great story don't remember the prior things forget about the prior things. Look I'm doing a new thing God working a mighty and glorious way, but don't cling to that. You got to let that go. Look, I'm doing a new thing. Now it Springs up. Can't you see it? He says. And then there's this reversal streams of water in the desert. First you had water being parted for God's people to come through the water. Now. I Isaiah saying that the reverse is happening. You got a desert and there's water being provided nurturing New Life. Don't remember the prior things let it go if this life I lose as we just saying all that we love about it. Even if it takes letting that go so that my might enter into the the glory. Of what's to come?

The goodness then Theatre no life the core reminded us of the true Abundant Life. I have to let go of that good stuff. I have to let go of the way things used to be.

This morning is about letting go if you didn't get your toe stepped on last Sunday. I hope that you do this Sunday because it might have been stepped on both Sundays.

God's word. Is it equal opportunity offender?

God's word challenges and can Vicks and if if you're if you're challenged this morning or if you were challenged last Sunday praise be to God God's doing something he speaking to you and he's trying to do something new in your life and your be invited to let go and cultivate New Life. So moving into this this story that we've been given. I'll read it just briefly to remind us in John chapter 12th. We have this event where Mary a disciple of Jesus a key figure in the gospels. Let's go of the former things. in a amazing radical abundant way It says six days before the Passover was to be celebrated the event that I think it just reminded us of the Passover where the Israelites were set free from Egypt and slavery. So six days before they were going to remember that event. Jesus came to Bethany Home of Lazarus and Jesus head raised from the dead. So again, Jesus is raised Lazarus from the dead. He's visiting with his family with Lazarus his family this new resurrected man. Cancel after senesisters hosted a dinner for him. This isn't John 12 Martha served and Lazarus was among those who join him at the table. Then Mary took an extraordinary amount almost three-quarters of a pound a very expensive perfume made of pure nard. She annoyed Jesus's feet with it than white his feet dry with her hair. The house was filled with the aroma of the perfume. Judas Iscariot one of his disciples The one who was about to betray him. Complained this perfume was worth a Year's wages. Why wasn't it sold in the money given to the poor?

He said it's not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief he carry the money bag and we'll take what was in it. 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. You will always have the poor among you but you won't always have me.

Will you play with me?

father we love your blessings.

we love our faith We love our religion. It has been so helpful for us.

The father even our religion sometimes can get in the way of our discipleship.

Would you call today tennis willing Hearts to let go this morning?

So that we might be truly transformed by Your Word by worship by your presence in your spirit at work Among Us.

We ask this believing that you can and will do it. And they all of God's children say Amen.

A dinner party, occasion. In fact last week we heard Jesus was having a dinner party with anybody remember who he was eating with last week.

The tax collectors and sinners what's the religious folks were grumbling about? That's when Jesus told the whole offensive story about The Prodigal Son in the excessive Grace. It's so Jesus. Once again, he's eating with some friends in this this is a group of friends Lazarus whom he raised and Mary and Martha we hear about the story. Like I said in all four gospel accounts, so it's an important one.

He's eating with friends. And it could have been a perfectly normal. Gathering I think about one occasion where I was going to share an Easter meal with our small group leaders back in Muncie when we were part of the church in Muncie, there were a great small group that an older gentleman in the church was leading. He was a discipling young adults and so Heather and I and several other young couples were in this small group and we would meet in his home about twice a month and often times. We would meet to share a meal together. We would study the Bible we would pray together. It was an intensely formative time for us for me and for Heather in our faith. And it just as a side note. I think it is. So important small groups are so important. We have them right now. We don't have any that I'm aware of that are happening and homes we have in the past but Meals together is what Jesus did so anytime we can do a meal together to good thing, especially in small groups. So this is what Jesus was doing. He was having a meal with a small group. But in the in the meal that I had with Tim and Patty were their names they were the small group leaders for this Easter meal. They invited us over because I sent many of the other young adults. We were far from family. And so this was kind of our chosen family. And so we came to their house expecting to have to have us time but then there was there were these unexpected guests some foreign exchange students and I don't remember where they were from. I meant remember sitting across the table speaking with them two young ladies, and I think they were from India. They were Christians, but it completely changed the dynamic of the rim. They were honored guests, but I wasn't anticipating that I wonder if there was anyone that was there that was anticipating Jesus to be there or anyone that may have been surprised on that day that Jesus was sharing meal. What would it have been like for Jesus to show up at the tax collectors house or the prostitutes house? for dinner

But then there's this awkward moment and maybe out y'all have had this you can remember a time when there was an awkward moment where somebody spilled a glass of water in it completely disrupted the dinner, right or somebody dropped a plate or somebody brought up politics or religion and completely through the vibe in the room. Y'all experienced that before? So if you're married, does this Reckless thing? I don't know if anybody was expecting she seemed to have been prepared. She took a jar almost a pound of perfume. It was worth a Year's wages. Somebody had to work a year. To save up enough money to purchase this perfume. And she shouldn't pour a little bit. She comes to Jesus's feet and she kneels down she didn't pour a little bit. But she pours and she pours and she pours. I just imagine the feeling that bottle of the glug glug glug is all of it spills out on the Jesus's feed.

completely Reckless

There's an image that I'd like to share with you. You can put it on the screen.

The woman that painted this shares the story I believe her name is Lynn Garrity.

She shares our Lauren Wright Pitman is is the name of the woman that painted this image. a deeply emotional

image of Mary anointing Jesus feet

she describes how when she was preparing to paint this she set up her iPhone on the wall ended up at on the wall in her living room and she knelt down on the floor and then she began to emulate her imitate what it must have been like she is she took her hair and ran her fingers through her hair. She was pretending to wash Jesus's feet and her dog ran up and then she she kind of Chuckles is she pretends to wash your dog's feet. But she said she's got her face down here and in the in her rug with a dog here in the dirt, and she she invites her husband to come over and and she tells him quickly but don't take your shoes off cuz it's the winter time in in guys feet. They tend to get a little hot and in unripe. Don't don't they and wooly socks in the winter time, but as she's there and then she's looking at her her image on her phone is that the phone is recording? She becomes she begins to feel extremely vulnerable and uncomfortable.

And so she she asks her husband to go ahead and take off his shoe and she watches as she's using her hair to wipe her foot her husband's butt. She felt like crying. Is a humiliating experience?

Imagine it made everybody in the room uncomfortable what she was doing because this was not typical. Mean anointing someone's head was was something that would happen in an ancient Israel. You may think of David when he was anointed by Samuel he poured oil on his head or you may think of the 23rd psalm. The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want you. Remember the party says he anoints my head with oil.

What's your Marius not anointing Jesus his head as would be done in the coronation of a king know right as she is annoying as feet. Dirty stinky haven't been walked. Probably Barefoot much of the time because Jesus was a homeless person. He lived in poverty. It was probably stinky and have god-knows-what on them. And here she is pouring the soil and wiping it off with her hair. How would you respond to something like that happening in the room? Would it not be awkward? What did not beat make everyone uncomfortable? Until of course Judas the voice of reason speaks up and he says something that makes perfect sense. What are you doing woman? This money could have been given perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor. By our ethic economically that makes perfect sense, right? Why spend all this money? On worship when we could be feeding the poor and makes perfect sense. And Jesus response is this and we hear this often the poor you will always have with you. But you won't always have me. So leave her alone. He says.

Leave her alone. Jesus's words are often used sadly to endorse apathy about the poor.

They're often used to say, you know what the poor always going to be there. So we'll just let the government take care of that. The poor always going to be there. So we'll just we'll just treat them with his treat the symptoms rather than the root cause and so these words can actually be used to undermine advocacy for the poor in the vulnerable which is mind-blowing because that's what Jesus said he came to do and Luke chapter 4, we heard a couple of weeks ago. The spirit of the Lord has anointed me to Proclaim good news to who

the poor Jesus came to love the poor. And so these words of Jesus should not be twisted and awaited to disregard the poor. In fact, Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 15. I think we have it on the screen. Yeah, Deuteronomy 15 in the instructions for the Jubilee practice. You may remember that every seven years people that were in slavery and poverty were to be given back what has been taken from them or what had been sold away. It says basically the same statement is Jesus. It seems that Jesus is quoting Deuteronomy 15 when he says poor person's will never disappear. You will always have the poor with you. Play continues. That's why I'm giving you this command you must open your hand generously to your fellow Israelites to the needy among you into the poor who live in your land. This is a command. Jesus is giving us you will always have the poor with you always love and serve the poor Jesus cancion de Judas critique. Judas ain't worried about the poor inspect. He's stealing from the poor cuz he even this group of poor disciples homeless people to Jesus and his friends that they hung out together. They were homeless, even they kept money for the poor. But Judas was taken from that so he could see what was going on he knew Did you do this was abusing that? The poor you will always have with you, but you won't always have me it is appropriate what Mary has done. She is emptied herself. And Jesus, it seems imitated her when he washed his disciples feet later that week. Humbling himself watching his disciples feed as he told them the greatest among. You must be your servant.

What is it look like for us to let go in the way that Mary did?

What does it look like for us to be Reckless before guide?

To completely let go of our our our security. Are claims to what? Right arrow the way things should be done. Weather that's in Life or in church or in family to submit before God and say God your wazer are better than my ways as we heard Isaiah say last week my way my ways of the God's ways are not your ways since the Lord. My thoughts are not your thoughts.

So often we we can find it and in life written Church, especially we can we can make Arguments for something particular issue in any given issue because it sounds right. Maybe it sounds the alarm going to sound but in our heart it's really about something else.

Hey, I don't know if y'all have ever been there, but I have it when you advocate for something that you think it should be done a certain way. But ultimately it's because you don't want the change. You don't want to be challenged. So what might it look like for you to let go in a weighted married in? Perhaps that might be for you a practicing a tithe giving a tip Mary Dave a Year's worth of wages in a moment just like that. I read a quote from Rich Mullins earlier. If you may know he's the Christian musician from the 80s and 90s the wrote awesome God. he said this that

why why do we give God 10% We should be giving a 90% because he can handle it. He seems to be able to handle it better than we can.

Mid-Atlantic is the bottom line. Scripture tells us what does it look like to let go of our finances? What does it look like to let go of our our prayer life? How often do you spend time in prayer? What does it look like to let go of your your preferences about church? About the people that you spend time with outside of church. What does it look like to be vulnerable In Worship? Maybe for some of it that may be lifting our hands when it feels like a huge sacrifice maybe yes, and amen when the preachers preaching. Maybe that sounds maybe that would feel like a huge step outside of your comfort zone. Can I get an amen?

What does it look like this to cross that line to step into a space that you're no longer comfortable? Detect set step into a space that you feel like you've just become radical. Maybe that's simply raising a hand. Maybe that is giving a tithe maybe that is saying a prayer allowed maybe that is having a conversation with someone outside of the church about your faith and not what difference Jesus is made in your life. Would that be radical for you? Then do it wherever that line is. You need to cross it because that's what Mary did and that's what Jesus commanded her for and that's why it was recorded in all four Gospels. Because it was so important to love Jesus in a way that cross the boundary wherever that line is for you friends. I'm inviting you to cross it and I'm I'm joining you in that. I'm praying for God to lead me that I might cross my line where I've drawn the line of this is where Matt won't go when it comes to my face or my leadership of my discipleship for my parenting. Or being a husband. Where's your line? Where if you draw the line? Where have we drawn the line Church?

What might look like for us to let go?

Last week remember we squeezed our hands. And then we let go I read a quote from Thomas Merton this week. He says. The tighter you that you squeeze the less you can hold.

The tighter we squeeze Church the tighter we squeeze on the way that we think things to be done. The less that we're going to be able to hold. When it comes to God's blessings. And that that that that applies corporately and it applies for us in individually. How tightly are you squeezing to life?

How big are asleep are you fighting? transformation

may we let go and in our imitation of Christ Jesus who let go on the cross of life.

May we imitate him in his death so that we might share in his resurrection.

experience life and Power God

we have an opportunity and just a moment to let go as we bring our offerings to the stable and then God takes those offerings those ties those those offerings this financial gifts and God takes them. And He blesses them and he breaks them and distributes them for the life of the world. So let's do this this morning. Let's cross that line wherever that is for you whether it's financially spiritually relationally Let's cross some lines this morning. Let's break some boundaries. There are imitation of Jesus or musicians are going to come and lead us.

In a song called Shout to the Lord. I was reading in the songs earlier this week that both shouting to God. Alright, it's biblical. To Shout to the Lord to praise him with loud loud clanging cymbals, and it's also appropriate to be still before the Lord to be Reverend before God. So all of us should not worship in the same way, but all of us should be worshiping in a way that is sacrificial. So let us worship God together as we respond to him and cross some boundaries and letting go. Amen. Amen.

Ant-Man