This week's sermon (got it done early!)

 

LENT V—April 3, 2022

          “Mary took a pound of costly perfume, made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair.”

          Do you know what ‘nard’ is?

          It comes from the spikenard plant that mostly grows in the Himalaya mountains.

          That was a long way to transport anything in the first century. No wonder it was ‘costly’!

          Judas said it was worth 300 denarii, which would be a year’s wages for a worker in Israel at that time. Judas remarked that the money should be given to the poor.

          Costly, indeed!

          Judas, of course, was just wishing it were in the common purse where he could steal some of it. He wasn’t concerned at all about the ‘poor’ to whom Jesus ministered.

          But Jesus replied in a shocking way.

          “She bought it that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”

                We do always have the poor with us.

          In this, the richest country on earth and in this, one of the wealthiest states in the richest county, and in this, one of the wealthiest cities in this wealthy state the poor are always with us.

          I am proud to minister to a parish that does so much for the poor. Your food and clothing donations are amazing—more than much larger churches do. You do a great deal, you really do.

          But is it enough?

          I’ll come back to that, but I want to talk a little more about Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus.

          In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is teaching at their house and Mary is listening while Martha is preparing dinner for the crowd.

          Martha comes to Jesus and tells him she needs Mary’s help in the household and he should tell her to help her sister.

          Jesus replies, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things, there is need for only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken from her.”

          And then when Jesus comes to raise Lazarus from the dead, Mary is the one who shows him where they have lain him.

          We must do all we can to help the poor, the hungry, the homeless.

          But we must not be distracted from “the better part”, which is to worship the Lord our God.

          We are fast approaching the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.

          We must always, always look after the poor.

          But we must also prepare for Jesus’ death.

          We must do “the better part”, as Mary did.

          That is why we are gathered here this morning.

          To worship and adore the Body and Blood of Jesus.

          That was a disturbing thought to his disciples—to eat his body and drink his blood.

          But for us, today, it is ‘the better part’.

          That is our dual role—to do all we can for the poor who are always with us AND to taste and see how sweet the Lord is.

          Keep bringing your donations. Work however and whenever you can for those in need—here and everywhere.

          But this morning, come to the Table and find Jesus and take him into your heart and soul.

          Shalom and amen.