learning to lead out

This past week at my CPE class I got to lead our chapel time. As I was putting together what I was going to talk about I realized that I was going to be standing in a place that so many people in my family before me have stood. I was going to get to be the one sharing the love of Jesus. Sharing how I see the cross from my perspective.

As I began to think about what I could share, I was reminded of the way that Christ loves us. How extravagantly he has shown his heart for us, so that is the where I went with it. I talked about the woman who anointed Jesus' feet with oil and tears. How extravagant she was about her love for him and how we can be the same. I thought that I would share a part of that with you...

She was an extravagant worshipper of Jesus.

According to Merriam-Webster the word Extravagant has the following meaning:
1)Exceeding the limits of reason or necessity
2)Lacking in moderation or restraint
3)Extremely or excessively elaborate
4)Spending more than necessary

By all accounts this woman was extravagant. She showed up somewhere she wasn’t invited just to be with Jesus. Extreme, absolutely. Lacking in restraint, for sure. From the moment that she found herself standing behind Jesus she began to weep. Excessive, perhaps. And that alabaster jar, filled with perfume that was worth a year’s wages. Absolutely spending more than necessary.

I am sure that we have all heard that story a number of times. And we can have a tendency to get familiar. That familiarity can lend itself to taking something that was meant to touch our hearts and making it something completely different. When I hear this story I am immediately drawn to verse 44 where Jesus is talking to Simon about the woman; while he is talking to Simon, he turned toward the woman… He was talking to Simon but with every breath he was affirming her act of love. He was affirming her acts of extravagance. He was looking into her eyes when he says, “They didn’t, but you did…” Oh to be that woman--

I believe we can be like her. I believe that we can see the extravagant way that Jesus loved us and we can see the way he taught us, the way he died to forgive us and out of the abundance of our hearts we can love him extravagantly in return. We can show up and we can show people what is to love Jesus. We can show people the love of Jesus~ even when that love may not make sense or it may seem foolish or it may be extreme and make us feel embarrassed. We can love Jesus and like that woman we can say, I know. I know what is to live without you and I know I don’t ever want to go back there again. This morning, however, we have a choice. We can choose to have enough of Jesus to just make it to heaven, or we can choose to be like this woman. We can lay everything that we have at the feet of Jesus to have the opportunity to look in his eyes and hear him say YES! That’s how I meant for you to live. Passionately abandoned and not the opinions of anyone else.