Scent of Faith

Sunday, March 25, 2007 The Scent John 12:1

(NRSV) Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Beth'any, the home of Laz'arus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2 There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Laz'arus was one of those at the table with him. 3 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. 4 But Judas Iscar'iot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5 "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" 6 (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7 Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8 You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."

Oh the scent of fragrant perfume! The pound of perfume could have been sold for 300 denarii, which is about a years salary. A years salary in the 49424 Zip Code is $72,000. No one here makes THAT much do they? Perhaps all of us are closer to the national average of $36,000 a year. I did a Google search and found the most expensive perfume in the world. It is from the Clive Christian Collection, called Number One (pictured above) and sells for $2,350 per ounce. Yes, Number One, much better than Chanel Number 5 In November of 2005, Harrods sold an exclusive version of this perfume. The bottle contained a half litre of perfume and was made of cut glass topped off with a large diamond and collar of 18 karat gold. It sold for about $215,000 or 170,000 British Pounds.

Nard: a Himalayan flowering plant and the fragrant oil derived from its root (possibly a citrus aroma)

There weren't a lot of ways to save money in the First Century. One way was to bury in the ground and find it later. Much later, people have found coins buried in the ground and old coins aren't very rare for that reason. Another method was to buy something of value and keep it your house and sell it later in hard times. Apparently the jar of pure oil of nard was Mary's savings and she broke it open and poured it on Jesus. She literally poured out her life savings. There were two types of giving 1) Alms giving to the poor--money is handed out in small increments on a as needed basis. We saw this a lot in Madagascar. The poor would come into the shops daily and receive a few small coins, less than a penny in value. Shoppers would bump shoulders with them as made their way in and out of the place. We do something similar with the Silent Needs Fund. We give a little of our budget to help people as needed. Judas was saying that the perfume should have been just that, a small act, not an act of love. 2) Act of Love--Making a dent in our income so that we feel it and it hurts. We should feel it. Cynthia's father, a Presbyterian Minister stepped up to tithing. After about three years he met another pastor at a conference who was talking about tithing. He said to him, "I tithe and I don't even feel it." The other pastor responded, "then you should give 20 per cent" The point it is that giving out love should be felt.

Jesus smells good and is ready for his crucifixion. He will smell good for the rest of the week. He is going to the cross for the joy of it. Medieval teachings make it clear that we should feel sorry for Jesus--sorry that he died. Feeling sorry for Jesus makes us feel sorry for our sins. Jesus calls his death his moment of glory. His crucifixion is his glorification, a true moment of great joy.

Paul talks of another scent or smell; Philippians 3:8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. The translators wanted to use pretty words rather than the real ones. They used the prettier word rubbish and he Greek word here is skubala, which is a four lettered word in English, dung. Our earthly things do not smell as sweet as the act of giving from Love.

Prodigal

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source prod·i·gal /ˈprɒdɪgəl/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[prod-i-guhl] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –adjective 1. wastefully or recklessly extravagant: prodigal expenditure. 2. giving or yielding profusely; lavish (usually fol. by of or with): prodigal of smiles; prodigal with money. 3. lavishly abundant; profuse: nature's prodigal resources. –noun 4. a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful extravagance; spendthrift. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [Origin: 1500–10; back formation from prodigality] —Related forms prod·i·gal·ly, adverb —Synonyms 1. profligate. See lavish. 2, 3. copious, bounteous. 4. waster, wastrel. —Antonyms 1. cautious, provident. Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source prod·i·gal (prŏd'ĭ-gəl) Pronunciation Key adj. Rashly or wastefully extravagant: prodigal expenditures on unneeded weaponry; a prodigal life. Giving or given in abundance; lavish or profuse: prodigal praise. See Synonyms at profuse. n. One who is given to wasteful luxury or extravagance. Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 15:1 Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. 15:2 And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, "This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." 15:3 So he told them this parable: 15:11b "There was a man who had two sons. 15:12 The younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.' So he divided his property between them. 15:13 A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. 15:14 When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. 15:15 So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. 15:16 He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. 15:17 But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! 15:18 I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; 15:19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands."' 15:20 So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. 15:21 Then the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 15:22 But the father said to his slaves, 'Quickly, bring out a robe--the best one--and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 15:23 And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; 15:24 for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!' And they began to celebrate. 15:25 "Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 15:26 He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. 15:27 He replied, 'Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.' 15:28 Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. 15:29 But he answered his father, 'Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. 15:30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!' 15:31 Then the father said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 15:32 But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'" ............ When he came to himself, that is a key phrase of this parable. The son wished his father dead so he could have his share in the inheirtance. By doing this the son became dead to his family, his father and his brother. Not only was the son dead to his family but he became dead to himself. He lived without boundaries and without control. Only in the depths of hungry and despair does he come to himself and realize the foolishness of his choice. He would rather have material wealth that he could call his own rather than to live in his father's house. Jesus is illustrating how the established church should treat those live outside of the Church when they return. Jesus is living as the father in his own parable, eating in the homes of who the established Church of his time called sinners.

Who's Afraid of Death?

(The Congregation chuckled in joy as Pastor Mark taught them about St. Patrick and concluded the sermon with this prayer:)

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,

The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,

The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,

The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the love of seraphim,

In the obedience of angels,

In the hope of resurrection unto reward,

In prayers of Patriarchs,

In predictions of Prophets,

In preaching of Apostles,

In faith of Confessors,

In purity of holy Virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I bind to myself today

The power of Heaven,

The light of the sun,

The brightness of the moon,

The splendour of fire,

The flashing of lightning,

The swiftness of wind,

The depth of sea,

The stability of earth,

The compactness of rocks.

I bind to myself today

God's Power to guide me,

God's Might to uphold me,

God's Wisdom to teach me,

God's Eye to watch over me,

God's Ear to hear me,

God's Word to give me speech,

God's Hand to guide me,

God's Way to lie before me,

God's Shield to shelter me,

God's Host to secure me,

Against the snares of demons,

Against the seductions of vices,

Against the lusts of nature,

Against everyone who meditates injury to me,

Whether far or near,

Whether few or with many.

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I invoke today all these virtues

Against every hostile merciless power

Which may assail my body and my soul,

Against the incantations of false prophets,

Against the black laws of heathenism,

Against the false laws of heresy,

Against the deceits of idolatry,

Against the spells of women,

and smiths, and druids,

Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.

Christ, protect me today

Against every poison,

against burning,

Against drowning,

against death-wound,

That I may receive abundant reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me,Christ behind me, Christ within me,Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,Christ at my right, Christ at my left,

Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]Christ in the chariot seat,

[i.e., travelling by land]Christ in the poop. [i.e., travelling by water]

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,Christ in every ear that hears me.

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I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,

I believe the Trinity in the Unity The Creator of the Universe.

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St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer is really a prayer for all us and is a true Missionary Prayer. As we come to see ourselves as Evangelistic Missionaries we will study this prayer thoroughly.

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Now for a more fun topic: Fear of Death!

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In this part of Luke's Gospel people around Jesus are trying to convince him that he should be afraid because he acts with no fear whatsoever. Particularly, Jesus should be afraid of death as we heard in the Gospel reading:

Luke 13:1-9

13:1 At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 13:2 He asked them, "Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? 13:3 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 13:4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them--do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 13:5 No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did." 13:6 Then he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 13:7 So he said to the gardener, 'See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?' 13:8 He replied, 'Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 13:9 If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'

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The historical facts of these two events, the killing of the Galileans and the tower of Siloam, is unclear. It seems that they have something to do with a power struggle with Pilate in that they somehow threatened Pilate's command. The reaction to their deaths reflects the understanding of Torah, is filled with a list of curses, in that they were cursed for their sins.

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Turn on the Television sometime and you can hear how people have died because they are cursed. The Hurricanes and flooding and tsunami's are because the people were sinful.

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According to these so-called Evangelists the quarters in New Orleans were destroyed because the people who lived there were homosexuals. I guess everyone who lived there was a sinful homosexual and that is way their homes were destroyed. According to these Evangelists, it had nothing to do with weak levies and global warming. These guys must be right--right?

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There is a big problem with that type of thinking. These people see God as targeting sinners, and to see God in this way means that God has really bad aim. He targets and destroys sinners but takes out the wrong people. It is absurd to think that everyone who died in New Orleans or in Indonesia was a terrible sinner suitable for destruction by God's vengeful hand. To see God in this way is to see God as a god of vengeance with really bad aim.

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Jesus is pointing this out to everyone and showing how absurd this thinking this. People then just like today see that dieing for a bad reason is a reason nonetheless. People die unexpectedly because of a sudden illness or accident and they see it as a punishment from God. To die for a bad reason gives meaning to their death. Without it there is no reason at all and life is meaningless. It is better for them to think: Death is a punishment from God for doing something wrong.

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Jesus is fearless and does not see it this way at all.

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God is a judge, an impartial judge, who does not want to mentally and spiritually get us. God is a good judge who is not predisposed on one side. God is not a Jihads Judge that we have to fear.

Jesus displaces that view and that mind set. Jesus replaces Fear with Love. In Luther's Catechism we read the words of Martin Luther's explanation to the 1o Commandments, "We should fear and love God that we..." We have to look closely at the word fear and see how it is connected to Love. We do not fear God for fear of punishment. We fear God out of respect for the unending Love which he bestows upon us. We should not be afraid.

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People who are afraid are easily lead in the promise that they will be safer. Fear does not make people better. Fear hurts our physical and emotional health. Living in Fear can make us psychotic. Fear shuts down logical reasoning and fills us with anxiety so that we can not see any new possibilities. As it is written, "See, I am doing something new." Our society is living in fear and is attaching that fear to God. Living this way makes it almost impossible to see the New Thing that God is doing, Jesus.

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Jesus addresses all this fear and anxiety with his parable. "One more year," Jesus says. That one year is the last part of his ministry. Jesus is going to be the fruit hanging from the tree. That is the true "new thing."

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The "new thing" God is doing in Jesus is the removal and reversal of all the curses in Torah. That is difficult for us, because we like the curses. We like to use the curses as a stick to bash each other with when things go wrong for other people.

Jesus brings God to us.

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How do we view Holy Communion? We tend to think of it as a thing, a sacrament. Holy Communion is a joining with God. In Holy Communion we met Jesus and the curses of Torah are

removed and reversed.

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Feel, Taste, and Hear how Jesus brings God to us

Mixed Up Politics

Second Sunday in Lent

Today I am going to focus on the lesson from Philippians. By now you know that I am preach strange sermons about politics. Well, the politics of the world are truly mixed up and Jesus shows us how to set politics right.

In The Gospel message today (Luke 13: 31-35) we see Herod the Fox who uses fear and violence, the world's politics, threatening Jesus the Mother Hen, who uses the politics of Love. These are two separate political worlds which are diametrical opposed to one another. Jesus is not afraid; he is like the hen who gathers her chicks under her wings and confronts the fox.

Philippians 3: 17-4:1

3:17 Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us. 3:18 For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. 3:19 Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. 3:21 He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

The ancient world was very good at imitating, in fact, ancient idolatry and worship was just that. Idolatry encouraged the examples of living set by the gods and goddesses. Notice that Paul does not say to the Philippians, "be yourself," rather he tells them and us to follow the example of Jesus. All those around them were following the example of the Greco-Roman gods and goddesses and were living toward their own destruction. Their gods and goddesses were their belly, that is their stomachs and the area south.

An economist, Victor Lebow, wrote in 1955 that our economics of consumption, the buying and selling will be converted into our spiritual rituals.

Our enormously productive economy… demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfaction, our ego satisfaction, in consumption… We need things consumed, burned up, worn out, replaced, and discarded at an ever increasing rate. - Victor Lebow, 1955

He predicted accurately. Every month it seems that the stores have a special reason to buy something. Shopping has become a religion. In Feb we have St. Valentine's Day, March it's St. Patrick's Day,. April it's Easter; our culture commemorates Jesus' Resurrection with chocolate, bunnies and eggs, in May it's Mother's Day and June it's Father's Day. The biggest shopping rite of course is at Christmas.

What Lebow was saying in 1955 has come to pass. Consumption is the way of life in our society. The goal of all of this, that is, where this all ends is destruction. We see the results of this destruction already in Global Warming, pollution and wars. We always have war and we can't seem to figure out how to stop them. Not just our current war in Iraq but throughout world history

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This is how it ends up. It doesn't have to end this way with war, pollution and Global Warming. With the help of God we can turn all of this around. Remember there are two Kings of Power: Fear and Love. Gandhi said it this way, " if God who is undefinable can be defined it is to say God is Truth attained through Love." Gandhi did not learn this on his own; he learned it through the teachings of Jesus Christ. In 1776 John Adams wrote: "Love and not Fear will be the source of the people's obedience." As you can see the Truth is known we have to live it.

Fear and Love are two kinds of power. As Paul wrote, "But our citizenship is in heaven." A better translation of this would be, "But our commonwealth is in heaven." The Emperor rule the Empire with Fear and Violence as opposed to a Commonwealth where everything is equal. The people of the Empire will do whatever the Emperor says to do and in fact they will worship the Empire so they won't be killed.

In a Commonwealth the people act on the love based on the concern for all, not what benefits them directly. It is similar to raising children with love. We do what is for their own good and not ours. The Empire is all about destruction and consumption. What the world needs now is a Commonwealth of love. As Burt Bacharach said, "what the world needs now is Love Sweet Love."

Brother's and Sister's we have to understand that the politics of Jesus must be adhered to, right now. Right now we are in danger of destroying nature through which God provides for us.