Monday, April 06, 2009

Wanting Worship


"It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men."

C.S. Lewis

Quietly, humbly, with the footsteps of a gentle servant, the woman drew near her objective. Several men, in repose, were gathered, honoring the Messiah, perchance conversing about His wondrous miracles and stunning parables that left so many in awe. Surely, vibrant discussion arose concerning one of the most recent wonders, the resurrection of Lazarus, in whose home they were all now gathered.

As Mary proceeded to the table, toward the men, who were immersed in much discourse, Christ must have been watching her, knowing that this divine moment had been determined before the foundation of the world. Holding her precious alabaster box, Mary meekly knelt at the feet of Jesus. Her long, beautiful hair, bound on top of her head, she now let down. All eyes must have turned to her.

Such a shocking move! A move of nerve! A move of dishonor! One so inappropriate, unthinkable for a respectable woman! Were there gasps? Whispers? Outright objections? Or, . . . was their silent disbelief? Expectancy being raised and discomfort being marked, eyes remained fixed on this lovely follower of Christ, whose very volition was only set on pleasing her Lord and worshiping Him.

The men noticed the alabaster box in her hand. In amazement and perplexity, they watched as she broke it open, pouring the precious oil over the feet of her Savior and wiping his feet with her hair. The aroma of the spikenard spread throughout the room, the costly oil infusing the home with a prophetic pause, a subtle, yet somber sign of the passion awaiting Christ.

Amidst the rich fragrance, the awe of the moment, and the quiet, broken, profuse worship of a humble woman, a voice projected in radical defiance, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages" (John 12:5). This disciple could not see the value, the purpose, the veracity of Mary's love. Judas had no concept of or desire to worship Jesus. As the "keeper of the money bag," thieving Judas found Mary's act unbearable.

"Leave her alone," Jesus replied. "It was intended, that she should save this perfume for my day of burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me" (John 12:7-8). The Lord's words were a sharp rebuke, a quickened reminder of His coming death and resurrection. And His words bear encouragement for us today, worshipers of Christ, who believe in faith that He is the Son of God, who bore our sins, sacrificing His life in a shameful, excruciating, ignoble death, and rising again after three days to be forever glorified with His Father.

Yes, Christ's rebuke speaks now to us, telling us worship is our gift to Him. It is an outward expression of an inward work of love and grace in our hearts and lives. It is a heavenly connection to our beloved Lord. It feeds our souls and empowers us to live godly, spirit-filled lives. Worship is sweet communion with the lover of our souls and a blessed time of intimate peace and reverent awe for the giver of all life. Worship is where faith meets feeling, where voice leans to victory, where questions die and rest abides.

When voices of cynics cry, when thoughts of doubt arise, when objectors accuse, and mockers curse your faith, remember Mary, the passion of her faith, the costly, selfless offering she gave to Jesus; and remember His unfailing love for her and for you, His abiding affection for us all, and His defense of a humble woman, whose primary goal was pouring herself out to her Master. Remember, and then reject all disparaging voices. Put ill opinion of those who are of this world behind you.

Mary's life, her testimony, her pure worship, are a picture of grace, the substance of a beautiful woman of God. Her adoration of the Lord flowed from depth of dedication and a heart helplessly surrendered, desperate to know Him, seek Him, and give everything she had to Him.

Will you join her legacy? Will you ask the Lord for a renewed focus on Him and a sweet dedication to communing with Him in spirit and in truth? Not for a moment only, not just for Sundays, not for a few short sacrifices of time, but for all of time and eternity, with everything you are, giving all you have? Will you worship Jesus?
Text quoted and reference material is from Archaeological Study Bible, NIV

16 comments:

  1. Beautiful! And what compelling and timeless questions. They deserve our answer today ... and every day. For truly whatever rips us from His presence is not worth the ripping. We are whole beneath His wings.

    Be blessed,
    Kathleen

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  2. What a beautiful scene these words paint! Just as the others' "eyes remained fixed on this lovely follower of Christ", so did Mary set her eyes on the one she adored...focusing on Him alone. May our eyes never falter from focusing on the Saviour, for as long as our sight is directed on Him, true worship will follow.

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  3. Beautiful post. Praying that our eyes will remain fixed on Christ Jesus.

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  4. I want to live a life of surrendered worship, just as Mary did. I don't want the shame of my past to be my hesitation. Instead, I want to offer Jesus my all...my box of limited worth...and pour it willingly and lavishly at his feet. What a tremendous gift to be an Easter people! Walk it well this week, my precious friend.

    peace~elaine

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  5. Beautiful words........ and I know that even though I know God loves me...... I need to read things like this to remind me of just how DEEP His love for me is. I so needed to read.....put all opinions of this world behind you. Thanks for visiting my blog the other day. I enjoy reading yours, too! Have a wonderful Easter!

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  6. I have always been intrigued by this story of Mary; and desire this kind of humble worship of our precious Lord. Thank you for such beautiful thought-provoking words! And thank you for stopping by my blog and for you kind comment! I look forward to visiting you again often.

    Michele

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  7. Thank you for this post! I needed to here that when thoughts of doubt arise I need to remember His unfailing love for me, and his abiding affection for me!!

    Blessings!
    Jenna

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  8. I think we sometimes forget how to truly "worship" Christ. We read our Bibles, sing hymns, pray for others, but do we really sit at Jesus's feet and just bask in the glory of His presence? Thanks for this beautiful story that will again remind me to just remain in awe of who He is and what He had done for me.

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  9. What a beautiful discription of such a wonderful moment:) The sacrifice He made is still so unfathomable but this week we all focus on that loving gift He gave to us all. May we all continue this same passionate worship throughout the year.

    Blessings,

    Kim

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  10. This is a beautiful message of worship and the place I definitely want to be this week, especially.

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  11. Andrea,
    Thank you for your very sweet comment on my blog! Yours is very lovely too! Is the picture in your header your family room? I love it! It is exactly my taste in decorating. I'm looking forward to exploring your blog over the next few days and catching up. :)

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  12. Oh and I am curious where you live now. Perhaps we are neighbors! :)

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  13. Dear Andrea...Thank you so very much for visiting my Blog. It means so much to me that you took the time to comment...

    Now...I must share this with you!

    I've been suffering with a nasty upper respiratory thingy and feeling pretty terrible. My hubby is the music minister (worship leader) at our church and we are singing this Sunday for Easter. We just finished going over our song and both of us are overwhelmed with the condition of our voices...truly terrible sounding right now. He's not well either.

    We decided to rest from the practice and I came upstairs to check my email. I saw your post and just had to come visit your site.

    I read with love and awe CS Lewis' writings. I sat here and wept. We are singing BROKEN and SPILLED OUT on Sunday... Seeing in written word once again the love of Mary for her Lord helped me to realize that everything is based on our heart and not the condition of our sometimes tired and weary offerings...

    I'm following your beautiful Blog as I want to go back and read and read and read your past Posts...

    Blessings to you and your loving spirit....

    Rebecca

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  14. Thank you Andrea for visiting me. I am in the middle of an on going reseach project dealing with the troubling times that we are in. It is very unpleasant and disturbing. Your beautiful music is blessing my heart as I type.
    Hugs and blessings,
    Sue

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  15. Hi Andrea,

    I've haven't been "blog visiting" this week and have really missed it. I wasn't disappointed to visit you today. I got to catch up on all your posts. I love C.S. Lewis writings. You always lift me up when I visit. :)

    On Friday, My Mother is taking me to a Tea Room in Springfield. I'll let you know how it is and maybe it can be a place that we can go to when ya'll come up next time. :)

    Happy Easter weekend....or at our church we say.....Happy Ressurrection!! :)

    Hugs & Blessings,

    ~Katherine~

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Thank you for visiting. I cherish your thoughts. You are special to me, but most of all, you are special to God, who loves you with everlasting love. May your life be swept into His joy and peace.

In the Wonderful Love of Christ our Savior,

Andrea