Reflections on “Giving Gifts: Anointing” SAPC, Denton; January 30, 2022; I Mark 14: 1-8; Exodus 30: 22-33

The sermon never seemed to gel when I worked on it this morning before worship. the Time with Young Disciples seemed to go well, so I thought maybe the sermon was going to pull together.  But, it never did!

 “Giving Gifts: Anointing”  SAPC, Denton; January 30, 2022; I Mark 14: 1-8; Exodus 30: 22-33; gift giving series

Mark 14: 1-8:

It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus[a] by stealth and kill him; 2 for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.”

The Anointing at Bethany

3 While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,[b] as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. 4 But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii,[c] and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial.

Introduction:  We continue our preaching series on giving gifts back to God.  As you know, it grows out of the Epiphany story of the wise men bringing gifts to the Christ-child.

Wise men brought gifts worthy of a king, but they were not easy gifts.  they represent challenging gifts for us to give.

Today, we think about the wise men giving the gift of myrrh - a rare perfume often used for anointing - and the gift of anointing.

Anointing as a gift - what does that mean?

A gift in two parts - investing your life in Jesus and acting on your investment.

Move 1: In the story in the Gospel of Mark, we see the woman investing her life in Jesus.

a.  We know her story is important because it is told in all four of the gospels, although the details vary depending on the gospel.

1.  Details vary about where the anointing takes place - Mark and Matthew, the event occurs in the house of Simon the leper. Luke locates it in the home of "one of the Pharisees." In John it takes place in the house of Lazarus.

details vary about who the woman was - In Mark and Matthew she is an unnamed woman. In John she is Mary, the sister of Lazarus. In Luke she is "a woman in the city, who was a sinner." 

Details vary about what part of Jesus body was anointed - In Mark and Matthew, she anoints Jesus' head. In Luke she bathes his feet with the ointment and her tears and dries them with her hair. John's account mirrors Luke's, though Mary's action there is more matter of fact, minus the tears.

and what the objections were.

Even the reasons why each Gospel writer tells the story varies:  Luke uses it to emphasize the forgiveness of sins. John emphasizes the anointing of Jesus' body for burial. Mark and Matthew emphasize her proclaiming her beautiful act of anointing to the whole world. 

(Analysis of this parable found in https://www.patheos.com/resources/additional-resources/2012/03/extravagant-holiness-alyce-mckenzie-03-26-2012?p=2; “Extravagant Holiness: Reflections on The Anointing at Bethany” by Alyce Mackenzie, 3/25/12)

b.   Her anointing reveals that the woman has found the one to whom she wants to give her life.

1.  the one worthy of using very expensive oil to anoint.

2.  Like the story in Exodus where myrrh is used to anoint the tabernacle and its furnishings, to set them aside for holy purposes, to acknowledge that they represent something more than everyday things, something of God, the woman anoints to proclaim that she has found the one who was holy, the one who is more than anything or anyone else she can find in the world.

3.  When the disciples question why she anointed him, Jesus defends her actions and says,  “She has done what she could;” 

4. in the Greek, this is the same phrase Jesus uses to comment about the poor woman who gave two coins in offering (The Gospel According to Mark, James R. Edwards, 415)  

5.  A reminder - the gift of choosing Jesus is not a matter of money, but a matter of commitment.  

c. As Jesus reflects on her gift of anointing, he also foreshadows his coming death.

1.  A reminder to us that the gift of anointing, the gift of giving our lives over to Christ, reflects the gift God has already given us.

2. That is, in Christ, God says I choose my children.  and in choosing them, I will even die for them.

3.  so the gift of anointing Jesus grows out of Jesus willingness to be God’s gift to us.

The woman invests herself in Jesus Christ.  Are you willing to give the same gift?

Move 2: not only does she invest in Jesus Christ, but she acts on her investment.

a.  How do we act on our commitment to Christ?

1.  I am reminded of reading about the impact the camp meetings had on people on the KY frontier.

2.  I served in an area whose religious history was greatly impacted by the camp meeting phenomenon.

3. In fact, the Disciples of Christ trace their beginnings to an area near where I served when the Presbyterian church refused to let its ministers be involved in campo meetings.

4.  Hear this description:  Davidson, History of Presbyterian Church in KY, p. 136 in the discussion of the impact of the Great Revival:  “The laborer quitted his task; age snatched its crutch; youth forgot its pastime; the plough was left in the furrow; the deer enjoyed a respite upon the mountains; business of all kinds was suspended; dwelling houses were empty; whole neighborhoods were emptied; bold hunter and sober matrons, young men, maidens and little children, flocked to the common centre of attraction; every difficulty was surmounted, every risk ventured, to be present at a camp meeting.”  

5. Imagine that commitment.

b. Remarkable part of the story in Mark.

1.  As betrayal and brutality are being plotted; as the disciples are trying to figure out what Jesus is doing, the woman takes a moment and boldly acts.

2.  She anoints Jesus.  it may have practical purposes, but it was also a symbolic gesture.

3. She is giving herself over to Jesus.  

4.  All that she has, she gives to anoint him.

c.  I suppose that is the question before each of us.

1. when we choose to give our lives over to Christ, what is the next step?

2. Scary question.  Or, maybe scary answers arise from the question!

3.  Dennis Campbell, former dean of Duke Divinity School, tells that he frequently got calls from parents worried about their children.  Seldom was it about how the kids were doing academically or socially. Usually, the parents were worried about their kids' religious commitments.  Going to church was apparently okay, but getting too caught up in that commitment, especially if it meant mission work, was difficult for parents to understand. 

3.  The woman in Mark anointed Jesus.  What will you do?

Amen.

Reflections on "Giving Gifts: Time" I Corinthians 16: 5-9; Colossians 4: 2-6

The sermon seemed to work ok.  Not sure why the numbering is off in the text below.  

 “Giving Gifts: Time”  SAPC, Denton; January 16, 2022; I Corinthians 16: 5-9; Colossians 4: 2-6  gift giving series

Colossians 4: 2-6

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time pray for us as well that God will open to us a door for the word, that we may declare the mystery of Christ, for which I am in prison, 4 so that I may reveal it clearly, as I should.

5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.[a] 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer everyone.

Introduction:  We continue our preaching series on the gifts we give, which grows out of the story of the wise men bringing gifts to Christ.

In his discussion of story of the wise men, NT scholar Raymond Brown notes that there have been many embellishments to the story of wise men, particularly as seen in all the Christmas pageants!    But, Brown writes, these embellishments fit with what Matthew is trying to do in his telling of the story.  Matthew wants the Gentile-Christians in his time see the wise men and understand that they too have a place in the story.

likewise, we remember the wise men and know that we have a place in the story.

This morning, we reflect on giving back to God the gift of time.  

the wise men did not open their chests and pull out the gift of time, like some giant stop watch or Apple watch full of apps.  But, perhaps the greatest gift they gave was the time they devoted to following the star to come and meet the Christ-child and give him gifts.

How much time did they give?  the answer varies, depending on how you calculate it. Last week, Dr. Patterson gave us the 2-yr answer, which is the traditional answer, based on clues from the text about how old Jesus was when the wise men finally found him.

 Other scholars calculate how many miles the wise men traveled and divide it by the expected miles they could travel in a day and come up with a variety of answers ranging from three months to six months.

Can you imagine committing three months, or six months, or two years to one task?

The exact amount of time does not matter, but the commitment of time does. 

A few thoughts on giving our time in service to Christ.

Move 1: The wise men’s gift of their time calls on us to order our lives so we can give time to do God’s work.

a.  when Paul writes to the Corinthians about the time he is currently spending in Ephesus, he notes that a “wide door for effective work” has been opened for him.”

1. Reminder to the Corinthians and to us about Paul’s intentional effort to be part of something more than himself.

2.  He looks around and sees how God can use him, so he is planning his time accordingly. 

3.  too often, we focus on giving our time in pursuit of what we want.

4.  Decide what to do based on what’s next on our bucket list. 

5.  Giving our all to accomplish one more thing that meets our needs.

6. Paul reminds us of the need to order our time based on what God calls us to do.

b.  In his letter to the Colossians - Paul urges the Colossians to make “the most of the time.

1.  The  Greek word for “time” could also be “opportunity” (Study notes)

1. In other words, time is an opportunity for ministry.

2.  But we have to be intentional about giving our time to serve in those opportunities.

3. As you examine how you spend your time, are there opportunities for more Bible study?  

or prayer time?

Or, maybe you want to go out and do something like volunteer with Habitat for Humanity?  or Our Daily Bread?; or mentoring a young adult?

4.  As in most gifts, we have the gift of time because God has given it to us.  The question the wise men ask us is - how are we ordering our time to give it back to God?

Move 2:  Paul also reminds us of the importance of giving our time to develop deeper relationships. 

a.  We hear Paul tell the Corinthians that he wants to spend some time with them.

1  He does not want to just see them in passing.

2. he wants to come and stay awhile, spend time with them, and grow in their relationship together.

3.  Paul, of course, remembers how important it was for him to have someone invest time in his life and help him grow.

3.  Remember back when he was Saul.  When all he knew about followers of Christ was what he needed to know to persecute them?

4. When he suddenly changes after his Damascus road experience, how can he learn what it means to follow Christ?

5.  he learns a lot through the presence of Ananias, another Christian.  No one else wants to get near Saul, but Ananias spends time with him, travels with him, helps shape Saul into Paul.

6. Paul knew how important the gift of Ananias’ time was to him, and he wants to do the same with the Corinthians.  

7. Spend time.  Grow together.

c. study of 2K student texters  (A Pew Internet and American Life Project study of 2K students says Lee Rainie , director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project) found that they liked texting because it allowed them to pass on information in as little time as possible with as little small talk as possible.

                1. We know that truth don’t we?  

1. We like texting because you can just send info and never engage.

1. With emoji and GIPHs, you do not even have to use words!

1. Think about the implications of that.

1. Superficial relationships that allow for the sharing of more and more information, but not the development of deep, abiding relationships where love can grow, where we can 

         6.  one of the challenges of Covid has been the difficulty in maintaining and growing relationships

b. Over the years I have had numerous conversations with people who were reflecting on their lives.

1. Not the dramatic death bed stories, but stories people tell as they see death looming and look back over their lives.
2. 
   
3. I have heard some great stories; I have heard some deep regrets. Mostly I have heard people reflect on what they might have done differently as they look back over their lives.

1. I can think of no instance when anyone has told me that they wish they had spent less time with their families; or that they had spent too much time developing friendships.

1. usually, they talk about wishing they had spent less time at work; or less time on that hobby; or less time obsessing over this or that.

1. And they wish they had spent more time with building meaningful relationships.

c. Give the gift of your time to deepen relationships and help others grow in their faithfulness.

move 3: Final thought - sometimes we give the gift of time to allow ourselves and others to discover new possibilities.

a.  The county in OH where I used to live had a strong Mennonite presence.  

1.  some of them served on Christian Peacemaking Teams  that went to conflict parts of the world as observers, basically a neutral presence watching what was happening.

2.  Rick Pohlhamus, One of the team members, met with our local clergy group to talk about what they do.

3.  He told us about a story that had taken place on one of his trip to Israel.

he described how he would drive around to try and be present in moments of crisis.  Not that he could force anything to change, but he could be present.

he told us the story of finding himself one morning at a Palestinian elementary school. Students from the school had thrown rocks at Israeli soldiers to the day before, so the soldiers showed to punish the Palestinian students.

The soldiers put chains on all the exits except the main entrance, where the soldier in charge stood to keep no one from leaving. Then, the Israeli soldiers shot tear gas into the school. Soon students were hanging out the windows begging for help and sucking in the fresh air.

An Israeli soldier in charge had the principal at gunpoint near a narrow exit blocking them from leaving.

Polhamus describes seeing the danger of what might happen if the principal makes the wrong move or if the gun goes off accidentally. He feared it would set off all the soldiers surrounding the school and many kids would be killed.

Polhamus moves in between the gun barrel and the principal. 

As he is trying to figure out what to do next, his cell phone rings. He answers (it's a friend calling), and then he says to the soldier, 'it's your mother.” “no, it's not.” 'yes, it is.” “no, it's not.” “if it were your mother, what would you tell her you were doing?” “It's not my mother.” “I know, but if it were, what would you tell her you were doing right now?” The soldier abruptly turns and calls the soldiers off and they leave.

Polhamus describes how he tries to give space in the violence for something else to happen. To give time for the participants to consider the new possibilities that they could have.

Later, he learns that the soldier leaves the army and joins a group of former soldiers working for peace.

Giving Intentional time, or maybe we might call it a time out from the normal that gives space for God's grace to work.

b. We can give the gift of time to invite others, invite ourselves to step away from the rush of our lives and re-envision what we are doing.

1. To intentionally break away from our routines to and take time to envision new possibilities for what God is doing with our lives.

1. Or remember the Israelites – 40 years in the wilderness. 

1. Some scholars suggest that the significance of the forty years was not because 40 was a special number (although it was), but because it took 40 years for Israel to imagine what it would be like as they move from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land;

1. it took 40 years to grow into the possibilities that await them where they will find themselves in a land of milk and honey.

Conclusion: the wise men gave the gift of time to go and find the Christ-child.  it changed their lives forever.

Give the gift of time.  it might change your life forever.

Reflections on "Giving Gifts" Matthew 2: 1-12; 3: 13-17

This sermon kicked off our next preaching series - this one on giving gifts.  We also had the live illustration of Ruling Elders and Deacons being ordained and installed in worship.  I tried to tie together the story of the wise men bringing gifts with the story of Jesus being baptized.  It seemed to work ok. 

perhaps it was two sermons that I made into one!

 “Giving Gifts”  SAPC, Denton; January 2, 2022  Maatthew 2: 1-12; 3:13-17

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men[a] from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd[d] my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Matthew 3

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved,[d] with whom I am well pleased.”

Introduction: In the liturgical calendar, today could be Epiphany Sunday, since Thursday was January 6, the day of Epiphany when we read the story of the three wise men and the gifts they bring to baby Jesus.

Or, today could be Baptism of our Lord Sunday when we read the story of Jesus being baptized in the river Jordan and reflect on the beginning of his ministry.

We decided to combine the two Sundays, so today is Epiphany/baptism of the Lord Sunday, a day we kick off a seven week series on giving gifts.  

Our trunk the kids brought in during the processional will stand before us each week, reminding us of the gifts we bring to Christ. 

This morning, I invite you to reflect on giving gifts in broad terms.  as we set the stage for reflecting in coming weeks on specific gifts we can give to Christ.  

Move 1:  We begin my noting that the wise men set the example of giving extravagant gifts.

a.  Imagine you were the wise men preparing to go find the newly born Christ-child..

1.  What would you bring to baby Jesus, who is reputed to be king of the Jews?

2.  you could make a pretty good argument that he has everything or at least access to everything he needs.  

2.  Probably a little more discussion than might take place for any other baby gift to take to a newborn, but the same type of question.

3. Do we take something practical?

An alternative tradition holds that Mary and Joseph used the gold to pay for the stable, the frankincense to perfume it and the myrrh as an ointment for the new-born baby. (https://www.theguardian.com/notesandqueries/query/0,5753,-1623,00.html, David Cottis)

4.  or, do we do something that has special meaning?

b. The wise men opt for the extravagant.

1.  they do not ask what baby Jesus needs.  they just bring him

gold, a precious metal; 

frankincense, a costly perfume

and myrrh, a prized perfume.

2.  These gifts were usually given to a king or a person with high status. For example, the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon and gave him precious gifts: “Arriving at Jerusalem with a very great caravan — with camels carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones” (1 Kings 10:2). The spices that she brought with her might be frankincense and myrrh.  (Niveen Sarras, 1/6/2019; https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-8)

3.  There are other stories outside the biblical texts of these types of gifts being brought to the gods like Apollo or to other kings as a gift.  

4. We look to the wise men and see them kneeling for the Christ-child with gifts of indulgence.

c.  Extravagant, of course, does not necessarily mean monetary value.

1. The Gift of the Magi, short story by O. Henry, published in the New York Sunday World in 1905 and then collected in The Four Million (1906).

The story concerns James and Della Dillingham Young, a young couple who, despite their poverty, individually resolve to give each other an elegant gift on Christmas Eve. 

Della only has $1.87 to spend, so she sells her beautiful long hair for $20 in order to buy a platinum fob chain for Jim’s antique gold watch. 

Meanwhile, Jim pawns his treasured watch to purchase jeweled tortoiseshell combs for Della’s hair.

 O Henry finishes story with:  “the magi, as you know, were wise men -- wonderfully wise men -- who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger.  They invented the art of giving Christmas presents.  Being wise, their gifts were no doubt wise ones, possibly bearing the privilege of exchange in case of duplication.  And here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasure of their house.  But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest.  Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest.  Everywhere they are the wisest.  They are the magi. (for more details, go to https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Gift-of-the-Magi)

2.  As you reflect in the coming weeks on gifts you can give to Christ, think in extravagant terms.

3. after all, that’s what God has done in giving you the gift of Christ Jesus.

Move 2:  The wise men also remind us that gift-giving requires commitment. 

a.  Nothing easy about the trip the magi make to bring their gifts to Jesus.

1.  they have to travel a long way.

2.  they may not have to deal with rush hour traffic or construction on I-35, but they have no Google maps or Waze, just a star in the sky.

3. they have to deal with King Herod - they may not understand Herod’s interest, but they apparently sense the pooer dynamic and Herod’s threat to them if they connect themselves with the baby born in Bethlehem.

4. But, they persevere, bring their gifts, and have a life-changing moment.

b.  As you ponder the gifts you can give to Christ Jesus, remember it is more than a fleeting moment.

1.  Consider the commitment you make in the giving of your gifts.

2.  A commitment that opens you up to a life-changing moment.

Move 3:  A final thought - God wants us to give the gift. 

a.  To begin his ministry, Jesus heads down to the River Jordan.

1.  John has been baptizing people there, and Jesus gets in line for his baptism, so to speak.

2.  As we might imagine, John questions why Jesus needs John to baptize him.

3.  But Jesus insists.  

4. In part, Jesus says, “to fulfill all righteousness.”

5. But, from a non-theological perspective, when John baptizes Jesus, he becomes part of what Jesus is doing.

6. That is the pattern Jesus will follow throughout his ministry - inviting people to give of themselves and calling people to follow him.

7. Jesus, the gift God gives to us asks us to give the gift of joining with him.

b.  Today, we ordain and install ruling elders and deacons.

1. One example of how people give themselves as a gift to serving Christ,

2. Some of you have made this same commitment in years past; others will make it in years to come.

3. Like John in the river Jordan, those being ordained often ask, “Why do you need me?”

4. And ever before them, before us, is Jesus Christ, beckoning us to follow, to give our gifts, to join with him in serving as God’s gift to the world.

conclusion: