beacon Sunday Rally 1/12: BREAK OPEN

Mark 14:3-9

3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,[a] as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii[b] and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 For you always have the poor with you, and whenever you want, you can do good for them. But you will not always have me. 8 She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial. 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”

Mary in Bethany is probably my favorite character in the New Testament, other than Jesus. She is someone who I model a lot of my life after. 

• Mary is the sister of Lazarus and Martha. She was the one who sat at Jesus’ feet while her sister complained that she wasn’t working. And Lazarus, is the man that Jesus raised from the dead. 
• Mary had this alabaster flask with this perfume and poured it at Jesus’ feet, this perfume was very expensive. It most likely was passed on to her, like an inheritance, it represented financial stability, maybe even her future. But she decided to break this open and pour it over Jesus’ head and people said, “Why this waste?” 
• I don’t know about you but I resonate so much with that. “Why this waste?” 

“What do you mean you can’t stay out late on a Saturday night because you have to be up at 5am on a Sunday morning?”

“What do you mean you quit your job to move to a different town to be a part of a church?”

“What do you mean you give money to the church?”

“Why do you waste so much energy jumping up and down on stage?”

“Why do you volunteer? You know you can just go to church.”

“You do KIDS?!?!??!”

• And then beautiful Jesus comes to her defense, “LEAVE HER ALONE.” 
• At this time the disciples didn’t quite understand his worthiness yet, and what he was about to do. But Mary, saw Jesus. Who raised her beloved brother back to life, and how he was kind and how he wept. How he was wise and gentle and she saw that this man Jesus was her inheritance. This man Jesus was her stability and this man Jesus is her future. 
• And she took what she valued the most and broke it open before him because she saw and she knew His worthiness and he said, “She has done a beautiful thing. She’s anointed my body for burial.” 
• I think the most beautiful part of this whole thing is that because that was expensive perfume, you know the smell lasted and ok, she didn’t spritz Jesus. She broke it open and poured it on top of his head, down to his beard, his shoulders, and he was soaked. When people walked into the room, they smelled that worship. And shortly after this, Jesus died on the cross for us and I bet you he smelled that worship on him and it would keep him going whenever he did. Maybe that’s just how I imagine it. 
• So why this waste? Why did we “waste” our time planting a church in a hard city? Why do we wake up at 5am on a Sunday morning to unstack chairs, put up a wall only to tear it down in an hour and 15 minutes? Why do we raise our hands? Why do we shout? Jump up and down? Why do we have to volunteer when we can just come to church?
• I believe it’s because each one of us have seen and tasted the real Jesus. His amazing power, his loving gentleness and kindness and I want to encourage you guys that He sees you too. 
• That he comes to your defense, when people say, “What a waste!” He says, “I’ve seen the sacrifices you’ve made to be here.” 
• “I’ve heard the yeses and the nos that you’ve had to make.”
• “I have heard the times you cried out my name as you battle whatever it is that you battle.” 
• And you have a done a beautiful thing. And I want to encourage you
  

Galatians 6:9

“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

And the cool thing is, the reward that we will reap is more of Jesus and when we have more of Jesus we can’t help but overflow to others. Cuz I’m sure after she poured out that perfume, it was EVERYWHERE. In everything she touched, everything Jesus touched and it was so beautiful. That’s what happens when you see Jesus and his goodness, you can’t help but worship. You can’t help but serve. You can’t help but love.

So I want to encourage you beacon, you are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Thank you for all the work you’ve done and I’m so excited for this new season that we are about to step into.