“He who loves the Lord, loves also the assemblies in which His name is adored.” Charles Spurgeon
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV
While we often take these verses of Paul’s letter to be his counsel for our individual lives, they are better and more fully understood when we remember he was writing to the church. What better way to go to church this morning than to carry these words as a treasure in our hearts? Pray always and give thanks together, no matter what we are facing. These two will be the bookends that hold all the rest of our meeting together and are God’s best and highest desire for us as we gather together on His special day.
After my grandfather came from Italy, he became a barber and all six of his children had to pitch in to help in the shop. That shop was where my dad learned his barbering. As a young man dad went off to the war and after coming home settled on opening a beauty salon. On Mondays, dad closed the store for cleaning and while I helped sweep the floors and clean the chairs, we had some of our best talks. Dad loved telling stories and one of his favorites was how many of the ladies washed their hair before coming in, even though they knew he would wash it again. They just couldn’t stand the idea of him seeing that their hair dirty! Now you might think that silly, but sometimes we do the same thing when we go to church. Think of church as Heaven’s beauty shop, where God has a message and fellowship prepared for us that can help us with our dirty hair and give us a loving style again. But instead, of coming to ask God for His help, we decide that we better get ourselves washed up at home, so maybe He won’t notice. Even crazier is that, unlike dad’s clientele, we do not even have to pay the bill. Instead, God has chosen to pay in advance at Calvary, for everything we have ever done. He is not angry when we come with our needs and problems, instead He is ready to wash away our sin and exchange it for grace and beauty and leaves us a new lifestyle. Then, He proudly shows anyone who wants to know that our hair as well as our soul is squeaky clean and ready for Heaven! The hymn “Just as I Am”, reminds us how Jesus calls us to come.
And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. Luke 7:37-38 NIV
As with many of you, I have been struck by the revival at Asbury University as well as around the nation. The simple exuberance and humility of the mostly young people there has touched my heart and it reminds me of this story that Luke tells in his gospel. Sadly, I feel a lot more like Simon this morning than the woman and wonder what has happened to my heart. You see, Simon asked Jesus to his house, thinking that Jesus would be impressed by the invitation, much like I head off to church on Sunday mornings. Though Simon wasn’t one of those plotting to kill Jesus, he did have some serious reservations about what Jesus was teaching. The encouraging thing to me is that in spite of Simon’s shortcomings, Jesus accepted his invitation. But that day turned out to be a lot different than Simon had expected.
Simon’s problem was that he thought that he was in control of how things ought to go, much like I feel when the church service flows according to my expectations. But just when everything seemed to be going smoothly, a strange woman showed up at his door. She just came in uninvited and began washing Jesus’ feet. That unsettled Simon much as an altar full of weeping people upends our schedule. A lot like me, Simon defined his faith by his doing things to impress God, yet all the while remaining in control. But the faith of this woman was about more than just giving Jesus a seat at the table. Her faith saw Jesus for who He truly was! Think of all that Simon missed that day. He could have been one of those few throughout all of history who had washed Jesus’ feet, anointed His head with oil and given Him a kiss on the cheek. Instead, Simon contented himself by just inviting Jesus over for a visit. Is all that our Sunday services are anymore? Are we just inviting God to stop by for an hour? Or are we like that sinful woman whom Simon was very uncomfortable with? Will we receive something that Simon did not? Will we go off to lunch unchanged, or will we go home forgiven, blessed and at peace? Simon stuck to his plans but missed out on all that Jesus could have done for him. Let’s not miss our opportunity as Jesus is passing by today. Let’s not just spend our time trying to impress God. Instead, why don’t we wash the feet of the least of those who God puts in our path, pour oil on the wounds of those around us and give Jesus a kiss and worship Him for all that He has done?
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