April 7, 2019

Scriptures for April 7th: Isaiah 43:16-21, Psalm 126, Philippians 3:4-14; John 12:1-8; Theme: resurrection preview John: This scene shows the aftermath of Jesus raising Lazurus from the dead. After Lazurus has been raised, they are celebrating. Mary Magdelene comes in and honors Jesus by pouring perfume on him and wiping his feet with her hair. It is as if she is preparing him for burial. There is a lot of symbolism in this verse. The sweet smell of perfume hides the smell of death from Lazurus. Jesus was given perfume at his birth, and now he is given more at his death. Most significant is the fact the Judas is present at this dinner. He is the one to protest all that Mary is doing as extravagant, and in a few short days he will betray Jesus ….for money. That is the epitomy of selfishness. And yet it is just as important for him to be present at this meal as Mary. It is interesting how Jesus loves to keep unity. Psalm 126: The theme of this poem is restoration. This would have one of the ascent poems. One of the songs the people would have sung while they were going up the mountain to Jerusalem. They would have recounted all of the wonderful things that God was doing for them. They have a history of things to be grateful for. In this psalm, they sing of the times that God changed the fate of the nation. When they should have been mourning, they found reason to sing. When there was famine, the Lord provided. How can you not worship a God who always brings you through tough times? Questions: How is the church like Jesus dinner party, where we encounter our enemies as guest of Jesus? If we were to write a modern day psalm – what events in American history have we seen the hand of God? What extravagant gift do we bring to Jesus today? On our way to church, do we consciously think about the goodness of the God we worship?