Immoderate Act of Love | Monday in Holy Week | April 6, 2020

The appointed gospel reading for Monday in Holy Week is the story of the anointing of Jesus by Mary at a party given in Jesus' honor at the home she shared with her sister Martha and brother Lazarus, whom Jesus had just raised from death. Scandalously, Mary breaks a bottle of expensive ointment and anoints Jesus' feet, drying them with her hair. This immoderate act of love outrages some of those present, but Jesus defends it as the act of love it is. This year, in this Holy Week, we are not able to meet together to mark these days. We are staying in our homes in an effort to stop the spread of Covid-19. But while we cannot meet together, we have an opportunity to learn from Jesus and from Mary what it means to love God and love one another.

Pastor H. Julian Gordy

Jesus,Bethany,Mary,Martha,Lazarus,meal,expensive perfume,annoint,feet,hair,act of love,lavash love,love,Jews,burial,raised from the dead,immoderate act of love,love extravagantly,Holy Week,offended,immoral,outrageous,judgemental,gratitude,serving our neighbor,act of worship,death and resurrection,COVID-19,coronavirus,Lutherans,Methodists,Presbyterians,Catholics,Episcopalians,Homily for Holy Week,