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	June 2004
		A Quick Word Tell Him you love Him! Luke 7:36 ff. by Paul Grayston
			Some families do and some families don't. Some families are very open and warm in showing affection and in saying loving things to one another, and some seem to be less so. Some families throw things at each other when there is a tiff, while in others there can be a tense grumpiness. Some families cry at weddings and funerals; others are quite stoical. Would it be fair to say that in our Anglican family we seem on the whole to be a little disinclined to demonstrate excessive emotion? We are probably not renowned for going over-the-top in expressing our feelings. Distinct message All four Gospels tell the emotionally charged story of Jesus being anointed with precious perfume by a woman. All four stories portray her deep outpouring of love and devotion towards Jesus, and tell that the woman is rebuked by those present. Matthew's (26:6-13) and Mark's (14:3-11) versions chime in with John's version (John 12:1-11), and appear to involve Mary of Bethany; and are set shortly before Jesus' death. Essentially these depict a symbolic anointing of Jesus.and a mourning for him near the time of his death. Luke's account, however, is set at an early stage of Jesus' ministry and involves not Mary, but a 'sinful woman'. So Luke's is probably a separate but similar occasion, and carries a quite distinct message. Barbeque In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus has accepted Simon the Pharisee's dinner invitation. Perhaps the guests are reclining outside in a courtyard, by lamplight - the first century version of a barbeque. In any case the un-named woman who has 'lived a sinful life' is able to join the party unchallenged. She washes Jesus' feet with her tears, tears of repentance and of gratitude for the forgiveness and new life she has found in him, and then pours out the perfume. Overwhelmed with love for her new-found Lord, she worships him. In him, she, who is rejected and despised by society, has found acceptance and peace. Simon the Pharisee - ironic, smug Simon - simply does not get it. Abandon It's a story about forgiveness, reconciliation with God, and about new beginnings. It's a story about one person's beautiful response to these priceless gifts. The woman worshipped Jesus with passionate devotion and utter abandon. Anointing him, not to prepare him for death, as in the other similar stories, but rather to give thanks for her new life. She worshipped him who brings forgiveness, mercy and peace. She worshipped with intense awareness of all that Jesus could mean for her. When was the last time you worshipped like that? We could do with a bit more feeling. We could spend more time pondering the depths of all Jesus has done for us. We have even more reason than the woman to worship him. Have you knelt at his feet recently? Have you told him you love him - recently?