There's Something about Mary

I've been thinking about this mysterious woman that many have speculated about. Some say she was the woman caught in adultery and some have linked her to a public moment of a generous anointing of Jesus feet and still others note that she may well have been a woman who was recognized at the level of a disciple in the days that Jesus lived and ministered on the earth.

I don't know that any of us can say for sure who she was, what she did, or the actual affects her life had on the development of the Church. Too much has been lost in the translation of history to have any certain answers. What I have come to ponder is her apparent dedication to the truth, the truth she recognized in the life and message of Jesus.

Some scholars, theologians and preachers have focused incessantly on the possibility of her life of prostitution. Sadly, they link the generous anointing to the perceived forgiveness she was given when the Pharisees brought her to Jesus in an attempt to justify stoning her. Jesus redirected the "justice posse" with a simple statement, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her" (John 8:7). I heard very few messages from the pulpit that pause to ponder this section of the passage authentically. Typically there's a rush of points to get to the fact that Jesus let the woman go with a simple statement of the facts, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I. Go and sin no more."

Certainly we want to connect with the free grace of forgiveness that was demonstrated there. However, I think there is so much more and we miss it when we rush the passage. Jesus demonstrated something deeply powerful in his response. He recognized her value. Aside from the accusations, aside from the breaking of the religious law, aside from the all the things that only the heart of God could've known, He saw, above all else, her value. And in seeing her and her value, the path was laid for her to begin to see it too.

That takes me to the anointing scene found later in the Gospel of John. A woman, that tradition holds as Mary Magdalene, is found pouring expensive perfume on Jesus' feet. I can't help but stop and wonder about the motivation. What lead to that point? Why is this story included in the Gospel's at all? And then I think about how much it reflects the value that Jesus had once recognized in Mary. The story of Mary's generous gift demonstrates the almost innate response that one has when they come to realize how much they are valued.

So then, I have to wonder how many us actually understand that the forgiveness and grace we are offered through Christ stems from how much we are valued. And further, what is our motivation for our giving (be it financial or otherwise)? Have we connected as deeply and thoroughly with the way God sees us that we have found the innate response that flows with generosity? Not simply because we realize how much we have been forgiven, but even more because we know the reality of our value. Does the motivation of our faith stem from the obligation of receiving forgiveness, or do our lives reflect a deeper understanding?

Basking

For some unexplained reason I'm more than a tiny bit overwhelmed tonight with the amazing grace that God so lavishly offers. It's a strange profound understanding of faithfulness that crosses the boundaries of the limited logic that I am constrained with. So often I've heard individuals of the Christian persuasion make confident statements about the faithfulness of God. Sometimes those statements can come across trite or shallow because the one making the statement is linking them to a perceived blessing. I appreciate the blessings of God as much as the next person. However, tonight I am struck - not so much with the essence of what He gives - but more with the essence of who He is.

Those who have the opportunity to listen to me process will often hear me link things to the "unforced rhythms of grace," an unnerving concept tucked at the back of Matthew 11 in The Message. Like an unimaginable dance, these unforced rhythms of grace seem to have captured me in a way that takes my breath away and leaves my heart swelling with delight and a desire that will only be fulfilled in eternity. There is a strange excitement that fills my heart. Something comparable to what I think it might feel like to win a big lottery - only this gift of grace could never be measured to the clear monetary limits of this comparison. Nevertheless, the only thing I can compare it to is this tangible opportunity that would relieve a lot of real life burdens.

Is this one of the scenic overlooks on this journey? Does this sweeten those bitter days of struggle? I don't know. All I can say is that I'm grateful for the opportunity to be here and to enjoy the delight of these moments. If I won the lottery, I know I would share it with you...this is so much better. I hope that as you experience the unforced rhythms of grace that you will come to experience God for who He really is.

It's been awhile

Funny, it's been almost a year since I've last visited with you here. Wow...how time flies!

As I consider the past year, I am astounded at the person growth that the trials have afforded me. A forging of character that is earned not bestowed. Maybe it's the essence of maturity. Maybe it's the reality of joining a new decade in life and the little footprints that time leaves as it marches on, leaving the past as a reflective experience. What ever it is, it kind of makes me want to reveal the reality of gray in my hair. Though I probably won't. I still like the blonde facade!

The summary of the the last year would be: the reality of it all is that it really is all about love.

However, it's as much about learning about love as it is about giving and receiving it. Too often we try to force our understanding of love into boundaries of our current experience, when in fact, our current experience is the force that is designed to extended the boundaries of our love. When we refuse to allow the boundaries of our love to expand, we fail to grow and thrive. This kind of growth seems like reckless risk because it almost always requires a vulnerability that goes against our self protecting nature.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not pushing reckless love without boundaries in relationship. What I'm talking about is the kind of confident love that can clearly identify the difference between "you" and "me," but offers open, honest passion to "you" as if it were "me." In a kind of, "love your neighbor as you love yourself type of way." What I'm learning is that I have often failed to understand what it means to love myself in this context and thereby have no idea how to love my neighbor. The concept does bring up images of Mother Teresa, or some other seemingly selfless soul. I think that we over romanticize the lives of others in hopes of feeling better about our world. It's easier to celebrate virtue in someone else. It takes so much work to allow them to develop in ourselves!

Work? Yes! But anything that is worth having is going to cost. I say that unrequited, self-less love is worth the effort. Just the taste that I've been afforded has created and appetite for more. So, satisfaction comes for investing in what is most valuable. Let the boundaries expand!