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Several years ago, I was on a flight from San Francisco to Hawaii. Hours into the trip, the pilot announced that we were halfway to Hawaii. He explained that the trip from the United States west coast to Hawaii is the longest over-water flight in the world during which there’s no where to land. Once you’ve gone halfway, he joked, “There’s no turning back. We just keep going!” He laughed and added, “Don’t worry! We’ll get there — and you’ll get flowers when we land!”
On Sunday, March 3, I preached at First Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We’re halfway through Lent. There’s no turning back. We just keep going! And don’t worry. We’ll get there — and flowers await your arrival!
The lectionary text for yesterday was the story of Jesus overturning tables at the Temples. I sent out a provocative guest sermon written by Jason Micheli on that reading (the sermon made for an incredible conversation in the thread — and showed a remarkable diversity of perspectives and respectful disagreement).
I didn’t preach on the same text. Instead, with the permission of First Presbyterian’s pastor, I jumped ahead in the lectionary to the Monday of Holy Week — John 12:1-8 — the story of Mary Magdalene anointing Jesus before his death.
Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, "Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?" (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, "Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me."
I recorded my sermon on my phone (as I often do) to send to you all. There’s a transcribed version (which is auto-generated and I didn’t write). If it had a title, it would be: Mary Magdalene is Us.
I hope you’ll take some time to listen and reflect. What are you turning toward this Lent? What new insights, new sense of vocation, new spiritual insights, or new awareness is being born in you?
Keep going. You’ll get there.
The original Wild Goose Mary Magdalene sermon can be found here: Mary the Tower
You can also listen to a recent podcast hosted by Christian Century with me and Elizabeth Schrader: In Search Of Podcast
Mary, of Bethany, at your feet a third time
by Andrea Skevington
And so you come once more to Bethany,
and share a meal with Lazarus,
a resurrection feast,
foreshadowing, foreshining
all those kingdom feasts you told of:
wedding banquets with long tables
set wide with good things,
with room enough for all,
welcome at your table.
Now, in Bethany, the house is ablaze with light,
shutters and doors thrown open,
all wide open with joy unspeakable,
music, laughter, dancing, wild thanksgiving
for one who was dead is alive again,
And all night, while crowds pour in from Jerusalem,
the feast goes on, and on,
as Mary enters now, cheeks glistening with joy,
past her brother at your side, back from the grave.
She kneels at your feet again,
pours out extravagant nard,
scandalous anointing of your warm, living feet,
unbinds her hair and lets it flow like water
over them, wiping them in such reckless
and tender thanksgiving.
Fragrance fills the room, the house, the night,
as more people pour from Jerusalem to you,
to you, who comes to us in our weeping,
who shares our bread with us,
and brings us to such joy as this.
Halfway Through Lent: Mary Magdalene is Us