Scripture standout: John 12: "1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume."
His Deed/The Day:
I went through a few emails and Facebook posts this morning, and of course, the Forward Day by Day Devotional. Death was a common theme on this Monday before Easter — tre chipper, right? The daily devotional reading shared mention of Lazarus and Mary washing Jesus' feet with rich perfume and her hair. I imagined how overcome with grief they must have been knowing his death was eminent.
A neighbor shared word of her mother's final life struggles. She talked about her stomach being in knots and her heavy heart as she waits and ponders these final hours.
Another friend said today is the fourth anniversary of her father's death. He was taken in a car accident. Her grief is still raw.
I know this grief, and there's no other way to say it than "it sucks." My mother died in an inexplicable, sudden mirage nearly 20 years ago. It still feels surreal. Had I known she would actually die from something as manageable as food poisoning, I wonder if my actions would have been as desperate and passionate as Jesus' friends and disciples. "Do you have to go, Mom? Please DON"T go, Mom. I love you so much I want to be under your skin so you won't leave. Stay longer, Mom. I love you so much I'm going to rub this expensive perfume all over your feet because you deserve this and so much more, Mom."
And I suppose Easter teaches us that there is a Third Day, that light always comes from the darkest corners. But let's be honest — it sucks.
(I Coked the garbage men again...habit, I guess)
And I suppose Easter teaches us that there is a Third Day, that light always comes from the darkest corners. But let's be honest — it sucks.
(I Coked the garbage men again...habit, I guess)
Deedsclosure: Here we go. This is it — the whole kit and kaboodle in a nice, well written explanatory package. It is from a Crosswalk devotional shared last week. :
New Life Daily Devotion - March 30, 2012
Help Your Neighbor
Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. - Philippians 2:4
When you see someone who needs help, do you stop?
On a road in England, a van spun out of control and plunged into a lake. In a black limousine, Princess Diana rode past the site. “Pull off here”, she told her driver. The Princess ran toward the van, jumped into the water, and pulled a man out of his vehicle. They waited until the police arrived. The Princess of Wales had saved a homeless vagrant.
Once a Jewish law expert asked Jesus about how to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked the man, “What does the law say?” The man told Jesus, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and Love your neighbor as yourself”. Then Jesus told a story about the Good Samaritan. When some robbers beat up a man, a priest and a religious leader had walked passed this half-dead man . . . yet ignored him. Then a Samaritan man lovingly loaded the man on his donkey and took him to an inn.
It’s easy to walk past people who need our help. But it takes love and concern to look at the people around us as our neighbor. Who is my neighbor? Jesus gave us an example in the Bible, and Princess Diana gave us a modern day example.
I challenge you today to look for an unexpected opportunity to help someone in need.
“If you haven’t any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.” -Bob Hope (1903-2003)
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