I TELL YOU THE TRUTH…FRUITS OF FAITH WILL BE REMEMBERED 3rd Wednesday in Lent – March 4th, 2015 (s659.doc) 125, 110, 129 Pastor Thomas Fricke

If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Trinity Lutheran, it’s that on days like today, this is a very active place…and a lot of what we do revolves around worship. Just look at what’s going on here today. We have Lenten worship services—not just one, but two—and to accommodate our worshipers, we offer two Lenten meals. The children are here to sing, and there are lots of people who work behind the scenes to make sure that everything keep running smoothly. Sundays are no different. We’ll have two services, with Sunday School and Bible study in between. So we put a lot of time, effort, and expense we put into our worship. But is it worth it? Or is it all just a waste? Some might go with option number two—it’s not worth it. In a thought-provoking book entitled A Royal Waste of Time, Marva Dawn wrote: “To worship the Lord is—in the world’s eyes—a waste of time. It is, indeed, a royal waste of time, but a waste nonetheless. By engaging in [worship], we don’t accomplish anything useful in our society’s terms.” A lot of the world looks at the time we spend here in church with amusement and considers it all “not worth it.” So it’s a question we need to ask: Are all the things we do for the Lord and before the Lord here at Trinity worth all the time, effort, and money we put into them? Or are all these things just a waste? In our Lenten series this year, we’re exploring various ways the world deceives us and Satan lies to us… and then Jesus breaks through with his surprising truth. Today we will take a look at another one of our Savior’s “I tell you the truth” sayings. He says: “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH… FRUITS OF FAITH WILL BE REMEMBERED.” 1. They’re not a waste when they’re done for the Lord. 2. They’re not a waste because of what the Lord has done. _____ Listen to what St. Mark writes: Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him. “But not during the Feast,” they said, “or the people may riot.” While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly. “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” –Mark 14:1-9 _____ It’s the Friday before Palm Sunday, one week before Jesus goes to the cross. Jesus is in Bethany, a village about three miles outside of Jerusalem (like the distance from Potter to here). He’s been invited to a dinner in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper. That’s interesting. Apparently, Simon’s a man who once suffered from leprosy, but not any more, or he wouldn’t invite anyone into his home. As a lep- er, he would have been forced to live in isolation—away from his family and the community. It’s proba- bly safe to say that Jesus has cured him of his leprosy. And it’s probably safe to say also that the dinner is a way for Simon and his family to say “Thank you” to Jesus for his kindness to them. But Simon’s not the only one present. Jesus’ twelve disciples are there. And the two sisters, Mary and Martha, are there as well. So is Lazarus, their brother, whom Jesus had recently raised from the dead. No doubt Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are there to say “Thank you” to Jesus for what he has done for them. But on this day, the focus is all on Mary… She comes with an alabaster jar. It contains about a pint of pure nard, a very expensive perfume import- ed from a distant land. As the guests sit down to dinner, Mary breaks the seal on the jar and pours out its contents on Jesus’ head. “[She] poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume” (John 12:3). It’s not just a little touch on the wrist or behind the ear. It’s a 16-ounce bottle…and it’s worth a year’s wages. That’s a lot of money! How do you figure a year’s wages? $15.00 an hour, 40 hours a week for 50 weeks —that’s $30,000! You don’t spend that kind of money all at once…not without a great deal of thought. And that’s the thing: Mary had given this act a great deal of thought. She had been saving this perfume for this day. Love doesn’t count the cost! Do you see the value behind Mary’s act of love? She did it for her Lord! But perhaps more to the point: Do you see the value in the things people do for their Lord also here, at church—dedicated Christians who work in all kinds of ways: assembling bulletins, singing in the choir, teaching Sunday school, and working on the altar guild and flower committee. Serving the Lord through LWMS. Cleaning the floors, shoveling the walks, and clearing the parking lot. Ushering, counting money, operating the sound booth, fixing the grounds, and more. We thank you for your acts of love to Jesus. We thank Jesus for the things you do. And what about the value in the things we all do as Christians?  Our time spent in worship—is it of value, or is it just a waste?  Our quiet moments in the Word—are they moments poorly spent?  Our offerings given to the church and through the church also to the synod…our special offerings to help our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world—are these contributions worthless? No. Not if it’s all done to the glory of God…and not if it’s done in the spirit of Mary—cheerfully, in love, in worship to her Lord. _____ When Jesus told his disciples plainly what would happen in Jerusalem—that he would be arrested, put on trial, be crucified, and on the third day raised to life—they couldn’t grasp what he was telling them. To them it made no sense. But Mary grasped what these men couldn’t. She spent her time at Jesus’ feet listening to her Savior’s words. And it was listening to his words that gave her the faith and understand- ing this act of love expressed. Jesus called it “a beautiful thing.” The disciples saw none of that. They objected. “Why this waste of perfume?” they said, “It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor” (Mark 14:5). Perhaps they should have considered the extravagant gift of another woman—the poor widow who tossed her two pennies into the temple treasury. It was all she had to live on. Given her circumstances, it was a huge sacrifice. And while it meant nothing to the temple budget, but it meant everything to Jesus. It showed what was in her heart. And so it was with Mary’s gift. “Leave her alone,” Jesus said, “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me…. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to pre- pare for my burial” (Mark 14:6,8). In the course of the week, Jesus too would be making a great sacrifice. It, too, could be considered to be a waste—poured out for those who don’t deserve it and don’t appreciate the depth of his love. This gift, too, was costly—the holy, precious blood and innocent life of God’s own Son. It was a great sacrifice, yes. But it wasn’t a waste! The sacrifice Christ made on the cross won the victory we needed to have. It defeated Satan. It disarmed sin. It took away sin’s power to send us to hell. And because of what he has done, we have every reason to give our lives—our entire lives—to him.  “Therefore,” says St. Paul, “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1).  And the writer to the Hebrews says, “Through Jesus…let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (Hebrews 13:15,16). Knowing what Jesus was about to do is what moved Mary to offer to him her sacrifice of praise. Jesus accepted that. “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said, “wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her” (Mark 14:9). As we speak, that prophecy of our Savior is being fulfilled again today! _____ “She has done a beautiful thing,” Jesus said.  The lie that Satan would have us believe is this: That works of love don’t ever mean a thing.  The truth, however is this: Fruits of faith will be remembered. In the world’s eyes, what we do in worship may all seem to be nothing but a waste. But not in the Sav- ior’s eyes. To Jesus, everything we do in obedience to his commands and out of love for God and our neighbor is something well done—it is time well spent. Come and see the beautiful things your Lord has done for you…and then let your heart overflow with the “beautiful things” you can do for him! AMEN.