Foundry UMC DC: Sunday Sermons
Religion & Spirituality:Christianity
Text: John 12:1-8
What will it cost? That is a critical question in any renovation project. And the “renovation reality” is that it almost always costs more than planned. Behind door number three might be gorgeous original tile OR black mold, unexpected wiring, or termites. Or perhaps there are costly delays thanks to the weather…or DCRA. Renovations are expensive, one way or another.
Renovation is the work of making things new, the work of restoring, mending, making things what they are meant to be. In our lives, this work is about being and becoming who we really are—truly, fully, freely ourselves as God intended. Anyone who’s been alive a while—no matter how long—knows that being yourself can be risky and costly. As a child, being strong or sensitive or loud or a dreamer, being shy, competitive, meticulous, or “bookish”—any of these things (and countless others!) can draw criticism and judgment, teasing or jealousy. How do you look? Where do you live? What language does your family speak in your home? How do you…smell?…I can recall the brutal treatment of one of my childhood classmates who would come to school smelling like bonfire smoke and as if her clothes hadn’t been washed in a very long time. Eventually I learned that her family lived in a metal shack not far from my home and that their only heat source was to burn trash in a barrel. For her and her siblings, the realities of extreme poverty made just showing up at school a costly experience because of what they had to endure.
“Being ourselves” involves the things that simply are—our race, gender, sexual orientation, economic reality, physical ability—and those other parts of ourselves that comprise our personality, skills, passions, strengths, weaknesses, and quirks. Being who we are in the world without trying to fit into others’ expectations or cultural constrictions can cost us friends and family. Being black or gay or transgender can cost us our lives. Being who we are can cost a great deal.
I wonder what Mary—sister of Martha and Lazarus—would have to say about all this. In two different books of the Bible Mary gets called out for who she is and what she does. In Luke, Martha gets angry at Mary for sitting at Jesus feet listening to him instead of helping in the kitchen (see Lk 10:38-42). And as we heard today in John, Judas attacks Mary for anointing Jesus’s feet. In both instances, Mary wasn’t acting in the conventional way for women. Men were those who studied with Rabbis and “sat at their feet” listening. And this business of anointing Jesus’s feet, well, where does one even begin? It was customary for a servant of the home to wash a guest’s feet; Mary takes Jesus’s feet into her own hands. For a woman to touch any man other than her husband—and in public!—was simply not done. A woman’s hair was considered a quite sensual and private part of her appearance to be seen only by her husband and family; Mary not only shows her hair, but uses it for the anointing. And if all this weren’t enough, Mary brings forth an extravagant gift—nard, an intensely aromatic, amber-colored essential oil derived from spikenard root—likely costing a years’ wages for a peasant laborer.
It seems likely that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus are a family with some means and social status in the greater Jerusalem area. Because of this, Mary was likely privy to the fact that, since the time Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11), those in power were looking to arrest and kill him because they were threatened by his influence. So when Jesus visits her home on his way to Jerusalem, Mary knew what was coming. She knew that Jesus was going to die and in a terrible way. As people gathered around the table for the feast, perhaps trying to avoid talking about what loomed in Jerusalem, Mary laid it all out there, refusing to avoid or deny what was happening, seizing the opportunity to care for Jesus whom she loved, to touch and anoint his body, an act that would likely be denied after his murder. Mary broke all the rules to show her love.
In the midst of Mary’s vulnerable, sensuous, intimate, generous offering Judas pipes up about the cost of the perfume. Seriously, dude? This woman is clued in to what is really happening and has the backbone to name it for what it is. She is a prophetic leader, proclaiming through her acts that Jesus is going to die and then doing something concrete to prepare for that loss. She has the means to be generous and recognizes that this particular opportunity won’t ever come again. Mary gives of herself in every possible way without counting the cost—the cost to her reputation, the cost to her heart, the cost to her bank account. And in the face of this extraordinary moment of raw, emotional, wise, self-giving love, Judas (driven by selfish motives) changes the subject.
I have had women’s issues on my mind a lot lately. I recently traveled to Nashville to film promotional videos for the soon to be published Abingdon CEB Women’s Bible for which I am an editor. Reflecting on the project, I was reminded of the degree to which women’s stories and voices in the Bible are, with rare exception, relegated to the background if they appear at all. Part of the gift of this new Bible is that every woman—named or unnamed in the text—is lifted up and given some attention.
Just before that trip, an article appeared in The Christian Century magazine highlighting the continued gender gaps within the church—in terms of leadership and pay.[i] A former classmate from YDS, Mike Kinman, now Dean of Christ Episcopal Cathedral in St. Louis, Missouri, wrote a powerful blog[ii] in response, naming the women who lead and inspire him—the women who are leading the Black Lives Matter movement and female colleagues who are changing the church. He notes that these leaders have had to deal all along the way with men who try to silence, ignore, and belittle them, that they have had to work twice as hard to get half as far. Mike is clear about the fact that women of color face exponentially greater obstacles—and I would add lesbian and transgender women as well. And he goes on to acknowledge the ways that the church throughout history has been among the worst offenders in terms of treatment of women. We’re doing alright here at Foundry…but let’s not kid ourselves, there is still work to do.
I have also been ruminating on the gender dynamics playing out in the current election cycle. It is a fascinating phenomenon to observe the attitudes and feelings among women of different generations. It has been interesting to reflect on my own perspective as a Gen X-er. And I have found it important—quite apart from any political advocacy—to highlight through my social media presence the extraordinary double standards at play for Hillary Clinton as a woman running for the presidency. Plenty has been written about that [iii] and, of course, it is not new for women in high profile public leadership to face double standards and to be subjected to things that would never happen to a man. Women leaders in any field are always navigating a minefield of projections, latent expectations, unconscious assumptions, and more.
I admit that all this shone a particular kind of light upon my reading of today’s Gospel. Mary takes the risk to offer her gifts publicly in a way that challenges convention and without holding anything back. In response, a man completely ignores the power and wisdom of what she is actually doing, and then changes the subject and levels a personal attack. (And Judas is smart about the subject he brings up because it has kept everyone distracted from what was really going on—keeps folks from seeing and learning from Mary for over 2000 years!) Mary had come under attack from her own sister before, when she failed to stay within expected, prescribed gender roles and claimed her place as a disciple of Jesus. Again and again, Mary claimed her agency and her freedom in a way that allowed her to be true to herself, to put herself out there even when it meant risking ridicule.
Mary is our teacher today—regardless of our gender identity, our race, our political affiliation, our vocation. She shows us that the work of renovation, of being and becoming more fully and truly who we are, is always costly. But implicit in her actions is another lesson: the cost of hiding or trying to be someone we are not or trying to contort into someone else’s idea of who we are is much, much greater. Making decisions based on fear of ridicule or conflict bears a greater cost than taking the risk to put ourselves out there. I’m not suggesting that we should be naïve about the potential risks involved. But I am suggesting that when others’ expectations, lies or prejudice, when racism, sexism, or homophobia control how you see yourself and how you live, you can end up paying a very high price—you can end up believing lies and living a smaller life than you were made for—you can end up not really living your life; and that’s the life God needs you to live. The famous Marianne Williamson quote comes to mind: “You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world…And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”[iv]
Jesus’s presence liberates Mary. It is not insignificant that on both the occasions when she gets judged for her behavior, Jesus has her back. Jesus sees and loves and affirms Mary. He understands and appreciates what she is doing and he receives her as a true disciple. Mary provides a powerful example of Christian discipleship that is liberated from fear; she gives an example of how to offer your gifts to the world and to God and to be yourself without apology , without defensiveness and with self-giving love. That is what Jesus always did, after all.
Whoever you are, however you are made, whatever your circumstances, you are a beloved child of God. Jesus sees you, loves you, and has your back any time you risk sharing the gift of yourself with others and for the sake of the Kin-dom. And if we are thoughtful and brave disciples of Jesus, we not only will put ourselves out there, but we’ll also have someone else’s back when they find the courage to do the same.
[i] http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2016-01/pay-gap-church?nocache=1#.VrpDDuWMwc0.facebook
[ii] http://cccdean.blogspot.com/2016/02/men-of-church-its-time-to-call-out.html
[iii]A couple of recent articles on this topic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-sexist-double-standards-hurting-hillary-clinton/2016/02/12/fb551e38-d195-11e5-abc9-ea152f0b9561_story.html; http://www.salon.com/2016/03/03/my_gen_x_hillary_problem_i_know_why_we_dont_like_clinton/;
[iv]http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/17297.Marianne_Williamson
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free