The God of Lower Prices
Worship Teaching for the Fifth Week of Lent, March 20, 2010
John 12.1-8
Most people just want a little bit more from God. And if they can get it with less sacrifice, less personal effort, less time involvement–the better. If God would be like Walmart or Target–always there when we need Him, simple to understand, always stocked with what we need, easy to get to–we would all be happy. We don’t expect a lot out of him, just a little bit more.
The story of Mary, the sister of Lazarus, dumping a lot of perfume on Jesus’ feet and then Judas scolding her for her extravagant waste reveals Judas’ view of Jesus: a means to getting a little bit more. For Mary, she didn’t need anything more from Jesus, she just wanted to give everything she had. So this is what I talk about–two views of God: one where we just want a litte bit more from him and one where we want to give everything to him
