Mary of Bethany on her extravagance in anointing Jesus' feet with perfume

We welcome Assistant Minister, Christine McWhirter, to lead our worship today – 11 September 2022.

We reflect on, and mourn, the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The main scripture today is from John’s Gospel, close to the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry. It’s the story of Mary of Bethany anointing Jesus with exorbitantly expensive perfume – a controversial event at the time because it seemed to at least one of Jesus’ disciples to be a criminal waste of a resource which could have been converted into money and used to much better ends. Christine’s sermon today tackles the question “How can Mary’s apparent wastefulness be explained?”

Main scripture today

John 12:1-11 (from The Message translation of the Bible)
Anointing His Feet
12 1-3 Six days before Passover, Jesus entered Bethany where Lazarus, so recently raised from the dead, was living. Lazarus and his sisters invited Jesus to dinner at their home. Martha served. Lazarus was one of those sitting at the table with them. Mary came in with a jar of very expensive aromatic oils, anointed and massaged Jesus’ feet, and then wiped them with her hair. The fragrance of the oils filled the house.

4-6 Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples, even then getting ready to betray him, said, “Why wasn’t this oil sold and the money given to the poor? It would have easily brought three hundred silver pieces.” He said this not because he cared two cents about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of their common funds, but also embezzled them.

7-8 Jesus said, “Let her alone. She’s anticipating and honouring the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you. You don’t always have me.”

9-11 Word got out among the Jews that he was back in town. The people came to take a look, not only at Jesus but also at Lazarus, who had been raised from the dead. So the high priests plotted to kill Lazarus because so many of the Jews were going over and believing in Jesus on account of him.

Order of Service

Welcome and intimations
Introit “Be still and know”
Time of reflection and National Anthem
Call to worship
Hymn – MP 746 What a friend we have in Jesus
Prayers of Adoration and Confession
MP 590 Seek ye first
Children’s address/all-age talk
Children’s hymns – Don’t build your house on sandy land and You give me joy/It’s bubbling
Readings – Psalm 23 and John 12:1-9
Hymn – MP 1082 King of the ages
Message
Prayers for others (including Lord’s prayer)
Hymn – CH4 577 Christ be beside me
Benediction and threefold Amen