WELCOME
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
We’ve come to worship God,
who loved us before we were yet born,
who knows us even better than we know ourselves,
whose presence never leaves us,
and whose love for us never ceases.
This is our God.
Let’s worship together!
GOOD MORNING FBK & WELCOME TO WORSHIP!
Songs
Prayer
Prayer of Confession & Assurance
Maker and giver of all, forgive us when we are too preoccupied to notice your presence in our lives:
when we walk through this world and fail to see the wonder of you upholding our lives and all creation;
when we walk through our lives and fail to see you abiding with, within, and around us;
when we walk through holy moments And fail to savor your presence, instead feeling abandoned in the vast sweep of life as each day rushes at us with its demands.
Open our eyes to your presence, God of love,
that we may lean on you—for you uphold all of creation In tenderness and power. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon:
When Jesus left the disciples, he gave us a promise: “I will not leave you orphaned!”
For we, his disciples, live in him and he in us—What a promise!
Receive the Truth in that! Take comfort!
Mother's Day
Impactful Women Who Love Like Jesus
Today's Message: Pastors Marlee Page and Dave Page
Good morning and Happy Mother’s Day!
Today we are celebrating all of the impactful women in our lives who have served us, raised us, loved us, taught us, and, ultimately, mothered us even if they were not our birth moms.
We want to simply say thank you to all of the outstanding mothers who hold space in our hearts. We are grateful for your service and the love you pour out each and every day to help shape us into the people we are today. Considering this day, we are going to talk about how we live our lives for Jesus can have a great impact—just like these wonderful women around us.
Growing up, did you have an aunt, grandmother, perhaps a teacher or youth leader or, a neighbor possibly who always looked out for you? An adult outside of your immediate family that you knew you could trust to go the extra mile for you? For me, that person was my grandmother – Edna. She played a huge role in my day-to-day life as a kid though I didn’t always know it at the time. I am the oldest in my family, and in my early years, my parents were swamped with working opposite shifts and the day-to-day life of raising two boys among other things. They did not always have the time to help with homework, projects or sometimes the life events and decisions of a young boy. This is where Grandma most always came in.
She was there to look after me and my brother so often.
She was there to serve me in whatever way we needed.
She always had extra time.
She had love to give and the energy to share.
Grandma would often take us after school so my mom could work her second job or just get ahead on the housework. Grandma would always have time to hear about whatever we wanted to share from our day and of course there was always a snack ready for us. Grandma never complained and always led first with genuine kindness. She always took the time to make sure we felt special.
She’s gone to be with Jesus now, but the way she actively lived out serving and loving others is something that has impacted me greatly. Her example is one I will forever aspire to and reflect on. At the time, she might have thought she was just helping a young family here and there, but she was actually modeling what it looks like to love people well as a woman of service.
Just like my Grandma left a lasting impact on my life and that of so many others, A woman name Mary left a lasting impact on her community by the way she loved and served Jesus. Let’s take a look at this story in John 12:1-3.
Scripture Reading: John 12:1-8
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
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 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 perfume.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Prayer of Illumination
Mighty God,
just as you inspired the mothers of our faith
grant us your knowledge and discernment
so that we can learn how to be
clever in our compassion
and courageous in our faith,
through Christ and in the Spirit. Amen.
Before we dive into Mary’s fragrant and generous offering to Jesus, let’s talk about the context and background of what is going on in the text. John told us very clearly that this event was six days before Passover. The timeline is important because it was the week before Jesus was crucified. Jesus had come to Bethany where he had previously raised Lazarus from the dead. Jesus was invited to dinner, most likely to celebrate Lazarus’s miraculous rising from the dead. The supper was hosted by Lazarus’s sisters, Martha and Mary, and was attended by another woman named Mary. There is a fair bit of speculation about who this Mary is, though for our purposes that’s not an important part of our discussion – our focus is on what this Mary did and the impact that her actions had.
THE WAY WE LIVE OUR LIVES LEAVES A LASTING IMPACT ON PEOPLE.
So, let’s talk about Mary’s fragrant offering. Scripture says, “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet.” The idea of washing your houseguest’s feet at a dinner party today might not go over so well, but back then it was not uncommon to wash a guest’s feet when they entered your home. It was not strange; it was an act of hospitality—an act of love. It was also something the servants of the house usually did. Mary washing Jesus’s feet was very much an act of humility. The only strange thing about what Mary did was that she washed Jesus’s feet during the middle of dinner, and she used such an expensive perfume.
One thing that I think is so beautiful about this passage is that something so fragrant was used. When you poured out a fragrance as strong as nard in a room, it would fill the entire space with the scent. It was so strong and lasting that the scent would linger long after the source was dry. If you have ever walked by someone in the airport or on the street and gotten a whiff of their cologne or perfume, you know what I am talking about. Or if you walk into a bathroom or kitchen after someone has deep cleaned, the smell is strong and hangs around for a while. I bring this up to say that, just as Mary’s physical act of washing Jesus’s feet with perfume had a lasting fragrant impact, so did Mary’s generous acts of service and love. Her example in the way she served Jesus made an impact on the people around her at the dinner party. She did not care what anyone said or thought. She was extremely generous in her actions. Not only did she lower herself to wash Jesus’s feet but notice that she washed them with her hair. That alone was extremely humble because she had to let her hair down in public, which was something Jewish women rarely, if ever, would do. Her sacrifice and choices had a lasting impact.
Actions that last are actions that are done with incredible intentionality. Mary must have known her worship would have been met with cynicism by some and if we read farther on in this account by John we’d find that it did. But like any good woman of service (whether mother, grandmother, teacher, youth leader, or friend) it is a risk they are willing to take.
This takes me back to my Grandma and the way she served and showed up for me and my family when I was growing up.
She was not looking for recognition or payment.
She didn’t care if it inconvenienced her or if it was something she particularly wanted to do.
She showed up and served in a way that marked me.
Her actions were a fragrance that hung in the air.
I pray that there are people in your life, that you will remember forever because they showed up and served us? Who are the people (like Mary) who have done something humble for us that we will never forget?
The way we live our life for Jesus and for others matters. It matters because one action could change a life or a perspective. People are watching you and The way we live our lives leaves a lasting impact on those people.
POINT 2: LIVING A LIFE FOR JESUS WILL COME AT A COST.
Let’s take a look at the rest of this passage and see how Mary’s actions came at a cost to her…. because sometimes there is a cost to living our lives this way.
4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.
7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”
Right away we see how Judas was confused and disturbed that Mary would pour an entire jar of the oil on Jesus’s feet. And honestly, I understand that. He argued that those oils were an entire year’s wage, and the money could have been given to the poor. Some researchers say nard was so expensive because “the aromatic oil had been imported from India as far back as King Solomon’s reign in 950 BC. Because nard was undiluted, it was one of the most expensive perfumes in the world.
Mary’s use of these fine oils was uncommon and something most people would see as a waste, especially if used to wash a guest’s dirty feet. And that is exactly what the people around Mary thought at first. Mary’s gift was extreme; it costs Mary to wash Jesus’s feet in the way she did.
Church, here is something very interesting that I don’t want you to miss in this scene. There is a parallel between Judas’s reaction and Mary’s act of service. Here’s what I mean -Most of you know that Judas later betrayed Jesus by handing him over to be crucified. It is possible that he objected to Mary’s gift because he himself felt shamed by her act of love and his already developing, selfish heart. Mary’s actions and sacrifice shined light on Jesus. They honored Him. She was not worried about financial loss, public humiliation, ridicule, or loss of reputation. She was only concerned with worshiping her Lord. Those are statements that we can’t make with Judas and the actions he would take.
A life with Jesus is not all wonders and miracles. Love is costly. Sometimes a sacrificial life of loving people costs us. We know this from the gospel. We know this from the story of Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. For any woman who has ever loved and served you well, just know it was an intentional act, and she counted the cost and found you worth it.
I recently came across an incredible story of sacrificial love.
On May 2, 1962, Gladys Kidd placed a dramatic advertisement in the San Francisco Examiner. It said, “I don’t want my husband to die in the gas chamber for a crime he did not commit. I will, therefore, offer my services for ten years as a cook, maid, or housekeeper to any leading attorney who will defend him and bring about his vindication.” Vincent Hallinan, one of San Francisco’s best lawyers, saw the advertisement, was moved by what he read, and contacted Mrs. Kidd. He took on the case and won, and the innocent man was cleared of all charges. Afterward, the attorney refused the woman’s offer of ten years of service, saying he was satisfied to have saved an innocent man from death.
Gladys loved her husband so much that she was willing to sacrifice her time and energy for his life. In many ways, she was essentially giving her life for his. She was willing to commit to any outstanding job that could possibly spare her husband. She was willing to take the risk for representation—not his guaranteed freedom. This is a beautiful example of love costing something. This sacrifice was not free; it took something from her.
One of the most touching shows of humanity is selfless love. Stories of kind-hearted humans helping others with no reward offsets the grimness of news and gives hope of the good in the world. Yet as Christians, we know a stronger kind of love—a love that gives the ultimate sacrifice.
Loving God and loving others are not always free of charge.
To live a life humbly at the feet of Jesus may cost us.
It may cost us friends, comfort, time, or money.
Following Jesus is not a smooth path without bumps along the way, but living a life for Jesus is worth it.
Ephesians 5:1-2
New International Version
1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
DESPITE THE SACRIFICE, LIVING A LIFE FOR CHRIST IS WORTH IT.
Ephesians 5:2 says,
2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Jesus was and is the ultimate sacrifice. He knew what was coming when he went to the dinner party with Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. He knew his death was rapidly approaching, and he went to dinner anyway. Most people would not be thinking about socializing and celebrating with others when such sorrow and suffering was approaching. But Jesus showed up selflessly. His presence was a fragrant offering.
The call to action in Ephesians 5 is to walk in love just as Christ loved us. I want to focus on the “as Christ loved us” part for a moment. First John 4:19 says it another way: “We love because he first loved us.”
God sent His only son to Earth for each one of us. He led a life of ministry, miracles, love, and service. He was tempted but still lived a perfect, sinless life. He worshiped God and loved others fully. We get to experience love on this Earth and in heaven because of the sacrifice of Jesus. He died on the cross for our sins so we could live and love. Because Jesus loved like this, we are called to love others. Mary understood this and lived it out for all to see.
When we labor for the Master, it is always worth it. Today, as we honor all of the mother figures around us, I want us to remember their sacrifice. A faithful mothering figure lives a sacrificial life of service. She gives up her body, her physical space, her time, her mental capacity. Sometimes she has to sacrifice her dreams or plans she once had for her life. To be one of these extraordinary women almost always costs something. It is definitely not free. Motherhood takes and takes. But the joy and purpose that a mother finds in her child or those in her care will always make every sacrifice worthwhile. Any way that a woman of service blesses others is worth celebrating today.
As we celebrate mothers, and we are celebrating all of those mothering figures in our lives, we know that some may be grieving their mothers, or missing their mothers. Others may long to become a mother. Still others may be mourning the lack of a mother – these are real situations for some of you.
If that’s you today I pray that the Holy Spirit is present for you.
And through the Spirit’s presence in your life, I pray that we see others in a new light, and that we see opportunities to serve the people around us and recognize the sacrifice of others in our own lives.
And for all of us, we pray that our love for Jesus leaves a fragrance of abundance wherever we go. I pray that we love Jesus and love others as we go out of these doors and back to our routines.
I pray that we will be a fragrant blessing to others.
Prayer
God of life and love, we give you thanks for this new day. We’re grateful, O God, for all the ways your presence is made known to us – in great and small ways – whereby we are reminded of your steadfast love for us and for all people.
On this day of celebrating your love, we give you thanks for those who have given us life, who have in so many ways given of their own live for us.
Though we may call you “Father,” let us not forget how often mothers embody your steadfast and relentless love. We praise you, O God, for your gift of motherly love, both gentle and fierce, both strong and humble, both kind and true.
For mothers who have joined you in heaven and whom we miss dearly this day, we give you thanks.
For mothers who workday and night to raise and for their children, we give you thanks. We also remember those mothers who labor at this task alone. May we, your church, remember to uphold all families through our life together.
For mothers who have lost a child to death and must carry on, we ask for your mercy. May we all sustain these mothers in their time of need and answer your call to reach out to them in compassion and love.
For women who are new mothers and those who are expecting children but are not quite mothers yet, we praise you, O God, for the joy and anticipation of new life. Grant that we never forget our duty to uphold these growing families – that in our shared life together, we all may hear the call to be your disciples in this world.
For all of the women who longed for – but never had – children of their own, we give you thanks. These women have been living examples of your love and grace as they have answered the call to nurture and care for others.
We also pray, O God, for the mothers who for whatever reason have struggled to live up to the call of motherhood. We believe you are a God of healing, and we remember that we all stand in the need of your grace. Where we cannot forgive, Lord, give us strength.
We stand in solidarity this day, O God, with mothers around the world who have watched their children die of hunger, every mother who has been victim of abuse, every woman who stands against a world that massacres her children in the name of war and dares to rename them” collateral damage.”
We lift to you the spirits of all mothers around the world – even those mothers we will personally never know. We praise your name and you all of these mothering figures those we have mentioned and those left unmentioned.
Song
Benediction
Go into your week,
knowing that you are embraced by the love of God;
a love that is sweeter and more tender
than any you have ever known. Have a great Week!