19 Don’t stay far away, Lord! My strength comes from you, so hurry and help. 20 Rescue me from enemy swords and save me from those dogs. 21 Don’t let lions eat me.
You rescued me from the horns of wild bulls, 22 and when your people meet, I will praise you, Lord.
23 All who worship the Lord, now praise him! You belong to Jacob’s family and to the people of Israel, so fear and honor the Lord! 24 The Lord doesn’t hate or despise the helpless in all of their troubles. When I cried out, he listened and did not turn away.
25 When your people meet, you will fill my heart with your praises, Lord, and everyone will see me keep my promises to you. 26 The poor will eat and be full, and all who worship you will be thankful and live in hope.
27 Everyone on this earth will remember you, Lord. People all over the world will turn and worship you, 28 because you are in control, the ruler of all nations.
65 I, the Lord, was ready answer even those who were not asking and to be found by those who were not searching. To a nation that refused to worship me, I said, “Here I am!”
2 All day long I have reached out to stubborn and sinful people going their own way. 3 They keep making me angry by sneering at me, while offering sacrifices to idols in gardens and burning incense to them on bricks. 4 They spend their nights hiding in burial caves; they eat the meat of pigs, cooked in sauces made of stuff unfit to eat. 5 And then they say to others, “Don’t come near us! We’re dedicated to God.” Such people are like smoke, irritating my nose all day. 6 I have written this down; I won’t keep silent. I’ll pay them back just as their sins deserve. 7 I, the Lord, will make them pay for their sins and for those of their ancestors— they have disgraced me by burning incense on mountains.
8 Here is what the Lord says: A cluster of grapes that produces wine is worth keeping! So, because of my servants, I won’t destroy everyone. 9 I have chosen the people of Israel and Judah, and I will bless them with many descendants. They will settle here in this land of mountains, and it will be theirs.
God is ready and waiting – whether we are looking or not.
He has reached out – and has been rejected. Not only rejected, but then having to watch those he considered his own people actively turning the other way, to false idols.
And yet, and yet, the still claim to be “dedicated to God”.
Unsurprisingly God is frustrated and angry. He has offered love, and they have given nothing but disgrace. He has to do something to turn this around. And he has chosen a people through whom to do it. Sadly, we know where it went from there, and that even they turned from him…
But as we read the beginning of these verses, how do they make you feel?
Uncomfortable? Guilty as charged?
Have I refused the arm God has reached out to me? Have I preferred to do things my way? Follow my own idols? And yet still claimed I am dedicated to God?
In honesty I know that I have. Yet God is still willing to reach out, to work with me and through me.
What an awesome God! Will we reach out to him?
Lord,
I thank you that you are faithful
and continue to reach out to me.
In the times I go the other way,
turn to idols,
reject your ways,
yet still claim I am yours.
Lord,
I come,
knowing that is me,
knowing I deserve to be left behind,
but grateful
that you still choose to love us,
still reach out to us,
and wait
for me to reach out to you.
I come
in my guilt and shame
and thank you
that you are a faithful God
36 A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him. So Jesus went to the Pharisee’s home and got ready to eat.
37 When a sinful woman in that town found out that Jesus was there, she bought an expensive bottle of perfume. 38 Then she came and stood behind Jesus. She cried and started washing his feet with her tears and drying them with her hair. The woman kissed his feet and poured the perfume on them.
39 The Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this and said to himself, “If this man really were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him! He would know that she is a sinner.”
40 Jesus said to the Pharisee, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Teacher, what is it?” Simon replied.
41 Jesus told him, “Two people were in debt to a moneylender. One of them owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 Since neither of them could pay him back, the moneylender said that they didn’t have to pay him anything. Which one of them will like him more?”
43 Simon answered, “I suppose it would be the one who had owed more and didn’t have to pay it back.”
“You are right,” Jesus said.
44 He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Have you noticed this woman? When I came into your home, you didn’t give me any water so I could wash my feet. But she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You didn’t greet me with a kiss, but from the time I came in, she has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You didn’t even pour olive oil on my head, but she has poured expensive perfume on my feet. 47 So I tell you that all her sins are forgiven, and that is why she has shown great love. But anyone who has been forgiven for only a little will show only a little love.”
48 Then Jesus said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.”
49 Some other guests started saying to one another, “Who is this who dares to forgive sins?”
50 But Jesus told the woman, “Because of your faith, you are now saved.May God give you peace!”
Women Who Helped Jesus
8 Soon after this, Jesus was going through towns and villages, telling the good news about God’s kingdom. His twelve apostles were with him, 2 and so were some women who had been healed of evil spirits and all sorts of diseases. One of the women was Mary Magdalene,who once had seven demons in her. 3 Joanna, Susanna, and many others had also used what they owned to help Jesus and his disciples. Joanna’s husband Chuza was one of Herod’s officials.
This story of the washing of Jesus feet, completes the theme this week of forgiveness. I love the story of the woman who comes to Jesus.
She is considered sinful. She is not one of the nice ladies of the town. Imagine if the Queen were coming. I’m sure we would select someone to present her with flowers with care. We wouldn’t choose some hoi polloi, never mind worse. We would choose someone worthy, deserving in some way. But this woman doesn’t let that worry her. She has something she wants to do for Jesus and she is going to do it.
She cries her own tears to wash Jesus feet with. She is under no illusions about who she is – and clearly under none about who Jesus is either. Yet she cleans, dries and anoints his feet with a very precious offering of herself.
Neither is Jesus under any misunderstanding about who she is. He doesn’t mistake her for anyone else, he knows her background and what people say about her. He also sees her need of making this offering to him. Simon and the others in the room, who no doubt considered themselves upright members of society, faultless and blameless, have not even offered him a bowl of water – she has done this most intimate of acts in a most intimate of ways. She not just throws herself at his feet, but ministers to him too.
She knew she wasn’t worthy, and in being so aware, made herself worthy. She knew she needed forgiveness and so was able to receive it. Those who didn’t understand that they had got anything wrong, could not know that forgiveness.
Do I need forgiveness? Or have I got everything right in life? Am I sitting pretty? Or knowing my need of forgiveness?
Jesus I come to you,
Just as I am,
knowing my need of forgiveness,
and your willingness to give it.
Pam's Perambulation 