The Priesthood of All Believers

Read John 12:1-8
Jesus reclines at the table surrounded by friends, those he loves and are close to him, Lazarus is there, and Mary and Martha are there. Outside it is hot and dusty; the sun is starting to go down. These folks are enjoying a well deserved rest and meal after a long walk. Suddenly Mary gets up and takes a jar of perfume, a precious jar she had purchased after saving for a very long time. She opens the jar and the aroma immediately begins to fill the room with its sweetness. She bends down, unties her hair, and begins pouring the oily mixture over Jesus’ feet. She wipes away dust mixed with perfume with her hair.
In the ancient world often guests were treated to foot washing as an act of hospitality. Most everyone traveled by walking. The roads were dirty and dusty, so it was a welcome relief to have ones feet cleaned. For Mary it was an act of supreme humility, sacrifice and love. She had a lot to be grateful for, Jesus had raised her brother Lazarus from the dead! And for Mary this was truly a sacrifice; for she spent a year’s wages to obtain this perfume.
Mother Teresa served the sick and dying of India, and her work continues throughout the world today by her Sisters of Charity. She epitomized love, sacrifice and service reaching out to anyone in need, being willing to love the unlovely by the simple act of touch. Bathing a dying patient, cradling a malnourished and neglected child in her arms, loving the untouchable of India, this was her service for God. She said, “There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love.”

Mary gives us an example of giving of ourselves in service, sometimes in ways that may be humbling and costly. Her decision to anoint Jesus was in response to gratitude and love for her savior. Mother Teresa’s calling may not have been fully understood. But her Sisters of Charity continue to touch countless lives with the love of Christ.
As Christians we are all called to share Christ’s Redemptive love with others. How we share that love will be different for each one of us, but ultimately through what we say and do the lost and hurting world should discover God’s great love for them. This is what we call in the Methodist Church, the priesthood of all believers.
We may never bathe a dying AIDS patient, or cradle in our arms a malnourished child, or even make a great sacrifice like Mary. That’s OK. It is the small and seemingly insignificant things that often produce great results. Let us strive to love each other in a lost and broken world. You know what you need to do.
In Christ: Susan