Extravagant Worship

Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him,so he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table.

When a woman who had lived a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house,she brought an alabaster jar of perfume,and as she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair,kissed them and poured perfume on them.

When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself,

“If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him

and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”         Luke 7:36-39

Extravagant Worship

from a heart of gratitude

While this woman was dripping expensive perfume over Jesus’ feet, the disciples were standing on the outskirts of the circle thinking, “Man, if this woman had donated that perfume, we could have used it to pay for some of the expenses we have incurred since hooking up with Jesus” (see Matthew 26:8–9). Her act was an act of extravagant worship.

      Since 1987, I have attempted to discover as much as possible about living a life of worship. I have looked for ways of stretching the worship experience I had on a Sunday morning into my daily life. I want to live as a daily worshipper of God. But not just as any worshipper of him … as an extravagant worshipper.

      I have attended conferences, seminars, and workshops that have given me the opportunity to experiment with and experience different ways of expressing my worship. I have searched for and found powerful, anointed songs by gifted musicians that have drawn me toward my goal of extending extravagant worship to Jesus—corporately and privately. I have discovered principles of daily living that have opened my heart to worship him within the simplicity of everyday occurrences. I have read valuable books and resources that have helped to broaden my perspectives on who God is and who I am before him. And yet, extravagant worship isn’t found in any of these things.

      Gathering knowledge and experience is very much a part of our humanness. We look for insight from experts. But there is no program or event that will guarantee an extravagant, responsive heart. There is no especially “anointed” song or “gifted” musician that can draw our hearts to change direction and devotion on a daily basis. There is no training program or conference that will arrest our lives and cause us to live as an extravagant offering to Jesus.

      Should we stop going to them, listening to them, reading them? Not at all. But as we search for God and look for ways of knowing him better, we have to come face-to-face with the reality that while all these things can be helpful in drawing out a hunger from deep within us, there is no “magical” seminar or experience that will change our hearts. Extravagant worship comes from something much simpler—yet much more complex.

      The woman who came to Jesus while he was eating at Simon the Pharisee’s house did not come as an invited guest. Frankly, I’m pretty sure Simon was appalled at her appearing at his home. The Pharisee had a certain stature in the community, and he did not want to be defiled by the wrong kind of company.

      When this woman came to the house, she risked everything. She wasn’t invited, and she didn’t even know if Jesus would welcome her or turn her away. She came with a gift that was precious to her. A gift that she felt was worthy of Jesus.

      We don’t know exactly who she was or why she sought out Jesus. We do know that the people at the dinner recognized her as a sinful woman. As a woman, she had little right to interrupt dinner between men. As a sinful woman, she had absolutely no place in Simon’s home. But we do know that she recognized her own sins and Jesus’ capacity to forgive them.

      The context of the passage implies that the people with Jesus were unsure if he knew she was sinful. Had he known she was sinful, Jesus would have pushed her away … they assumed. She stood behind Jesus, tears flowing freely. She understood her own sinfulness. She understood that she did not belong there in that room with these people. She knew she was unworthy. But still … there she was. As Jesus reclined at the table, she poured the expensive perfume over his feet and wiped them with her own hair.

      An extravagant act in anybody’s definition!

      Extravagant worship does not come from experience or practice or ritual. Extravagant worship comes from a heart of gratitude. Like this woman, the worshipper who worships with extravagance has come face-to-face with the depths of their sin and separation from their Savior, and yet, has experienced the amazing gift of forgiveness and cleansing that Jesus gives and continues to give.

      Only when we have received grace undeservedly do we understand that God’s incredible love gives us life when we deserved death.

      Only when we come to the end of all our own resources and come face-to-face with our own ineptitude are we willing to call upon Jesus to lift us out of our sin.

      Only when we have lost our confidence in this world and in ourselves can we see Jesus in his fullness and let him develop our potential.

      Only when we understand that there is nothing that we have that is worthy of God’s love and grace can we understand his unconditional acceptance.

            Only when we have come to the end of the road with no hope for tomorrow can we truly appreciate the bread, the water, the life Jesus gives to those who seek him diligently.

      Simon had religion. He understood laws and systems. All his life, he had been taught that holiness was reflected in the company he kept. So he kept good company. He was aghast that Jesus would let this sinful woman touch him. Jewish laws were very, very clear about the holy and the impure keeping their distance.

      But Jesus, as Jesus is so apt to do, turned it around on him. Jesus knew that Simon was confused; he understood that Simon did not see himself as sinful—after all, he was a Pharisee—a leader and a man of God. The woman knew she was sinful; Simon had no clue. Jesus said to Simon, “Her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little” (Luke 7:47).

      She gave an extravagant gift of thanks to Jesus because she had no other way of expressing how much she loved Jesus. Part of the problem of giving Jesus an extravagant offering of worship is that we tend to forget how much we have been forgiven. This woman’s sins were obvious to the whole community. She was a lavish sinner, and she knew it! And that’s why her worship was so extravagant—because she knew how much Jesus had to forgive!

 
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I Can "Fail" Through Christ Who Gives Me Strength

I know, I know. The verse from Philippians 4:13 says it differently doesn't it? "For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (NLT). But I was reminded by a good friend of mine this morning that the meaning of "everything" in the verse relates more so to being able to walk through any kind of situation - good or bad - because Christ gives me strength.

Here's what the previous verses have to say:

¹⁰ How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. ¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. ¹⁴ Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.
Philippians 4:10-14 (NLT)

You see! We CAN fail and still relish in the strength Jesus gives us. Listen to what else my friend, John Abbott, has to say about it.

Surprise! You can’t actually “do all things” in Christ. Not the way you think you can,  

anyway. I realize this sounds like sacrilege given the suburban spin we’ve put on this biblical expression, but it’s true. Paul did not intend some sort of personal triumphalism here. Flatly, the Apostle Paul couldn’t “do all things” either. Paul could not get out of prison – which is where he penned this verse (Philippians 4:13) - no matter how intensely he believed in Jesus. He was stuck there until God determined otherwise. But, he could “be imprisoned” in Christ who strengthened him to be imprisoned. Prison is such a good place to discover Christ’s sufficiency.

The true meaning of “all things” might disappoint contemporary Christians. But, it shouldn’t. The actual point is even more glorious than the suburban legend. It gets us so much closer to grace. We normally take it to mean something like, “I can do anything I set my mind to if I simply believe.” That is… I can achieve any personal goal by faith. Get this job. Win this game. Ace this test. But, the verse has little (or nothing) to do with our personal achievement in the face of severe odds.  It’s not about our achievements at all. It’s about Christ’s achievement and a constant dependence on him regardless of one’s station in life - good, or bad.

Besides, there’s a real danger in applying it the way we’re prone to. What if you can’t “do” it? What if things don’t work out - no matter how much you believe? Your failure might call into question the goodness of God, or the sufficiency of Christ. It robs countless hurting and weak people of the truth here. There is power in weakness.

A more accurate translation of the principle is “I can trust in Christ (and the benefits of his life, death and resurrection) even when I can’t achieve a personal goal. I can fail to achieve my goals and still trust my Savior’s love. Or, I can have cancer. Or, I can lose everything. Or, I can be fired. I can “do all this” because of who Jesus is. It’s the unpredictable swings of life (want, prosperity) which Paul was able to traverse by focusing on the work of Christ. This is the “all things” he has in view here.

For Paul, Jesus’ righteous life made seasons of poverty seem like wealth and seasons of wealth seem like poverty. He could experience all these things without falling into despair on one side, or idolatry on the other.  

Point is… Christ is sufficient even when I can’t change things. Or, when my circumstance has the potential to change me. I can be in the worst place of my entire life with joy and peace because Christ is infinitely better.

So, when I can’t change my state of affairs, the person of Christ sustains me. What Paul is saying goes way beyond the point of our usual rendering. “If I’m in a circumstance where there is nothing I can do, I can do still that in Christ.” I can do nothing, if need be, and keep Christ as the supreme object of my faith. The things we are able to do are much greater than personal goals. They are the things of life.

I’ve seen the truth of this verse lived out by people in the midst of life’s worst hardships. I’ve witnessed this truth come to life when people were near death. I have seen people who could do nothing actually do all things.

Recently, it was a beloved young mom in a church who was being divorced by her unbelieving husband living out the power of this verse. On a Sunday morning, per her request, she stood (with the full support of her elders) before her church family as she explained her husband’s absence, sought the prayers of the body, and exalted the sufficiency of Christ.

The church rallied to her with unbelievable grace and compassion. Her faith was remarkable. It was hard to believe that she could be so poised in such a dark moment. But, this is Paul’s point. She was even able to go through a terrible divorce in Christ who strengthened her.

  Thanks, John, for an awesome reminder!

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