Views from The Ridge 10.11.22
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This week…
Tonight at 6:30pm: Life Group in the Fellowship Hall
Wednesday, October 12, from 7:30-9pm: Youth Group at the Stirman’s
Sunday, October 16:
9:15am— Fall Life Groups (thru November 13) & Roots Children’s Class
10:30am— Worship Service (TBD)
Sermon: “The Road To Glory”
Scripture: John 12:20-36
4:30pm— Liturgy & Worship in the Chapel
Upcoming…
Tuesday, October 18, at 9am— Children’s Storytime on the lawn
Sunday, November 13: Covenant Renewal Service
"The Two Anointings Of Jesus"
Riley Stirman
We've all been Nicodemus, haven't we? We've all had the best intentions and gotten everything incredibly wrong.
Recently I was trying to be thoughtful, so I decided to buy Chelsea a treat from the store. Yes, I was only at the store to buy myself a treat, but let's focus on the positives here. I come home very proudly bearing her favorite candy: chocolate-covered raisins. Imagine my surprise when Chelsea informs me that she's never once in her life eaten chocolate-covered raisins.
As a husband, I get a B+ for effort and a C- for execution.
In my sermon this Sunday, I spent some time comparing Nicodemus with some of the other characters in the Gospel of John who seem to understand Jesus a little bit better, like Lazarus and Martha's sister Mary. While Nicodemus doesn't seem to fully grasp who Jesus is, Mary has an intimate relationship with him. Nicodemus walks away flustered from his conversation with Jesus while Mary remains at his feet, honoring him with a costly gift.
Interestingly, there's one thing they have in common: they both anoint the body of Jesus with perfume.
"After this, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus (but secretly, because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he went and took the body away. Nicodemus, the man who had previously come to Jesus at night, accompanied Joseph, carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about seventy-five pounds. Then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it, with the aromatic spices, in strips of linen cloth according to Jewish burial customs." - John 19:38-40 (NET).
Isn't it fascinating that Nicodemus is trying his best to the bitter end? He may not have gotten it right, but here he is trying his best to honor someone he recognized as a deeply significant person.
But it wouldn't be Nicodemus if he didn't get it wrong just one last time, now would it?
There are a few key differences between Mary's anointing and Nicodemus's. It sort of seems like Nicodemus is throwing some money around. Mary's costly gift of around one pint pales in comparison to several dozen pounds of perfume and spices. I would argue, though, that the main difference is in who is in fact being anointed.
You see, Nicodemus anoints a dead body. Mary anoints the living lord Jesus.
Nicodemus is paying homage to the great things that are now past: Jesus's brilliant teaching, his incredible miracles, and the stir he caused around all of Israel over the last few years. Mary is paying homage to what is still to come. Neither of them probably understand the full weight of the impending resurrection, but Mary's gift sounds a more hopeful note than the one that Nicodemus provides.
As we navigate a broken world, it may be helpful to wonder every now and then exactly what version of Jesus we're trying to honor. Is it the one who we know did great things in years past but whose influence is now merely historical? Or is it the one we believe has even greater things still in store?
Sometimes I worry that the only Jesus we know is the one contained in the pages of our Bibles. We treat him more like a character of a familiar book than the resurrected king of all creation. Yet those very pages point to a larger reality around us, that Jesus was up to something more.
The entirety of our faith rests upon the fact that Jesus did not remain in this world for long as the corpse that Nicodemus once handled. The stone is rolled away, and the tomb is empty. Our God is alive, and all honor is due to him.
Because of the events of the past, we know our Lord is alive in the present and will continue to do amazing things in the future. A God like that is most certainly worth honoring.
Daily Bible Readings
Monday: John 1:14
Tuesday: John 2:3-4
Wednesday: John 3:14-15
Thursday: John 7:6-8
Friday: John 7:30
Saturday: John 8:20
Covenant Renewal
Another part of the formal Covenant Document will be introduced each Sunday leading up to our Covenant Renewal worship service on November 13. The first two paragraphs of the Covenat Document are below:
As members of the Sunset Ridge Church of Christ, we believe it is our mission to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate his love and hope to all. We affirm this covenant with one another by God’s grace for our good and ultimately for God’s glory. We believe that the death and resurrection of Christ has brought us into new life with the Spirit. We also believe that God is at work in the world bringing about new creation and that we are empowered as his people to join that work.
Together, as we are physically and emotionally able, we will draw near to God in worship. We believe that worship is a communal act that honors God. We will engage practices that bring glory to God, make us aware of his presence, and renew our fellowship. We will engage deeply with the Word of God as it guides and shapes us, and we will be dependent on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
We hope that you will join in reaffirming our commitments to each other, this community, and to God.
Praises & Prayers
Continued prayers for our sister Carol Gerhardt, who is undergoing radiation treatments every weekday through November 25.
Work was completed today on a landscape project at the entrance to our campus. We are full of joy for all the beauty, and overwhelmed with gratitude for this wonderful gift from one of our neighbors!
God, we gather in gratitude, thankful for the ways you seek to revive us! Let the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts work together to praise you in this hour. Grant your Spirit to move our hearts and inspire each of us to share your steadfast love with all whom we encounter. Help us to join in giving only what is good, not only today but every day. Amen
