Commission, Promise, Worship

"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 the perfume." [John 12:3 NIV]

Moses climbed Mt. Sinai, only to stumble upon a bush that was on fire but not consumed. He did not encounter a freak act of nature, but had an encounter with The Living God, who promptly told Moses to remove the sandals from his feet for he was standing on holy ground.

God told Moses that He had in fact seen the misery of His people, who were in bondage. "So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt" When Moses, apparently doing a double take, asks the immortal "Why me?" question, God emphatically delivers a Promise and a sign: "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain [Exodus 3:10-12].

Fast forward a few centuries to a similar mountain. Jesus had just risen from the dead, the Victor over death, and was giving last-minute instructions to his disciples: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" [Matthew 28:19-20].

The same Commission and the same Promise: Go, share the Gospel message which will deliver people from sin's bondage, and the Promise to be with us always. A bold commission, and an equally bold promise, with a Glorious Sign: the knowledge that Christ is waiting for us, at the end of the age, where we will worship Him unfettered by sin's grasp, where we dare to raise our holy hands in praise of Him and in worship.

Like Mary, Christ-centered Christians are not afraid of what others think. Mary poured the oil over Jesus' feet in an unfettered, unhindered, uncontrolled act of worship. It is only when we have been touched by Christ that the Real Act of Worship can begin. We have to be brought out of Egypt to the Mountain of God in order to appreciate what God has done in our lives: Deliverance. And only then can worship be unhindered, free and centered on Christ. We are then on a mission: to share the Gospel with others. May we pray that we do so with unfettered hearts, praiseful hands, and prayer-bruised knees.

(C) 2012 Terrie McKee