Mary's Sabbath

I hope you are entering will have a blessed Holy Week. Posts might be at a different time due to a changed schedule for me this week.

The story of Jesus at Mary and Martha's house becomes a death bell tolling in John's hand's. The symbolism for those of us who know the end of the story is stark - Jesus has finally pushed the establishment over the edge - he has meddled with death - and he is anointed for his own death.

But this story is more than a bland recounting of the last days - this is a story of love and adoration. This is a story of Mary taking her rest in Christ.

Why do I use this language - because it is ancient language which we have lost in the the modern church. Going to Church is work - going home and watching TV is rest in our world - but the truth is that our rest needs to be in the source of our being - our alpha and omega.

Whilst Mary might have had some sense of portending doom she still throws everything that she has physically, emotionally and financially into anointing Jesus - in this action she finds her peace - her rest. In this action she takes her Sabbath - her time to be with God and for God and in God.

This Holy Week as we journey towards the cross consider whether Sabbath, whether rest, is greedy acquisition of hollow time or whether it is finding our true rest, throwing ourselves wholly into our faith, giving ourselves. Judas is wrong because not only because he is a thief but because he tries to redirect Mary from her primary devotion - Christ. Social service will flow from our devotion to Our Lord - and this is what Jesus tells us - but it is this way around - Jesus first and always, taking our best and our all.