Thinking Feet

I stopped longer than usual in the middle of Morning Prayer today to consider the whole foot thing. This story in Luke is very similar to the one in John but with a different sort of moral - this one does not have the financial question posed by Judas but is much more clearly about gratitude and forgiveness.

What would it be like to have Jesus in the room and how would we behave. I don't mean in that rather joking sermon illustration way of would His clothes be nice enough for the Episcopal Church I mean really, really to be in the presence of Christ as that woman was, and knew she was and believed herself forgiven. She kissed his feet - is that a hysterical over-reaction. A piece of pious silliness?

I would argue not. But still we are often reluctant to let go of our social controls when expressing our love and gratitude to God. There is a song which they sing at camp in this Diocese

Thank-you God for this most amazing day today......

That is a start. For the rest I will borrow from Cardinal Newman a verse from his hymn "Firmly I believe and truly"....a great hymn both to state or faith and to remind ourselves of it

Simply to His grace and wholly
Light and life and strength belong,
And I love supremely, solely,
Him the holy, Him the strong.

Supreme and total love for Christ - that is a tough call but not overstated and strangely that sort of love does not exclude everyone around us - love is an inclusive action not an exclusive one.

The story in Luke and the image of this woman's gratitude resonated around the word's of the General Thanksgiving. It is who we are - somehow - finding a place in that is a learning process.