With or Without Words

“One of the Pharisees asked Jesus to have dinner with him, so Jesus went to his home and sat down to eat. When a certain immoral woman from that city heard he was eating there, she brought a beautiful alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. Then she knelt behind him at his feet, weeping. Her tears fell on his feet, and she wiped them off with her hair. Then she kept kissing his feet and putting perfume on them.” LUKE 7:36–38

My Child,

This woman’s sins were glaringly obvious in her town. The self-righteous crowd at that dinner would have never welcomed her. But she did not prioritize convention or pretense.

She was not there to make a civilized gesture of thanks. She knew people would talk about her “ridiculous” behavior. But the landslide of her love for Christ muffled any shred of propriety she still possessed. The gesture was financially costly for her, also. In order to worship my Son in this way, she was willing to give up the comforts that valuable possession could have afforded her, if she had kept it for herself.

She didn’t go in with a safety net. She knew she would be reviled by the “good” people. She kept her gaze solely on Jesus despite the pounding disapproval that dominated the room. She profoundly humbled herself in this act of worship. Instead of using water and a rag, as a slave would to wash Jesus’s feet, she utilized the deluge of her tears and her own hair.

And then taking it a step further, she anointed him with the sacrificial gift of expensive perfume and countless kisses. She gave her whole heart. True passion for me is that way. You don’t ration it for another day. Gratitude, joy and love overwhelmed her. Nothing could stand in the way of her expressing that. She used everything she had to demonstrate the reality of her love.

You, too, will thrive at my feet. Worship me with wild abandon — through sacrifice, tears, humility, and joy. The delight of my presence will mute the voice of your inhibition, practicality, and pride. Celebrate me there in that silence.

I love you,

Abba

My Abba,

I am never as joyful as when I worship you with untamed devotion — consumed with my desire for your presence. In that space, the world sputters out and time stands still.

More than not, I enter into that sacred place when I am most desperate for connection with you. Many times, that is when I find myself near the bottom of a dismal pit and my dime store treasures don’t sparkle in the dark. Please forgive me. I don’t want to wait for disturbing circumstances to morph my lukewarm desire into desperation before I devote myself to fervently seeking connection with you. Please give me a passion for your presence every day.

Remind me daily what a breathtaking opportunity it is to enjoy a relationship with you. Please don’t let me look away. I realize my worship (expressing devotion and adoration) is not just about singing songs to you. The woman in this passage did not utter a word.

Thanks for prompting me to remember that my devotion to you can be expressed with my thoughts, desires, attitudes, voice, and actions. I can worship you in song, deed, and without moving or making a sound.

Worship is what I am created for. It is my forever calling! There is nothing as freeing as worshiping you. I want everything in my life to flow from my adoration of you — when it seems costly and when it does not.

I love you,

Mollie

Photo: anyka