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DAILY READING John 12:1-8 When reading this passage, I kept being drawn to the very end of verse three, “and the house was filled with the fragrances of the perfume.” Now, I will admit that I am likely taking some liberty with the passage, but the more I read that the more it read to me “and the house was filled with the essence…

DAILY READING John 12:1-8 Upon first reading – and depending on your translation – this text can seem difficult to swallow. If you’re just reading Judas’ words, he makes a good point about giving the money from the expensive perfume to the poor. Once you know his intention, though, it provides a better foundation for Jesus’ rebuke. The NRSV translation includes a note that Judas “said…

DAILY READING John 12:1-8 BUMC’s missional emphasis for the month of April is healthcare. Did you know BUMC partners with several ministries, both locally and globally, dedicated to providing accessible healthcare to those in need?  Give Ye Them To Eat (GYTTE) is a social outreach project in Tlancualpican, Mexico. Their community and family health program, “More Than a…

DAILY READING John 12:1-8 Here we have an exchange of gift-giving between Jesus and Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus. Mary is giving a gift to Jesus. It is given as a response to Jesus’ upcoming self-giving. She responds, she is responsible. Jesus is giving himself, whole and totally.  Derrida*, the French philosopher, asks a series…

DAILY READING John 12:1-8 Communing with God is one way to understand the act of prayer. The act of communing implies a closeness and intimacy that is experienced on a deep, spiritual level. During worship we are invited to experience this kind of spiritual closeness when we receive the body and blood of Christ through the sacrament of Holy Communion. In…

DAILY READING Luke 15:1-3; 11-32b The Prodigal Son is one of my favorite parables because it really puts the love and grace of the father on display. The son believes he is no longer worthy of his father’s love, but his father exclaims how happy he is to have his son back and throws a celebratory feast…

DAILY READING Luke 15:1-3; 11-32b This passage comes right before Jesus teaches some very familiar parables. Before launching into those teachings, this passage gives us the perspective that those listening were doubtful of Jesus because he gave his time and opened his table to sinners. The parables that follow outline the willingness to leave the 99 to go find…

DAILY READING Luke 15:1-3; 11-32b What we love about the parable of the Lost Sheep (and most of Jesus’ parables for that matter) is how it gleefully rejects the modern rules of our society.  “Doesn’t the shepherd leave the 99 in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?”  “Uh, No, Jesus. I’d say 99 out of 100…

DAILY READING Luke 15:1-3; 11-32b Put yourself in the shoes of the father from the third parable: your beloved child has left home with their inheritance and moved to another state. No one has seen or heard from them for some time. Until one day, they show up in the driveway with nothing but the…