Celebration and Generosity

Some years ago you may have heard of Tony Campolo’s book The Kingdom of God is a Party. One of the most memorable stories in that book is about a time when he found himself walking through the streets of Honolulu late at night with jet lag. He found an all night café and stopped for a donut and coffee.   It tuned out to be a spot where prostitutes hang out. While having his coffee he overheard one of the women say to another “It’s my birthday tomorrow.” The other responded, “So what do you want me to do, make a cake or something?” Campolo waited until the first woman had left and then asked the owners of the café who the woman was. 

 

An idea had struck him. They told him, her name was Agnes and was one of the regulars, in every night in the early hours. Campolo explained that tomorrow night he would like to throw Agnes a birthday party. The couple who ran the café were excited. They agreed to make a cake and the next evening Campolo came with decorations and prepared the scene. When Agnes walked in the big crowd that gathered shouted happy birthday, sang and urged her to cut the cake. Agnes was taken aback, her eyes filled with tears and she asked if she could take the cake and show it to her mother. She would be back. Everyone was shocked and struck silent as she walked out of the café with the cake. Campolo decided to pray for Agnes and for her future. At the end of the prayer George the owner and cook at the café came over to Campolo, his eyes full of accusation, and said to him, “Hey you didn’t say you were a preacher! What kind of a church do you belong to?” In one of those rare moments Campolo gave one of those responses you always hope will come when you are confronted with a difficult question or accusation. (Forgive the language.) “I belong to a church which throws parties for whores at three o’clock in the morning!” he said. George equally quick, poked him in the chest and scowled, “No you don’t! There is no such church! If there was I would join it!” 

 

Today’s reading from Matthew like this story from Tony Campolo may both shock you and be really attractive. It may shock you for the same reason it shocked the disciples. What a waste! Mark’s Gospel tells the same story and says the perfume was worth over a year’s wages. So at least $60, 000. It might shock you because of the way this woman is behaving. A Jewish woman who is not a relative or wife of a man would never usually speak to or touch that man let alone pour extravagant perfume over his head. At best what is happening is embarrassing. At worst it is shameful. You might feel this way about Tony Campolo throwing a party for prostitutes or sex workers. He could have given a donation! He didn’t have to mix with “those” people, let alone throw them a party. And what were his motives? Were they really pure?

 

On the other hand part of you at the same time might be inspired. Here is someone being incredibly generous. Both Campolo a pastor and the woman with the perfume are being very generous, and not just financially. They are risking their reputations. Jesus is generous; he honours the woman. He could have scolded her or recoiled. Campolo doesn’t spend as much as the woman does on Jesus, but he does spend money, time and creative effort. In both cases the setting is a celebration. In both cases the women in the story are honoured when they could so easily have been shamed.

And here is someone being inclusive. Jesus and Campolo embody love of neighbour, care for the least, and serving those others would exclude. They embody Paul’s saying in Galatians that “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28, NIV)

 

Indeed, Jesus’ words about the woman have turned out to be true, here in Rockhampton and Mt Morgan we are more than 13, 000 kilometres and 2, 000 years away from Jesus and the woman in Bethany. An yet here in this place where I and many others have strived to preach the Gospel this woman’s story is still being told.

 

Before I move on to draw lessons about generosity I want to talk about motivation.  Why does the woman pour the perfume over Jesus’ head? If you look at a similar story in Luke’s gospel, perhaps about the same event or perhaps only a similar event alongside Jesus’ ministry in general you can see some clues. 

 

In Luke a woman who is described as having lived a sinful life comes to the house of Simon the Pharisee in Galilee and pours the purfume on Jesus’ feet after washing them with her tears. Like the woman in today’s reading from Matthew Jesus honours her. In fact he not only honours her, he declares her sins are forgiven, even though they are many. Over and over again Jesus is described as eating with tax collectors and sinners. He brings a message of hope to people living hard rural lives struggling under the burden of heavy Roman and other taxes. He describes them as the lost sheep of Israel and acts as their shepherd. In the wilderness he feeds them not only with bread and fish but also with the words of eternal life. When they are sick he heals them. If they are possessed, he drives out the evil and makes them whole. In today’s story Jesus is eating in the house of Simon the Leper. It is most likely that Simon was one who had been healed by Jesus of his leprosy and so been able to come back into the town and been restored to his community, family and property. 

 

In today’s story then it is most likely that the woman has been inspired by Jesus in some way. She has heard the words of eternal life and felt the hope of eternity wake in her. Or she has been fed in the wilderness. Or she is a publicly notorious sinner who has been forgiven or hopes to be forgiven much. Or she has been healed by Jesus. Whatever the case Jesus has so affected her that she has been inspired to generously lavish a year’s wages worth of expensive perfume on him, crossing boundaries and so risking shame and public humiliation.

 

You and I have even more reason to be thankful. Today’s story is set in the week of Jesus’ death, possibly the day before. When Jesus honours the woman he says “When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.” (Matthew 26:12, NIV) Jesus was looking forward and you and I are looing back to his death and resurrection. In dying for you and being raised to new life for you Jesus is eternally fusing together, reconciling, God and humanity, the creator and the created, are eternally joined together in him and in one community of love. So not only is the living Jesus even now through the Spirit and the Bible bringing hope and inspiration, healing and restoration, to our world, he is also bringing life and restoration into eternity. This means that your sins even if they are many are forgiven. This means that you have a sure and certain hope for now and into eternity. This means you are reconciled to God now and forever and so are all who trust in Jesus. This means that even though it may seem impossible there is a real possibility of peace and reconciliation even in places like Ukraine & Russia, Darfur, and Iran and the United States. 

 

You have more to be thankful for than the woman with her expensive perfume and than Agnes with her cake. You have more to be thankful for than the people of Israel set free from slavery in Egypt. You have eternity to be thankful for. As I John 3:16-18 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” (1 John 3:16–18, NIV)

Like the women, and as the people of Israel were urged in the Deuteronomy reading, you and I must be generous in response to the unspeakable, freely given gift of Jesus’ life, death, and eternal life.  For it is this grace this unmeasurable undeserved gift of God for which you are asked to give thanks to God with heart and hand and voices.

 

Be generous to the needy. If we follow today’s readings and the message of the Bible as a whole, they are saying you are to be generous to the needy. There should not be poor among you, but until Christ returns, until Heaven and earth are completely joined us one, until the new creation comes there will always be poor among us. So you who are rich in God’s love, in material possessions, in faith, in friendship and/or family support can give to those who have need for any of these things.

Be generous to the needy. Be generous in including. Because of the teaching of Paul that all including slave and free are one in Jesus and because of the Biblical conviction that all human beings, everyone descended from Adam and Eve, are made in the image of God, we no longer believe or accept that it is OK for one human being to own another, to have slaves. The words of Deuteronomy therefore may sound strange to uyou and me. What does not sound strange is that you should be generous to everyone. Jesus and Paul extend this generosity beyond the people of Israel to all humanity. The story of the Good Samaritan, the woman at the well, and the many stories of Paul and the Apostles taking the Gospel out to people of every culture, race, gender and class. For God so loved the world the cosmos, that he gave his only Son. If God has been this generous to the whole world then so can you.

 

So, be generous to the needy. Be generous in including. And be generous in celebrating. It is easy to be critical of the woman pouring expensive perfume on Jesus’ head. It is easy to be critical of a pastor and lecturer in sociology throwing a party for a prostitute at 3 am in the morning. It is easy to be critical of the millions that are spent on fireworks and Olympics. It is easy to be critical of the large sums of money spent to by the NDIS on taking disabled people out to coffee or the movies or on holidays. I’m sure there is some waste, but it’s not black and white.Stop and think for a moment: “Is it ok for me to have a cake for my birthday?” “Is it OK for me to go on a holiday, to celebrate the people, culture and beauty of the world?” “Is it OK for me to have a big meal, to give gifts, to put on big displays, and run concerts or eat chocolate to celebrate, the birth of Christ - eternal love coming into the world, or to celebrate the death and risen eternal life of Jesus freely given to me?” If all these thing are OK for you, then how can you deny them to your needy neighbour. How can you deny that disabled person who is neighbour, that birthday cake, that coffee in a shop, that holiday, those gifts at Christmas and chocolate at Easter, if they are things which you have and feel are important parts of the celebration of faith and God given life?

 

How is it that you and I can get so resentful about paying our taxes, or giving to charity, or helping a needy neighbour we pass by when we have been given life eternally in all it’s fullness by Jesus, especially when many of you and I have been blessed with material riches as well? 

 

God in Jesus has been so generous to us, so be generous to those in need, be generous in including, and be generous in celebrating. Amen.