Today is Wednesday the middle of our fourth week of living in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. As in previous weeks I want to invite you to put aside an hour to reflect on the biblical passage below and to pray for our nation at this time. For some of us the work pressures have increased further and the strains of exhausting schedules may be making life particularly hard; by contrast others have had to adjust to far less activity and had more time than usual on our hands. Whatever your personal circumstances it is good to take time out with God to pray and reflect on how this week has gone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0Matthew chapter twenty-six contains a beautiful account of an\u00a0extraordinary gift to Jesus from one of His followers.\u00a0While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,\u00a0<\/em>7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>a woman came to Him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on His head as He was reclining at the table.<\/em>8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. \u2018Why this waste?\u2019 they asked.\u00a0<\/em>9\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>\u2018This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.\u2019\u00a0<\/em>10\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>Aware of this, Jesus said to them,\u00a0\u2018Why are you bothering this woman? She\u00a0has done a beautiful thing to Me.\u00a0<\/em>11\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>The poor you will always have with you,\u00a0but you will not always have Me.\u00a0<\/em>12\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>When she poured this perfume on\u00a0My body,\u00a0<\/em>she did it to prepare Me for burial<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0<\/em>13\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.\u2019<\/em>(Matthew 26:6-13).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here is an extraordinary scene of a robustly healthy man in his thirties being anointed with an expensive perfume as if it was the time of his death. Can you imagine attending a special dinner and without warning offer an incredibly expensive gift to\u00a0the individual being honoured \u2013in preparation for their funeral? No! neither can I. Yet cast your mind back to the gifts brought by the Wise men to that house in Bethlehem where Mary and Joseph and their young son were living (Matthew 2:11) – what gifts did they bring? Gold \u2013 a present for a king; Frankincense- a present for a priest; and myrrh used to anoint a body prior to a burial. This was no ordinary child and no ordinary man. We are born to live, yet He was born to die.Have you ever stopped to think what different this made to His priorities?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. An<\/strong> extraordinary gift <\/strong>an alabaster jar of very expensiv<\/em>e perfume <\/em>(John 14:7). It was almost certainly the most expensive thing she possessed \u2013the nearest equivalent to Life Insurance of that day. She was giving away her sense of security by presenting this gift to Jesus. <\/strong>In this story, though,there were some contrasting judgements being made. The disciples of Jesus: they were indignant. \u2018Why this waste?\u2019 they asked. <\/em>9 <\/sup><\/em><\/strong>\u2018This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.\u2019<\/em> <\/em>(Matthew 26:8b-9) Their primary focus was on the monetary cost of the gift, but Jesus said: <\/em>She<\/em>has done a beautiful thing to M<\/em>e<\/em> <\/em>(Matthew 26:10b).<\/p>\n\n\n\n He saw the heart of the giver and recognised the love and sincerity so clearly in evidence. Do we endeavour to bless others with dedicated attention as He gave to this unnamed follower?<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. An extraordinary purpose<\/strong> <\/strong>When she poured this perfume on <\/em>My body, <\/em>she did it to prepare Me for burial<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em> <\/em>(John 14:12) The cross is central in Christianity. The death and subsequent bodily resurrection of Jesus and then His ascension back to heaven are events with which many of us are so familiar. The Holy Spirit prompted this unnamed follower of Jesus to carry out this prophetic act. She did what God had prompted her to do for Jesus. Will we today follow her example of dedication to the One who gave His life for us? Remember that actions speak louder than words! <\/p>\n\n\n\n A hymn that can help us in our reflections today is: I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=hoV4koFy-Is<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pointers for Prayer today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Praise<\/strong>: God is sovereign Acts 4:24: When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.<\/em> \u2018Sovereign Lord,\u2019 they said, \u2018Y<\/em>ou made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.<\/em> In the Early Church and today \u2013God is in control \u2013 let us acknowledge it today. What good things have happened in the last week for which you can give thanks? Take time to list them and give thanks to God for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Praise<\/strong> for the many people in our church and the wider community coming together to help others during this crisis in so many different ways. Praise too for the successful launch of the Broughty Ferry Food Bank, for the many volunteers who came forward to help; for the generous financial donations that enabled food purchases to be possible and for the ability to provide some assistance to the growing number of people facing unexpectedly tough times. Praise too for the excellent working relationship with other Food Banks and food service providers in the city as we together with Dundee City Council seek to provide essential supplies for our communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prayer <\/strong>for our Governments in Edinburgh & London: I Timothy 2:1 I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people \u2013 <\/em>2 <\/sup><\/em><\/strong>for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. <\/em>Pray especially for our Prime Minister Boris Johnston in intensive care in hospital in London, but also for all our politicians with their additional responsibilities at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray<\/strong> <\/strong>for those working to care for the sick or to provide other vital services in our communities at this time, in some cases at great risk to themselves. Remember particularly those know to us by name. Pray also for the families of those who gave their lives serving others during this crisis in our health and social care services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray<\/strong> for those currently unwell with this virus, or other medical conditions; pray too for the increasing number of people needing assistance from Food Banks and for those who have growing difficulties as they seek to pay their bills or who are undergoing other hardships. Pray too for those separated from their close family members to avoid potential risks of infection over the coming weeks or months and for those struggling with their emotional or mental health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray<\/strong> for our sister churches Ephesians 1:15-16: For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God\u2019s people, <\/em>16 <\/sup><\/em><\/strong>I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.<\/em> <\/em>We pray for our Baptist family of churches in Scotland, but also for other churches in Broughty Ferry; then in more general terms for the Christian Church around the world as its members along with people of other faiths or of none serve their communities in this time of need; <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray<\/strong> for one another I Thessalonians 1:2-3: We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. <\/em>3 <\/sup><\/em><\/strong>We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.<\/em> Take time to pray by name each week for other people both in the church and outside it whom God places on our hearts for prayer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Closing Praise<\/strong> Romans 11:33-36: Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!<\/em> <\/em>How unsearchable H<\/em>is judgments,<\/em> <\/em>and H<\/em>is paths beyond tracing out!<\/em> <\/em>34 <\/sup><\/em><\/strong>\u2018Who has known the mind of the Lord?<\/em> <\/em>Or who has been H<\/em>is counsellor?\u2019<\/em> <\/em>35 <\/sup><\/em><\/strong>\u2018Who has ever given to God,<\/em> <\/em>that God should repay them?\u2019<\/em> <\/em>36 <\/sup><\/em><\/strong>For from Him and through Him and for H<\/em>im are all things.<\/em> <\/em>To Him be the glory for ever!<\/em><\/strong> Amen.<\/em> <\/em>Thank Him for hearing and answering our prayers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brian Talbot<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today is Wednesday the middle of our fourth week of living in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis. As in previous weeks I want to invite you to put aside an hour to reflect on the biblical passage below and to pray for our nation at this time. For some of us the work pressures … Continue reading 8 April 2020 – Matthew 26:12 she did it to prepare Me for burial<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1111"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1112,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1111\/revisions\/1112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}