Extravagant Worship

That Sunday, I was in desperate need of something, always in need of this Something.  The night past I had laid on the bed and probed and prodded, pushed and pulled at him for answers that were not his to give.  “I do not know, you have to seek God for those answers, only He can tell you,” he so smartly answers.  Then we arose and gathered with the flock and I sat with no answers, only questions and this need. 

The pastor spoke the words in my ear but He broke the jar and spilled the words over my soul and the need met the Answer and I swam in the words and I swam in reverential delight ~ extravagant worship.

And that day, 2,000 years of yesterdays ago, she broke the jar and extravagant worship poured out over her Master and the fragrance of all that she had to give filled the house.  And to her Master it was a sweet aroma but not to the religious elite; no they scorned this “sinful woman.”  And she bore down her hair and she bore her soul and they stared on and they did not know and the surely did not perceive this deep love that this sinful woman wept over His feet.  She was entirely misunderstood by all that day, except for One, the only One and she looked past the contemptuous stares and she stared into Him and she stared into Him for all eternity.

Luke 7:50 ~  Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you: go into peace.”     And certainly she did.

Extravagant Worship ~ costly oil and entirely more costly tears poured over Him before the eyes of all of those who could not, or would not understand.  She poured out only for Him and He eternally poured back in.

Another jar cracks, splinters and words pour out and I say, “But, so few see and even less understand, “ and He says ~ that is extravagant worship. 

And yet another sinful woman, for we all, daughters of Eve, are certainly sinful women, she too cracks right open in front of glaring eyes and she spills out and over and they say, “What a waste!” and He says, “She will be remembered wherever I am spoken of.”  A waste?  Only to a Judas, not to that sinful woman that day and not to her Jesus.

And again some will say, “What a waste, wasted time and wasted words.  No one cares.”  And He gently whispers in my ear, “Extravagant worship and I do care and no amount of time nor words poured out unto me will ever be wasted.” 

Extravagant worship breaks vessels clean open and gives way to an Extravagant Love that fills us clean full and why do we ever bother with anything other than extravagant worship?

And what is this Extravagant Love?  It is the mysterious God of ours Who kindly lays low and stoops to pick up the shards and slivers of broken clay vessels and with blood smeared hands He lays broken pieces into something entirely  new and a once broken vessel stands again intertwined with righteous blood from His blood stained hands.

Today, race?  Yes, this morning I raced again and I wondered aloud that He would receive this extravagant worship that rambles out of my fingers and out of my heart and I race and I worship and I weep.  And I race through early morning light that breaks through trees on this earthen mass laid before me and as I race I hear shards of clay clatter to the ground and I fall in step on this ancient path, this narrow path that leads to life and I race in this extravagant worship that runs in the stride of this Extravagant Love.

(Read and remember your sinful sisters who poured out before hostile eyes in an unalloyed acts of worship; read, remember and be transformed by the renewing of your mind ~ That one who went in peace ~ Luke 7:36-50  and then the one who would be remembered wherever He was preached ~ Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9, John 12:1-11)