The Fragrance of Roses:
Echoes of a Lovely Thing

April 1, 2001

The Rev. Dr. Anthony J. Godlefski, Pastor

Montgomery United Methodist Church

John 12:1-8

Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him. Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it. Jesus said, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.”

 

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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, good morning! I want to send you a word of encouragement today, those of you who have felt weary, those of you who have wondered if you’re doing any good, those of you who’ve been caught up in the day-to-day grind of life and wonder if the things you do make a difference in the big picture. I have a word of encouragement for you from the Bible, dear friends, and I hope it blesses you.

Let’s look today at what happened in this beautiful Gospel story. It’s six days to the Passover. Holy week is coming. That means that Jesus knows he’s on his way to Jerusalem, his last visit to Jerusalem in earthly form. Jerusalem is really crowded. Jesus is a little pleased about that, because he’s allowed to stay, according to custom, as far away from Jerusalem as Bethany. And Bethany is his comfort zone.

Did you know that? Jesus had a place of comfort, a favorite spot where he used to love to just sit and be himself, relax, have a good meal and be with friends. It was Bethany, the home of Lazarus, his good friend whom he raised from the dead, and Martha (remember, she’s the one who’s always preparing meals?), and beloved Mary, whom he’d redeemed from so many problems. Jesus gave Mary her dignity back. He reminded her that she is a full person, that she is wonderful.

So there he is, in this home, with this dinner that the Bible says was prepared for him. During this meal, Mary was so overwhelmed with love for the Lord that she took an incredibly expensive bottle of perfume, broke it open, and poured it on Jesus’s feet. She had beautiful, long hair, and she pulled the pin out of her hair and let it tumble down. She used her hair to wipe his feet as a gesture of love and gratitude. It was as if she were saying, “Jesus, you gave me my life back! You let me know that I’m worth something. You took the demons out of me, the demons of worthlessness and lack of faith, and you put something good there. I’m so grateful! What can I do? My heart is overflowing like this perfume.” And she washed his feet with the perfume and dried them with her beautiful hair.

The Bible tells us this wonderful thing: “And the fragrance of the perfume filled the room.” Isn’t that beautiful? That’s what I want to talk about with you today. The fragrance of the perfume filled the room.

I don’t know what spikenard or nard smells like, but I do know what roses smell like. Picture a beautiful rose – they’ll bloom soon. Let’s pretend that that’s what the spikenard smelled like. And the Bible tells us that the smell filled the room.

What does that mean? Some scholars say that “the room” means the church, and the goodness that Mary expressed when she poured that perfume pervades the church even to this day. So the echoes of that beautiful gesture still ring in our hearts.

That’s the word I want to share with you today, folks. You never know where the ripples of your good works will end. You never know where the ripples of your day-to-day, conscientious efforts will end up. Your care of a child, or a parent, or a friend, of people you meet day by day – you never know where that goodness will end up.

Have you ever stood beside a still pond on a foggy morning and tossed in a pebble? You can watch the ripples spread out all the way to the end of the pond. You never know where your acts of goodness and kindness can end up.

Poor Judas was so lost in the consciousness of “how much.” He measured life by how much, but Mary measured life by how kind and good. And so it is for you, dear friends. Don’t give up. Hang in there. You never know where your goodness will ripple out.

I want to tell you a little story about a church that closed. There was a church in Rahway, New Jersey, that had been around since the days of Francis Asbury. This church was peopled by elderly and younger folks, but it was very small. It was a church that was declining in membership. I was blessed to be part of that church for a while.

You see, I came out of a church tradition where I wasn’t real happy. People seemed kind of standoffish and cold. I’m sure it’s different now, but at that time it seemed that way to me. Then I became the organist for this little church in Rahway. Let me tell you, these people were so kind, so affirming, so gentle, so good. They were like you. They touched my heart in a special way. They welcomed me, even though I wasn’t part of their congregation. They invited me to communion, even though I wasn’t part of their church. They invited me to their picnics, even though I wasn’t a member of their community.

And I was touched by that. I wanted some of that. I wanted that to be part of my life. So when I was 19 I joined that church. And lo and behold, after that, I decided I wanted to be a Methodist minister. And when I made that decision and left that congregation, I told them, “I promise you one thing: wherever I go, I’ll look for the spirit that you’ve taught me, and I’ll try to encourage it.”

That congregation, a couple of years later, closed. There is no more First United Methodist Church of Rahway. The members that were left have gone to other churches. Were they a failure? I think not. They were a success. They blessed me, and they blessed others. And we’re here, and you’re like that. Your love, your care, your concern, your compassion is in place and growing and rippling out. Wherever we go, we’ll be able to send those ripples of goodness and of love.

So you see, dear friends, those of you who have wondered if your life is worthwhile, if you’re making a difference in the big picture, hang in there. Hang on. Keep the faith. Keep doing what you’re doing. You never know where the ripples of your goodness will end.

One closing thought: There is a Chinese doctor by the name of Adeline Yen Mah. She wrote a book called Watching the Tree. I’d like to paraphrase the end of that book. Take this with you, won’t you?

In the last analysis, I suggest to you that the measure of a life is not how long or how much, but how good and how kind.

God loves you. I do, too. Have a wonderful week. Amen.