April 3, 2022
Hope Lutheran Church
Rev. Mary Erickson
John 12:1-8
What Lingers in the Air
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
How do you convey love? There are varying “languages of love.” In our gospel reading we see Martha, Lazarus and Mary. Each one acts out their love and gratitude in different ways.
Their hearts are overflowing. Lazarus had been dead and in his grave for four full days. He’d been dead long enough for his body to begin decomposing. But Jesus had ordered the stone to be rolled away from his tomb. And then he commanded Lazarus to rise and come out of the tomb. Amazingly, Lazarus was raised from the dead. He was resurrected to new life.
No wonder there was such joy in their house. Joy lingered in the air and it wasn’t going anywhere. The three siblings wanted to show their gratitude to Jesus and so they hosted a dinner in his honor. Each of them, Martha, Lazarus, and Mary, conveyed their love to the guest of honor in their own unique ways.
Martha was one of those people who showed her love through food. Do you know anyone who shows love through food? On our church staff, that person is definitely Les! Hardly a week goes by when he isn’t bringing in a pot of soup or a jar of home prepared canned goods.
Cesar Chavez said, “The people who give you their food give you their heart.” This is exactly what Martha had in mind for Jesus. She demonstrated her tremendous gratitude through the gift of her cooking.
Many years ago, the story “Babette’s Feast” by Karen Blixen changed my awareness of food. Babette had been caught up in the turmoil of a counter-revolution in Paris. She escaped and was sent to live with two spinster sisters in Denmark. They were the daughters of a very pious deceased pastor. Babette lives as a refugee with them in exchange for preparing food for them and the poor elderly of their village.
Years pass, and then Babette receives news that her Paris lottery ticket has won with a payout of 10,000 francs. Babette convinces the sisters to allow her to prepare the feast to celebrate their deceased father’s 100th birthday. They reluctantly agree. What the sisters don’t know is that Babette had been the chef at a renowned restaurant in Paris. Each day exotic foods and wines appear on their doorstep. Babette spent her entire lottery winnings to prepare this gourmet meal for the sisters and their pious community. During the incredible meal, old resentments within the pious community are healed and their hearts are warmed.
Chef Thomas Keller wrote, “A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.”
Food was Martha’s language of love. Just imagine the extravagant meal she prepared for Jesus! When the guests arrived at the door, they would have smelled the marvelous aromas wafting from the kitchen. The scent of her culinary creations lingered in the air.
Lazarus had a different language of love. His was the language of hospitality. Lazarus knew how to make people feel accepted and valued. As the man of the household, Lazarus would have been the one to greet the visitors at the door and welcome them in.
Do you know anyone who speaks this language of love? They shower you with words of affirmation. When you’re in their presence, you know that you are respected and cherished for who you are.
Hospitality is a central principle in Benedictine spirituality. It was recognized and valued as a way to welcome visitors to the monastery. Benedict remembered the story of Abraham and his three desert visitors. The writer of Hebrews also commented on this story about Abraham: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so, some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
At its heart the Benedictine rule of hospitality is to create a space, a place of welcome. We can create that space physically around a table or in a room. We can also form a space in our minds to receive the thoughts or perspectives of others. That space may also be shaped within the span of time. We can give our time and attention to another.
Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus. And the extravagant gift he gave also lingered in the air. It was the atmosphere of warm welcome, it was the lilting of laughter and the joy of love’s acceptance. Lazarus created a welcoming space for Jesus and his friends. Lazarus extended his extravagant attention to each and every guest. He created a safe and warm space for them.
The third sibling, Mary, she spoke still another language of love. Mary speaks the language of adoration. It’s a love that verges on being reckless. She disregards all protocol and reaches beyond boundaries. Mary has spent her life’s treasure to make this extravagant and intimate gift to Jesus. At the dinner, Mary steps beyond the lines of her proper position. She breaks open the bottle of perfume and pours its contents all over Jesus’ feet. Then she unbinds her hair, something a woman of her day should not do in public. She wipes Jesus’ anointed feet with her unbound hair.
John describes the scene with one of the most evocative and beautiful lines in his gospel: “The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.”
The fragrance of the perfume filled the air with its beauty. Beauty and blessing are expansive. They reach out further and further like ripples on smooth water.
On that day, these three love languages lingered in the air of that blessed house:
• The aroma of Martha’s cooking
• The warmth of Lazarus’ welcome
• The fragrance of Mary’s anointing
In the next few days, Jesus himself expresses his own languages of love. And he conveys his care through numerous love languages.
• Like Martha, in the upper room he shares his love through the meal he institutes. “This is my body,” he says, “This is my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins.” He brings his soul into the recipe of his love.
• And like Lazarus, Jesus creates a welcoming space through his loving hospitality. He tells his disciples, “In my Father’s house are many rooms. I go to prepare a place for you.” He creates a space for us, a place where we are welcomed and cherished in the warmth of his divine embrace.
• And on his cross, like Mary, Jesus will break open the container of his life. It will be his most extravagant gesture. He’ll pour out his very life. In doing so, he’ll anoint the world God so loved with the balm of his forgiving and healing love.
Jesus’ gifts of love are what still linger in the air, even to us. The fragrance of his perfume continues to expand ever outward. It reaches all the way to us in this place and time. His gifts of love reach out and fill the space of our reality. They linger and pulsate even here, in the air we breathe in this very room.
The power of his resurrection has touched us. May our lives, through our many love languages, express our joy and gratitude just as it lingered in the air that blessed day in the home of Martha, Lazarus and Mary. May our lives be a fragrant offering.
