When Surrender Becomes Sacred
Preacher: The Rev. Logan Hurst
Scripture: John 12:1-8
In a house once filled with grief and now surrounded by tension, Mary of Bethany broke open a jar of perfume and poured it out at the feet of Jesus. It was not just a gesture of affection—it was worship. Not timed for convenience, not calculated for usefulness, but offered freely in the middle of political unrest, spiritual confusion, and approaching death.
Mary didn’t wait for the perfect moment. She didn’t ask if everyone would understand. She didn’t justify her offering. She simply gave it. With humility, vulnerability, and extravagant love, she anointed Jesus and changed the atmosphere.
This is what worship looks like when it springs from a heart aligned with grace. It doesn’t always come with clarity. It isn’t always efficient. But it fills the room with beauty. While others judged, Mary gave. While Judas questioned, Jesus received.
This Holy Week, we are invited not to have all the answers, but to be like Mary—to kneel, to offer what we have, and to trust that Jesus will meet us there. The world may feel uncertain, but grace is still found at his feet.
Reflection Questions
Where in your life is Jesus inviting you to stop striving and simply kneel?
What offering—of time, love, or surrender—might you be holding back from giving him?
How can your worship, even in quiet ways, become a witness to others?
Are there voices of criticism or distraction keeping you from intimacy with Jesus?
How might you, like Mary, choose to honor Jesus in a costly and beautiful way this week?
