Living Life by the Lowest Bid

Easter is a very special time in the lives of many people especially Christians.  It means a new Easter outfit.  It means getting crops in the ground.  It means sunrise services, family gatherings, and eating egg salads, egg sandwiches, boiled eggs, deviled eggs, eggs, and eggs.  Resurrection Sunday for the Christian is a time of celebration.  Let us be careful not to confine Easter to one day, but to celebrate our lives to the risen Savior every day.  Let us learn to worship and serve the Living Christ.

The Gospel of John, 12:3-8, paints a beautiful picture of worship and service to Jesus.  We find Jesus at a family gathering.  It is in Bethany that Jesus celebrates with his close friends and supporters Lazarus, Martha, and Mary.  Martha is in the kitchen.  Lazarus is fellowshipping with the men.  Mary is at the feet of Jesus.  What a testimony she has.  Mary demonstrated an attitude of worship and service to Jesus.   Mary had a love and devotion to Jesus that should be the desire of all of us.  She comes to this gathering of men carrying an exquisite vase that contained about twelve ounces of expensive perfume.  Mark’s gospel says that it is worth $10,000.  The valuable perfume was usually an heirloom.  It was an investment, a nest egg.  She broke the seal of the vase and poured the perfume on Jesus expressing her gratitude, love, and devotion in one act of extravagant, yet humble love.

As we gather these next few days before Easter, Mary is an inspiration to all believers.  There are those who think that Christian worship and service are a waste of resources.  Many times we have inexpensive thinking.  Spartan philosophy believed everything built must be functional, ordinary, and basic.  Everything bought at lowest cost and everything done average. 

Chuck Swindoll in his book Living Above Mediocrity writes, “We used to laugh at a comment one of the American astronauts made years ago, but the laughter has hushed since the Challenger tragedy.  The way the story goes, someone stuck his head inside the node capsule before a team of astronauts had launched and asked, ‘Well, How does it feel?’  With a grin, one of them replied, ‘It really makes you think twice in here when you realize everything in this whole project was constructed according to the lowest bid!’  Many-dare I say, most- conduct their entire lives ‘according to the lowest bid.’” 

Christian worship and service are never a waste.  Remember, our existence as a church came at a very high cost.  Grace is not cheap.  Celebrate the Risen Savior.