Financial Peace University coming to Andover

Financial Peace University is a biblically-based, video-driven small group study that teaches families to beat debt, build wealth and give like never before. Dave Ramsey teaches this life-changing, 13-week program that will change the way you think about personal finance. A preview session will be held Thursday, February 29th at 6:00pm (Andover campus). The small group will meet Sundays, 5:30 - 7:30 pm, beginning March 9th. Contact Mark or Cindy McDavid for additional information, 351-6063.

2.21.08 Were You There? Study Guide Notes

Text: Jude 1;24-25

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In my eyes, this is one of the most uplifting and compelling Benedictions we have in the Bible. The author is giving God praise and glory for how God works in our lives. God is glorified through you and through me! This thought yokes humanity and God together. For us, it is comforting to know that God is always on our side bringing us to Him. No matter what we have done, God is willing and able to restore us to a right relationship. That to me is hopeful. It shows what unconditional love truly means.

We have been focusing on temptation this week which has the tendency to bring us to think that God is waiting on high to pounce on us. But the message over and over is one of patience and love. Mercy and compassion. Instead of running and hiding from God when we mess up, the Bible teaches over and again to come directly to God and get it right and over with. The quicker we move toward God and accept forgiveness, the quicker we can get back to doing what He has laid out for us. I don't mean to make it sound like a transaction. It is so much more than that. Recognizing our need for God and running to Him is the A-1 way to grow in our spiritual life. Our humility places us directly beneath God's stream of grace.

2.20.08 Were You There? Study Guide Notes

Today's Text: Romans 6:1-14

NIV Romans 6:1 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, {6 Or be rendered powerless} that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- 7 because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14 For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

"For sin will not be your master." What a powerful expressions. Has sin been our master? Without a doubt sin has been, or might still be ordering our lives. We may not be able to live free from the sinful nature this side of eternity, but it can be "rendered powerless." The most important question is what are we building into our lives that helps this take place? Are we using the means of grace (Scripture, prayer, worship, fellowship etc.) on a regular basis? Are we involved in a system of accountability for our inward thoughts and actions? Do we regularly share with other people what is on our heart and on our mind. God has given us each other to be helpmates through this life. If we haven't already, isn't it time for us to commit to one another to help and encourage and do life together instead of operating in a vacuum?

2.19.08 Were You There? Study Guide Notes

Text: 1 Peter 5:6-10

NLT 1 Peter 5:6 So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. 7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. 8 Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. 9 Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters(1 )all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. 10 In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

We saw in Romans yesterday that we have two natures within us that are vying for supremacy. Here Peter takes it one step further and identifies the Devil as our great enemy. He looks for a convenient way to throw us off track and thereby ruining our witness and our very lives. Peter encourages us to beware and to resist (use our will power) as our first line of defense against these attacks. James 4:7 tells us to "Submit therefore to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." It gives us the insight that resisting the Devil can only be accomplished by first submitting to God. As Peter, James and John show us in the Garden of Gethsemane, this can be a difficult task. It is a daily, no it is a minute by minute submission. It is not just a submission in the morning and hope it lasts all day. For us to battle temptation and overcome evil, we must be on our guard each minute and be willing to walk away, walk through, and even rebuke that which happens around us that stands ready to drag us down.

No wonder the Bible is clear that we need one another! I would not want to tackle this one by myself.

Sermon Manuscript: Judas

Text: Matthew 26:14-30

Think back with me to the American Revolution or the War of Independence if you prefer. There was a particular General that was heralded for bravery, known for his strategy, and provided much needed leadership to the Battle of Ticonderoga, the Philadelphia regiment, and to West Point. Who was this war hero who served his country so well during this important time in its infancy? Benedict Arnold.

Thomas, one of the twelve as they were known, gets a bad wrap for being a doubter. Remember when Thomas stated that he wouldn't believe it was Jesus until he felt the nail scarred hands and his pierced side? It was this same Thomas who but a few chapters back had made the courageous statement, "let us go to Jerusalem - and die with him." The former episode gets much more notoriety from the pulpit, but the second statement is just as defining and much more powerful in my mind.

Today, we take a look at Judas' betrayal of Jesus. It is well known story of denial and destruction. On the surface, it is difficult to identify with Judas. How could someone out and out plot to kill Jesus? Especially someone who had been walking side by side with Jesus for three years. Judas had seen the amazing healings. Heard the powerful teachings. And he had been privy to inner-discussions about heavenly things.

Evidently, the writer of Matthew had not seen it coming either. For we are not given even a hint of impropriety concerning Judas until this episode with the chief priests. For all we know, Judas was a model citizen who was an integral part of the twelve. He had been chosen by Jesus to follow for some redeeming reason and was carrying out his duties at least as well as the others. We get no indication of problems or concerns.

We have to go to John's gospel and to Luke's gospel to begin to piece together anything resembling a profile. Luke simply states that, "Satan entered into Judas." While an accurate statement, that still doesn't give us a reason. We are told in Scripture that Satan holds no power over us. The power Satan has, we give to him. What was it about Judas that gave power to Satan?

John's gospel begins to give us a hint. In chapter 12, John states that Judas took from the community treasury often. This is obviously an editorial, after the fact, comment because they would not have let Judas continue as treasurer if this had been common knowledge. So even in John's mind, Judas did not exhibit any outward characteristics that warranted mentioning. It was only after the fact that John began to piece together something of a profile.

So let's do the same. A disciple of Jesus. In first century Israel, to be a disciple of a prominent Rabbi was a high status position. The competition was fierce for a place at the feet of Ramamiel or one of the other high profile Rabbis. It would be like for us going to Harvard or even better Texas A&M. Children who were smart enough progressed through the educational system in part by memorizing more and more of the Hebrew bible. Only the best of the best were eventually invited to become part of a group. We know from Jesus' calling of his disciples that he used different criteria to choose his disciples. Most of the group probably had given up the dream of being a disciple and were content to move forward with a career of fishing, tax collecting, etc. So to be invited to follow Jesus was a huge surprise and honor.

We also know that the disciples were looking for Jesus to build an earthly kingdom. They had seen such power and authority from Jesus that is was natural to think that he was leading them toward some sort of reign here on earth. And as his closest followers, they were surely to benefit from all of this. Matter of fact, remember James and John's mother who asked Jesus if they could sit on his right and left hand when he established his kingdom? This is why I believe that the disciples expected something more and something soon.

So they had gone from the fringe of Israel to the very center of the nation in terms of profile. They had gone from also-rans in the culture to a position of prominence, at least notoriety. Their expectations increased by the episode through the day that Jesus' triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. The wave of excitement and awareness of Jesus power and authority were palpable. And then it all began to unravel. The reminder by Jesus that he will be handed over to be crucified. The anointing for burial by the woman at Bethany. And for one disciple at least, this reversal of fortune was too much to handle. He had come too far to go back now.

When personal character flaws meet times of pressure, conditions exist for an implosion of morality. Judas' personal character flaw that resulted in stealing from the treasury was not addressed. It created an ever increasing fissure that broke wide open when it became evident that Jesus was not building an earthly kingdom but something else.

That is the first big take away from this part of the passage. Unaddressed personal character flaws are much like a earthquake fault line. They may sit unnoticed and dormant for an indefinite time. The flaws in our character may not be hurting anyone or causing any type of trouble or tension for long period of times. It may even seem better to let them lie and hope they go away. But in the end, just like a fault line, when pressures build up, there will be an episode that shakes the foundation of your world and the world of those around you.

Pornography, financial pressures, relational infidelity, gossiping, secrets in general and their underlying character issues all stand ready to crumble your world. They are the very fuel that leads to catastrophic failures in our life. We have all been there at times. We have heard the stories of very good people doing things that are unimaginable.

Let's pick on clergy for a moment. Have you ever wondered why people in my position, supposedly called and equipped and capable, fall into such deadly sinful behavior? If you haven't, I sure have. The amount of clergy, particular new church start clergy, who eventually blow themselves up personally is staggering. By that I mean lose their family and their careers and their good name through some major infidelity in their lives: affairs, embezzlement, etc. It happens when a small character flaw goes unaddressed, pushed down, left unaccounted for and is coupled with a time of extreme pressure in the ministry. Things that grow in the dark become awful things that eat away your soul. It is joyful time for the forces of evil than when a person of the cloth gets entangled in something so unseemly that it makes the entire church look hypocritical. I am not going to name names today, you know full well some of the high profile cases and probably many more lower profile cases. And I am just using clerypersons as an example, it can and does take a toll on all of us. No profession or stage in life is immune to this.

Okay, now for the good news. After every denial in chapter 26, there is a time of togetherness where a meal is or an intense experience is shared. Even after Jesus knew that Judas was to betray him, where do you find him? At the table in the upper room? Sharing an intimate meal with Christ. Judas, yes even Judas, was given the opportunity to be forgiven and to turn away from that which was leading him astray. And so it is with us. No matter what is going on in your life. No matter how bad things have gotten or might get, we are invited into Jesus' inner circle where we can receive forgiveness, healing, and renewal for our lives. No matter, God's grace is availabe to us. Today can be the day you receive the healing you so long for. God is willing and able, are you?

2.18.08 Were You There? Study Guide Notes

Today's Text: Romans 7:14-25

NLT Romans 7:14 The law is good, then. The trouble is not with the law but with me, because I am sold into slavery, with sin as my master. 15 I don't understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. 16 I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. 17 But I can't help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things. 18 I know I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. 19 When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. 20 But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it. 21 It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God's law with all my heart. 23 But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin?(1 )25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.


Paul paints a picture of conflict in this passage. The conflict is between two natures that reside within: sin nature and our desire for God. Left to themselves, the sin nature wins out every time. Why? Because it is a stronger force than our will power. Now, there are some battles which our will power might win. There might even be seasons of victory, but in the end, our sin nature draws upon our selfish desires and ambition to win out. The strength to conquer this sin nature does not come from within but from outside of us. The Holy Spirit is able to conquer our sin nature. The key is to understand our role in working with the Holy Spirit to do this very thing. And that key is more about giving up than it is taking on anything. GIving up control in our lives and accepting the Holy Spirit's control is what takes us from being conquered to conquerors ourselves. The more room that we give the Holy Spirit, the less room our sin nature has. At times this is hard work because it means leaving some things in our life behind. It also may mean that we pick up new and more God honoring habits to weave into the fabric of our life. Lent is that time to do just this. If you are working through this study, you have already placed a God honoring habit in your life and as a result given up something else you could have done instead. That is the wonderful thing about how we are made. Our time is "mutually exclusive" in terms of events. We can only do one thing at a time. So if we want to leave something behind, we only need to pick up something new that takes up that time. Easy to say, and much more difficult to do!

2.15.08 - Were You There? Study Guide Notes

Today's Text: Ephesians 1:3-14

NLT Ephesians 1:3 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. 4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. 9 God's secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. 10 And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ -- everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,(1 )for he chose us from the beginning, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. 12 God's purpose was that we who were the first to trust in Christ should praise our glorious God. 13 And now you also have heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God's guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.


Reading this passage with the backdrop of Judas' betrayel brings to light that God's plan is truly for all people. There is not a subsection of the population that is excluded, not even Judas. Jesus went through this suffering on earth at the hands of the very people he came to offer salvation. Judas at the last supper is an image that must resonate with us. The betrayer being offered a place at the table. The Savior freely sharing the meal and conversation and hospitality with the destroyer. If Judas can be at the table, there is no one on earth that is beyond being at the table as well. God's grace is for the least, the lost, and those who think they need it the least (ie. the self-sufficient.) I, for one, am eternally grateful.

2.14.08 Were You There? - Study Guide Notes

Today's Text: Jeremiah 31:31-34

TNK Jeremiah 31:31 See, a time is coming -- declares the LORD -- when I will make a new covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers, when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, a covenant which they broke, though I espoused them -- declares the LORD. 33 But such is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel after these days -- declares the LORD: I will put My Teaching into their inmost being and inscribe it upon their hearts. Then I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 No longer will they need to teach one another and say to one another, "Heed the LORD"; for all of them, from the least of them to the greatest, shall heed Me -- declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquities, And remember their sins no more.


In the upper room during the Last Supper, Jesus took the cup and after giving thanks he said, "this is my blood of the NEW COVENANT which is poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin." Jesus was at this moment signaling that God was about to fulfill the New Covenant promised in Jeremiah 31:31 through him. This is a cataclysmic event: the Temple is being replaced with God's people as the place God resides.

That is why we say the church is not a building but a people. For we are conduits of God's love that is poured out all over the earth. God's message is no longer confined to a central place, but has been decentralized in order for it to cover the world with the Gospel.

2.13.08 Were You There - Study Guide Notes

Today's Text: Matthew 20:20-28

NLT Matthew 20:20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 "What is your request?" he asked. She replied, "In your Kingdom, will you let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one at your right and the other at your left?" 22 But Jesus told them, "You don't know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of sorrow I am about to drink?" "Oh yes," they replied, "we are able!" 23 "You will indeed drink from it," he told them. "But I have no right to say who will sit on the thrones next to mine. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen." 24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, "You know that in this world kings are tyrants, and officials lord it over the people beneath them. 26 But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first must become your slave. 28 For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many."


A doating Mother. Two ambitious sons. A prime teaching opportunity. The kingom Jesus came to build was not one based upon power by might, it was one to built upon power by love. He turned the organization chart on its head and said that the first must voluntarily by last. It is about other people and not about personal gain. When this passage is viewed in context with the Judas passage from two days ago, it becomes apparent where Judas had gotten off course. He would have been privy to this discussion and yet it didn't quite click with Judas. In our day and time, this is a difficult lesson. For we are told from an early age to take control and be aggressive and to get ahead through grades, athletics, and social activities. And none of these things are particularly wrong until they edge out the kingdom of Heaven (which might be described as the kingdom for others) for priority in our lives. It is tough to serve others when we are trying to step upon them to get ahead isn't it? Don't be fooled by thinking that "when I make it I can then do good for others." By the time you "make it", you will have started such habits and patterns in your life that will be difficult to change.

Elley Fisk

As you heard during the service on Sunday, Elley Fisk has felt a call to move back to a ministry more focused with students either college or sr/jr hi. This has come through a lengthy process of Elley searching for God's will in her life and where God wants her to be in ministry. It is a bittersweet time for us at Andover. Elley was instrumental in getting Andover off the ground through her work with the Dance School, New Guest follow-up and Young Adult ministries. We could not be where we are today without her efforts and faithful service.

So we send her on to new challenges and will always keep a special place in our hearts for her infectious smile and personality. Thank you Elley! May God richly bless you wherever God takes you on the next step of your journey.

Elley's last day at Andover will be this Sunday, February 17th. We will be taking a love offering for Elley and having a reception for her immediately after the service on Sunday.

2.12.08 Were You There Study Guide Notes

Today's text: Isaiah 53:1-12
TNK Isaiah 53:1 "Who can believe what we have heard? Upon whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For he has grown, by His favor, like a tree crown, Like a tree trunk out of arid ground. He had no form or beauty, that we should look at him: No charm, that we should find him pleasing. 3 He was despised, shunned by men, A man of suffering, familiar with disease. As one who hid his face from us, He was despised, we held him of no account. 4 Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing, Our suffering that he endured. We accounted him plagued, Smitten and afflicted by God; 5 But he was wounded because of our sins, Crushed because of our iniquities. He bore the chastisement that made us whole, And by his bruises we were healed. 6 We all went astray like sheep, Each going his own way; And the LORD visited upon him The guilt of all of us." 7 He was maltreated, yet he was submissive, He did not open his mouth; Like a sheep being led to slaughter, Like a ewe, dumb before those who shear her, He did not open his mouth. 8 By oppressive judgment he was taken away, Who could describe his abode? For he was cut off from the land of the living Through the sin of my people, who deserved the punishment. 9 And his grave was set among the wicked, And with the rich, in his death -- Though he had done no injustice And had spoken no falsehood. 10 But the LORD chose to crush him by disease, That, if he made himself an offering for guilt, He might see offspring and have long life, And that through him the LORD's purpose might prosper. 11 Out of his anguish he shall see it; He shall enjoy it to the full through his devotion. "My righteous servant makes the many righteous, It is their punishment that he bears; 12 Assuredly, I will give him the many as his portion, He shall receive the multitude as his spoil. For he exposed himself to death And was numbered among the sinners, Whereas he bore the guilt of the many And made intercession for sinners."


This passage is a well-known Lenten passage prophecying Jesus. He grew up like a tender shoot, exposed to the world and all of its hardhips. He had no beauty or majesty that would cause us to be attracted to him; Jesus was to be "everyman" and not a super-hero comicbook figure. The passage makes the point that Jesus did not come for us to marvel at his appearance. No Jesus came so that we might be freed from the bondage of sin. It was not a vain pursuit but a pursuit of love. Would it have made any difference if Jesus would have come as the Prince to a King instead of a son of a carpenter? Would it have made any difference if Jesus had lifted entire buildings and been faster than a speeding bullet? I think so...it would have made him less approachable, less knowable, and less able to reach out to every person.

2.11.08 Were You There Study Guide Notes

Today's text: Matthew 26:14-30

NIV Matthew 26:14 Then one of the Twelve-- the one called Judas Iscariot-- went to the chief priests 15 and asked, "What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?" So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. 16 From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over. 17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?" 18 He replied, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.'" 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover. 20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." 22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" 23 Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." 25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you." {25 Or "You yourself have said it"} 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." 27 Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the {28 Some manuscripts the new} covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." 30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.


We transition from the scene at Bethany to focus upon Judas Iscariot who goes to meet with the leading priests. He has made up his mind to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (the amount paid for a male slave.) The religious leaders needed Judas in order to make it look like Jesus' own were turning upon him. This was one way to perhaps not cause a riot of Jesus' followers.
Judas was therefore being used. The thirty pieces of silver was meaningless to the religious leaders, it was the appearance of a fracture from within that they wanted.

When things are falling apart in your life, do you look to get out or to go through? Judas decided to get out and it cost him more than he could have ever of realized.

Sermon Manuscript: Were You There? The Woman at Bethany

Text: Matthew 26:1-13

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I know it is true, for it is the only reason my wife would have ever married me! Have you ever been with a friend and looked at something such as a piece of art or a landscape that impacted you both in very different ways? You might have said something like, "that piece of art transcends the renaissance period and encapsulates the political climate of that entire millenium." I do not know what that means, but you might have said it. Or more likely, "That picture is beautiful." To which your friend responds, "that is the ugliest thing I have ever seen." You both have the same input, but it affects you in dramatically different ways.

The Lenten series we are starting today is entitled, "Were You There? People in the last days of Jesus' life." We want to do some character studies and see what motivated each of them to either remain faithful or at odds with Jesus' mission. We also want to see how God used them to bring about His ultimate purpose of redemption which is Jesus' death and resurrection. If you haven't already, I again encourage you to pick-up a Lenten study that contains daily readings and questions to be used in your personal study or with a group.

In order to fully appreciate this narrative, we need some background. The gospel writer has been building up to these two-plus chapters for the past twenty-five. Here we see the climactic scenes where everything is going to be known and resolved. Matthew has been trying to paint Jesus as the Messiah, and here he will prove it. The chapter begins after Jesus' fourth major discourse, ie. sermon, contained in the gospel of Matthew. It is the well-known passage of taking care of the least among you that leads us into the scene where Jesus says to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away - and the Son of man will be handed over to be crucified." That is the thesis statement that we will be working from for the next seven weeks of lent. As strange as it may sound, you cannot have Christianity without the Cross and you do not have the Cross without these events. So let's not hurry past the Cross, as morbid as that might seem, for in that event holds the key to knowing God's love and care for us.

So Jesus begins with a statement of fact, "as you know" . And it is a fact that his disciples knew two things. They knew that the Passover was starting in two days. Every Jewish person would have known this. It would be like me saying, Christmas is in two days. Everyone above the age of 2 years old would "know" this. Jesus goes on to say that this will be the time he will be handed over to be crucified. Now you could make a case that the disciples could not have "known" this fact. Why wouldn't they have tried to stop him? Peter did in Matthew 16 and was quickly chastised by Jesus. Jesus said, get behind me Satan. Or they would have not followed him because it surely meant they too were in grave danger? But remember what Thomas said in John 11 after Jesus decided to go and help Lazarus in Judea where they were plotting to stone him. Thomas said, "Let us all go, that we may die with him." No I contend that the disciples knew full well Jesus' fate. How could they not? From Matthew's 16 chapter forward, Jesus is talking openly about what will take place. They might not have wanted to know or believe, but I believe that they had to have knowledge of this taking place.

And so the canvas is prepared. The thesis laid out. How will it come about? Who will play a part? Who will be the heros and heroines and who will be the villians? It does not take long to begin answering those questions. First the snare must be set. And the religious establishment takes care of this quickly. The chief priests and elders met along with the High Priest Caiaphas. They had had enough of Jesus gaining in popularity at their expense. They had suffered great shame at the hands of Jesus and their leadership was not only called into question, it was attacked time and again. Brood of Vipers Jesus called them. Their throats are open graves he directed at them. Not only was it direct attacks, but he had much greater power than any of them. He healed the masses, taught to the multitudes, and amassed a legion of followers who were ready to make him whatever he wanted to be: prophet, king, messiah. Here was the best thing that ever happened to God's chosen people, and they could not see beyond their own egos, authority, and power. God's will had gotten lost in the pursuit of their own. He must be eliminated. Jesus must be dealt with once and for all. But not during the festival time. No, that would be too dangerous for his followers might decide to take matters into their own hands. Soon, but when it would be expeditious.

Those closest to Jesus, called disciples or mathetes in Greek which meant pupil or learner, were not immune from this inward looking self-centeredness. The story goes on to say that a woman showed up at the house of Simon the Leper in Bethany. She took out an alabaster jar filled with an expensive perfume. She anoints Jesus from head to toe in their utter disbelief. The text says they were indignant that not only would this woman have violated Jesus in this manner, but more importantly "wasted" this precious asset. The word "waste" here can be defined as "destroyed". In their eyes there was absolutely no good that came from pouring it upon Jesus in such a fashion. It wasn't that there were "better" alternatives, it was that this was not an alternative at all. Sure, they saw people who could be helped. They saw a worldly kingdom that could be enhanced. They saw an asset that could be monetized and used for something more worthwhile, including themselves I assume. I can't totally fault the disicples in this case, but they surely missed the bigger picture.

And then there was "a" woman. She is not named nor mentioned again after this episode. This woman was the only one who got the bigger picture. Jesus said that in two days he would be crucified. Since that was so, he needed to be prepared for burial. No matter the personal cost either of resources or of ego, she was bound and determined to prepare Jesus for his impending death. Of all the people listed in this part of the story, she is the least likely to have gotten the message. Her status as a woman put her at a distinct disadvantage from a social, educational, economic or religious perspective. And yet, when presented with the same knowledge as the rest of the group, her actions showed her true understanding that the others sorely lacked. And she must have been a bit taken aback when the disciples began to chastise her actions. Jesus spoke up and said that wherever the gospel is preached, this woman's actions will be remembered.

Her legacy wasn't who she knew, or who she was related to, or what qualifications she had. No, her legacy, that we remember and give thanks for today is solely related to her actions. We also remember the Sanhedrin, who plotted against Jesus because of selfish ambition. Likewise, we remember the disciples who did not value Jesus' personal needs above that of a bottle of perfume. All of these had the same knowledge of Jesus, but all three responded differently. Just like my initial example of two persons looking at a work of art. We see the same thing, but respond to it very differently. Our eyes may see, head may know, but it is our heart that formulates a response.

So what happens between our head and our heart? What filters are in place that makes each of us respond differently to the gospel message of Christ? I don't have enough time for an exhaustive run down of factors, but in my experience there are a few that keep popping up.

Our upbringing is a determinant in how we process God's truth. In addition to physical traits, we get many other lifelong traits. How we were brought up creates a filter that all things get processed through. If our parents went to church, guess what, we are more likely to attend church. If they were generous givers, guess what, we are more likely to give generously. Sometimes, the most difficult decisions in life are to leave a family tradition or viewpoint behind.

Those who we hang around influence our response. The people that we are with day after day tend to rub off on us. The confluence of ideas and actions that surround us shapes a filter from which all other bits of information must be processed.

Our self-interests influence how we respond. Our dreams, our goals, as well as our fears also form part of the filter that we process information through. We see over and over again, particularly in this story, that it is difficult to get past our self-interests. They have a tendency to control how we respond and how willing we are to change our life. There was a question submitted for our And The Survey Says sermon series that wanted to know why it is easier to accept Christ earlier in life than later. It is because we have less to lose earlier on. After living for a while, we have a lot of stuff in our life that makes it difficult to let go of. That is one reason why, in my opinion, the woman was the only one who really got Jesus in this story. She was the least likely and had the least amount to lose.

NLT Mark 8:35 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life.

Let me boil it all down. We are all presented with the gospel message. Just like in our passage this morning. And how we respond is the most important thing in our life (hyperbole meant). It is a matter of life and death for our current life and the eternal life to come. Where are we in this picture this morning? Were you there? Are we the religious leaders who have so much to lose that they refuse to accept what god has for them because it means giving up too much? Or are we the disciples who have hung around Christ for years, have all the knowledge in the world, and yet still refuse to act upon it. Rather, we are waiting for the best time or the better deal to come along. May we all be like the woman, the unamed woman, lets call her everywoman and man, who is presented with the gospel truth and acts upon it with great fervor and abandon.

Maybe it is time, this lent, for us to clean our filters out and see what God might have in store for us?

NLT Mark 8:35 If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life.