Long ago, as a young mother, my husband and I moved to a new state and one of our first decisions was to join the Presbyterian Church in town. The church was founded in the mid 1800’s, with just six people who gathered in a home nearby with a dream for a church. It is the oldest church in McHenry County, Illinois on the site where it began.

Within months of joining, I found myself elected as an elder. I barely knew what an elder was, but I knew most of them were men, and I held the honor of being the third woman ever to be elected to the Session. I didn’t feel worthy of this honor but the minister explained I had been "chosen" nonetheless. He explained that I had the choice to decline, or, to accept and see what God might have in store for me. It felt a bit daunting, but I decided to take the plunge, unaware that this call to ministry was to be the beginning of an exciting adventure.

The ordination ceremony, that Sunday, was riveting for me. I was the only one to be ordained that day, and in some ways it had a far greater impact on me than my ordination as Minister of Word and Sacrament. That may seem unusual or even a bit strange, but for me it was a profound juncture in my faith journey. For it was one of those times in our lives, that you know about too, when you simply know God is present, calling you to a specific action, without many details. This was to become a pattern between God and me over the years, but I didn’t know that then. I could hear the minister speaking, but it felt as if God were asking the questions:

"Will you in your own life seek to follow Jesus?

That Sunday, kneeling on the steps, I felt the hands of the ordained others on my head and shoulders, my arms and back; but it was more than that. I know now that all those hands were actually the hands of God. The sanctuary was full, yet for those few moments I felt like I was alone with God. I didn’t have the word at the time, but now I know that I was being anointed. I was being initiated into ministry; led into a relationship with God that would carry me the rest of my life. Joining that church was a life giving event for me, and I know that many of you have had your own events of God’s hands upon you too.

This is the wonderful thing about the church. It is a place where we learn not only as children, but also as adults, that pave the way and connect us with God. These experiences don’t happen in the secular parts of our lives. Spiritual experiences are unique and holy and available to all of us. They occur in a variety of ways that tell us clearly, we are in the presence of God. They are sacred moments when God gets in touch with us.

But they can pass us by if we are too busy. We can miss the experience if we turn down the invitation to step into untested water. Each time we dare to risk something new in the spiritual domain, it is normal to be a bit apprehensive. One clue that can alert us is hearing ourselves offering a flood of excuses of how very busy we are. Do we really mean we are too busy for God? We can attend church but resist getting involved, running the risk of losing out, on an important encounter.

God is always seeking to be in relationship with each of us, opening new doors through which we can enter. Such a relationship with God is not just a by-product of being alive, it is the very reason we were created. The church can be a place for us to test the waters and learn how to recognize God in our lives. It is a place where God can be seen and heard through other people, and in the process our lives can be changed. I think when this happens, we are being anointed.

In seminary, when reading Scripture for a sermon, the professors taught us to listen for a word or phrase that we couldn’t shake loose from, and stick with it; for this is the Word given for you to preach. In this passage it is the word "anointed" that has drawn my attention. It is more than being appointed or chosen. It is a holy word, reserved for people who are listening for God.

During Biblical times, anointing was reserved for the kings and priests. Their heads were anointed with oil as a sign of honor, prestige and power. Anointed also means a consecration of someone to a holy purpose. But anointing is not just for the royal and regal. Psalm 23 refers to anointing, remember?

in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy

shall follow me all the days of my life

Yes, even a shepherd can be anointed and I think you and I can be anointed in simply reading Scripture.

Now let me offer a bit of context for today’s passage: It takes place in Bethany just two miles outside of Jerusalem. The tension is rising among the religious community over Jesus. His preaching and miracle works have served as a threat and he is considered dangerous. As a result, a plot to kill Jesus has begun to take shape and his life is in jeopardy. It is just six days before Passover, a religious festival commemorating God’s deliverance of the Jews from bondage. The celebration of Passover begins a week from this Tuesday. So six days before, would have today’s passage of Jesus’ anointing, taking place this week.

In Biblical times each year this large Jewish gathering attracted hundreds of visitors from miles around, and the police of the day were concerned about crowd control. After all, bad things can happen when crowds push in on each other. Arguments arise and people can be hurt. Jesus has already agitated the religious authorities and he is headed to Jerusalem too. But Jerusalem is full and the authorities have designated Bethany as one of the spill over places to lodge. Jesus was hungry and in need of a place to stay and luckily his friends Mary, Martha and their brother Lazarus lived there. So Jesus and his followers arrived at their home and were welcomed to rest and share dinner together.

This anointing story is found in all four of the Gospels, but remembering its detail can be confusing, because the Gospels have different versions of Jesus being anointed at a dinner party. For example, in Matthew and Luke it is Jesus’ head that is anointed; but in Mark and John it is his feet. In Luke the woman is a sinner often referred to as an immoral woman; and in Matthew and Mark the woman is unidentified. In Matthew and Mark the story takes place in Simon the Leper’s house. In Luke the dinner is held in the home of a Pharisee. In Matthew and Mark it is either the disciples or the guests who raise the question of Mary’s wastefulness.

Commentators suggest that the details are different according to what the author wants to convey to the listener; much as a preacher selects a portion of the passage to highlight. In John the dinner took place in the home of Jesus’ friends, Mary and Martha, the sisters we already know, and Lazarus, their brother, who was recently raised from the dead, in a miraculous way, by Jesus.

In John, it was Judas, not the guests, who complained about Mary’s extravagance. He belittled Mary’s gift in order to elevate himself. By criticizing her wastefulness, he implied that he cared about the poor, and Mary obviously did not. However, it was well known that Judas, who was the treasurer of the common purse for the disciples, was also used to pilfering from it. Because of this, Judas is emphasized as the one who didn’t care about the poor. It is a foreshadowing of the betrayal by Judas, yet to come.

Mary had saved this expensive oil specifically for Jesus. It was worth nearly a year’s wages, during a time of great poverty, poor housing, and high unemployment. But Mary’s gift was not an act of wastefulness, but rather a gift of generosity. Mary chose to anoint Jesus’ feet instead of his head and by so doing gave a different message. Anointing his head, as for a king or priest, would certainly have been appropriate for Jesus, but anointing Jesus’ feet is symbolic of Jesus washing the disciple’s feet, thus anointing them for servant hood. Jesus who was shortly to be mocked as "King of the Jews" turned out to be much more.

What a dramatic comparison John draws between Judas and Mary, yet Jesus loved them both. He knew their hearts, just as he knows ours. Mary served Jesus in her own way, as did Martha. Mary was generous with her possessions and her welcoming way with others. Martha was generous with her service, offering a place to gather and a warm meal. Despite the danger, Mary, Martha and Lazarus are not concerned about their own safety in harboring Jesus in this way. Their concern was for Jesus and his followers.

Mary had been saving the oil for Jesus’ burial and since events against Jesus had escalated, perhaps she decided to capture the moment and use it now rather than risk what might happen later. She anoints Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. In those days, letting down your hair was an outrageous, immoral act. It signaled a loose woman. But Mary is one who focuses on others instead of herself. She is not worried about Judas’ criticism of wastefulness. She is not concerned about what others might think in letting her hair down. Mary decides to offer this extravagant gift because now is the moment and she has decided to seize it. It was her gift to him and in it a foreboding element of Jesus’ impending burial.

In contrast, Judas is primarily interested in serving himself. He had been chosen as a disciple, but his way is one of deceit. He stole from the treasury for his own benefit. He feigned a love for Jesus that led to selling Jesus’ life, in exchange for a few silver coins. In the end he could not live with himself for what he had done. His life was over.

But anointing is not just for those long ago; for holy people, or kings and priests. It is for you and me; for we too, are anointed through our creation. Some of us are anointed for service. Some of us are anointed with wisdom, compassion or leadership. Others are anointed with the gift of welcoming, friendship towards others, or working with children. The list is endless.

I think God has anointed us with a uniqueness that the world needs. Whether we are rich or poor, young or old, healthy or struggling with illness, employed or not, we have something to offer. How that unfolds is a lifetime process. We are being shaped and transformed in all stages of our lives.

Such anointing reminds me of that familiar Isaiah passage.

Here in that same church where I knelt on the steps of the chancel, (to be ordained as an elder and again years later as a minister), lives were changed. There was a man there, who was held in high esteem. He was a strong person of faith; a natural leader; a person the congregation respected highly. He was also an elder and took his vows of service seriously.

I didn’t know then, but do now, that he was not only gifted in leadership; he was anointed for leadership. He drew people into membership in ways beyond simply joining the church. He led the congregation in stewardship and through a building campaign, and multiple other ministries.

Years later, I learned in his occupation, he had an opportunity to travel extensively. He decided to use this situation to reconnect with people in his life who had impacted him throughout the years. He wanted to thank them specifically, for the role they played in his faith development. He wanted to name their uniqueness in person. I learned he had not seen many of them for some time, before he set out for connections. His visits meant so much to him and to those he visited, that he share his adventure with our congregation. Perhaps with each visit, they were being anointed for something in their lives, just as he had been anointed in his.

Anointing is not just for the strong and powerful. It is not only for leaders or scholars or for the young and healthy. It is not only a one time event. Anointing is for the strong and the weak; the gifted and the average; the young and the old. One thing is for sure: you and I have been anointed whoever we are. Anointing is for life.