Your Resurrection Party Awaits

Having grown up shaped by English tradition, extravagant worship doesn't come naturally to me – and this isn't only about singing and dancing as David did: "David was dancing before the Lord with all his might," (2 Samuel 6:14). It includes extravagant acts of giving and proclaiming Jesus. Mary shows us the way. After Jesus raised her brother Lazarus, he returned to their home. Everyone was there, including Lazarus, and the celebration must have been extraordinary – not just a birthday party but a resurrection party. "Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus' feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance." (John 12:3). That perfume was worth a year's wages – your monthly salary multiplied by twelve, poured out in thirty seconds. Extravagant. But what is most beautiful is that the whole house was filled with the fragrance. That is the impact of extravagant worship: everyone knows, even critics like Judas. Such worship is born not from human logic but from an overwhelming love of God. We have been brought back from the dead – "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved." (Ephesians 2:4-5). We should be having a resurrection party. How will you worship Jesus extravagantly? (Craig B). Open Bible – bit.ly/2Sa6v14, bit.ly/Joh12v3, bit.ly/Eph2v4-5