Introduction: There are certain fragrances that all of us would immediately recognize:
•    the soft bouquet of a dozen roses,
•    the bold scent of freshly cut grass,  
•    the inviting smell of bacon frying in a pan.

God has blessed us with olfactory ability, the gift to smell things. Did you know that God has the sense of smell?

Read: Genesis 8:20-21  Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

Did you know that we smell good to God? That’s what our text is about this morning. How you and I as Christians can be a pleasing aroma to our Awesome God. And one of the ways we smell good to God is when we offer him our undivided, unrestricted, worship.  

We will find that Mary is back at Jesus’ feet. This time she is offering him her whole heart, and it’s a picture of the kind of extravagant worship God accepts from his children.

Close your eyes, but don’t fall to sleep, as you listen to the words of this song. Think about your worship of God as your hear how Mary worships Jesus.

Play Song

Transition: We can learn much from Mary’s expression of extravagant worship. But before we enter the text, let’s pray.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, come into our presence, break down the walls of comfort and self, touch our calloused hearts, give us a renewed love and adoration for our Lord, a love like Mary had. Amen.

John 12:1    Extravagant Worship is Communal.
Read: John 12:1

Six days until the Passover. Jesus is back in Bethany, just 2 miles from Jerusalem...just two miles from those who in six days will kill him. Yet, there is a gathering in a house in Bethany, guests sit around a table, enjoying a meal. And it’s people we already know…Martha, Mary, Lazarus, Jesus and his disciples. In spite of the danger, worship takes place because where two or more are gathered, Jesus is in our midst…in worship.

Transition: Let’s peek through the window and see what’s going on at this festive dinner.

John 12:2    Extravagant Worship is Joyful.
Read: John 12:2

While the Jewish leaders were thinking of ways to capture and kill Jesus, his close friends, those who loved him, invited him to a meal in his honor. And not just a meal, the Greek indicates a feast. This was  a party, a celebration. And what a guest list:
•    Mark in his gospel wrote that the house belonged to Simon the leper…well, the former leper whom Jesus healed. Do you think he had anything to celebrate?
•    Martha was there doing what he did and loved best…serving her Lord. Do you think she had anything to celebrate?
•    Lazarus was there at the table with Jesus..alive. Do you think he had anything to celebrate?
•    Mary was there. Pensive, emotional, Mary sitting at Jesus’ feet. Do you think she had anything to celebrate?
•    Jesus’ disciples were there. They had seen him perform many miracles, but this last one…by. Do you think they had anything to celebrate?
•    And Jesus was there. Joining in on the celebration in his honor.

Can you imagine the conversation around the table between Peter, Simon and Lazarus?

Peter: I want to give testimony. The Lord has really been good to me…he even allowed me to walk on water.
Simon: Peter, that surely must have been exciting,  but here my testimony. I was once considered the living dead, I was a leper, no one wanted
            anything to do with me and I lost everything..and Jesus healed me. Now I have all I need or want.
Lazarus: Simon, you think Jesus was good to you..let me tell you what he did for me.

They were ‘one upping’ each other, but all in honor of Jesus who touched their lives in very real and powerful ways. They couldn’t keep quiet.
    …It’s a shame we’re so eager to.

Transition: These men are about to be one upped by a woman doing a most extraordinary thing.

John 12:3    Extravagant worship is Costly
Read: John 12:3

  Mary comes to the table and sits at Jesus’ feet. Understand this was not done. Mary wasn’t following the custom. What she was doing would have made the men and women present, very uncomfortable. But she did it anyway.  Worshipping Jesus with all her heart was worth whatever disapproval she might have produced in those around her.

Mary took the time and risked the consequences to sit at Jesus feet and worship him. It was Mary’s favorite place to be. Is it yours? Or have you been too busy, too proud, too self reliant to regularly sit at the feet of your Lord?

But sitting at Jesus feet with the other men was only the beginning. She had in her hands an expensive alabaster jar filled with pure nard…not lard, nard.
•    This was an expensive perfume imported from northern India.
•    It was worth perhaps a years wages
•    and was only brought out on special occasions
•    and only a small amount was ever used at one time because the fragrance was overwhelming and a little went a long way.

Notice Mary didn’t open the bottle and carefully place a few drops on Jesus’ neck and wrists. She broke the bottle and poured all of it on Jesus. The other Gospels tells us she started at his head and ended at his feet. Again, not following the idea of “a little dad will do ya”, she gives all of it for Jesus.

Mary’s act of worship, by some standards, was over the top, excessive, and beyond what was required. Why so much? Why so elaborate? Why so…radical?
Because she was not just going through the motions of what people did at a party. Mary was worshipping Jesus.

Worship should never be partial, restrained, held back or just what is required by our customs. That’s not worship. That may be being religious but it’s not the kind of worship God deserves.

Worship… is
•    pouring out our whole hearts, like the broken alabaster bottle of nard.
•    It’s giving our mind, hands and heart to Jesus in worship.
•    It’s holding nothing back,
•    It’s making a sacrifice, laying all on the altar for Jesus.
 
What motivated Mary not to hold anything back in her worship of Jesus? One word…love. She knew it wasn’t the custom, she knew it wasn’t proper. She loved Jesus and wanted to express her love for him with everything she had. Yes, it was over the top, excessive, and undignified, but that’s extravagant worship.

The point is, Mary was willing to sacrifice everything she owned represented by the expensive perfume. She was even willing to sacrifice her reputation. Why? To freely express her love for Jesus…in extravagant worship.  She wasn’t alone.

In 1 Chronicles 21 David, king of Israel took a census of the people, which was a sin at that time. As a result God sent a plague on the Israelites and thousands of people died. David repented and asked for forgiveness. God told him to offer a sacrifice in a certain place. It was land David did not own. When he learned what David wanted the land for, the owner offered to give it to David for free. But David made this wonderful statement of devotion to God. ‘I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing.’

Let me ask.  What sacrifices have you made to freely express your love for Jesus this morning in extravagant worship? Perhaps you gave up
•    going to your mountain home,
•    going to your sisters birthday party,
•    playing a round of golf
•    or attending your child’s football game

All of you, perhaps, have made significant sacrifices to be here this morning worshipping together with your church family…and God is honored.

But, have there been times you failed to sacrifice to worship God? Times you held back because you worried what others might think of you?
•    My sister will be offended if I don’t get to her party on time.
•    I haven’t spent much time with the kids this week, so I will take them to Great Adventure or I’ll attend their game, even if it is on Sunday morning.
•    I don’t want to look like a fanatic in worship so I keep my hands at my sides and my amens to myself.

God demands our extravagant worship, God deserves our extravagant worship.

Please repeat after me  ‘I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing.’

  Finally, notice the fragrance, the aroma of the expensive perfume filled the room. Very quickly everyone knew what Mary had done because they could smell the result…and it was a very pleasing scent.

•    Extravagant worship is pleasant to others.
•    It has an effect on those in the room, in this room.

When we give ourselves to Jesus Christ in wholehearted extravagant worship, the aroma is powerful.

When a congregation is made up of people who express extravagant worship represented by a willingness to give their all to Jesus, others will not only notice, but will want to be a part of that fellowship.

The aroma of extravagant worship…is inviting!

Transition: True worship is expressed by a heart transformed…and poured out, regardless of the cost.

Conclusion
Scripture says that ‘God inhabits the praises of his people.’ When we bring an offering of praise, the fragrance is attractive and accepted by God.

Don’t wait for someone else to start. Be like Mary and do what the others didn’t think of doing…make a sacrifice and honor God with your worship.

It is my hope and prayer that each Sunday, this place will be filled with the aroma of extravagant worship.