6 April 2025
Bible readings for today
Liturgical colour: VIOLET Daylight Savings time ends at 2am on Sunday morning |
CollectE Īhu,
kia ū ō mātou aroha me ā mātou whakamoemiti ki a koe. Tauiratia mai mātou te tuku i a mātou rawa ki a koe, nā te mea kore rawa he mea iti he mea rahi rānei hei koha mā mātou ki a koe, hei whakamahi rānei māu; ko koe e ora na e kīngi tahi nā me te Matua me te Wairua Tapu, kotahi anō Atua āke tonu atu. Āmine. Jesus, receive our love and worship. Show us how to give you what we have, for nothing is too big or too small for us to offer, or for you to use; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever. Amen. |
Mary anoints Jesus (John 12:1-8)
Input for LeadersA reflection from Rev Rebecca Apperley, Newlands-Paparangi Anglican Parish What’s your instinctive response when you witness deep emotion? In our gospel reading this week (John 12:1-18) we are dropped in as viewers to a dinner scene. Mary has broken a large, expensive jar of perfume and is using it to wash Jesus’ feet with her hair. With her hair. It’s a moment of intense emotion offered from Mary and accepted by Jesus. It’s an action which is replete with the symbolism of burial and grief, and a moment of deep emotion that is so intense you feel a visceral reaction to it. Judas’ reaction to this act of radical generosity is to remonstrate Mary and Jesus for their wastefulness. I wonder if one of the conflicted emotions lying behind Judas’ reaction is jealousy? Not fiscal jealousy necessarily, but more jealousy at the intimacy of relationship of this moment. Jealous of the uninhibitedness of Mary’s response to Jesus, and of Jesus’ acceptance of who Mary is. Jealous that Mary seems to understand some of what who Jesus is, and what may happen to him. Tackling the darker side of our souls is sometimes called ‘going downstairs to look around the basement’. As we begin to journey with Jesus to the cross, there is an invitation in this reading to explore our reactions. Would we be prepared to demonstrate our response to Jesus so publicly? Do we let ourselves be loved? Do we see ourselves as lovable? Is there part of us that thinks that God’s love is for others and not for us? Do we feel like we are spectators, not participants? |
Gospel Conversations 2025: For Lent 5 we jump into John's gospel, and into the beautiful story of Mary anointing Jesus.
Gospel Conversations 2022: The story of Mary anointing Jesus' feet prior to the week of his Passion is a powerful one. How much love is enough? What do we do in the face of such extravagance?
Anglican Movement Lent Series 5 2022: Rev Sue Brown reflects on the Gospel of John, chapter 12, verses 1-8, focusing on the anointing of Jesus by Mary with expensive nard. She connects the story to modern issues of poverty and extravagance, highlighting the tension between Jesus' teachings on caring for the poor and the extravagant act of Mary.
Anglican Movement Lent Series 5 2022: Rev. Annette Cater, from Tawa Anglicans, leads us through week five in our Lenten Sermon Series.
Visio Lectio
A beautiful image from the Visio Lectio project, created by the Anglican Diocese of Auckland. © Sarah West. All Rights reserved, shared with permission. Download Terms of Use 
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Intergenerational WorshipA collection of resources and ideas, written and compiled by Rev Beth Nicholls for Intergen Australia. Bible references: John
Kids TalksThank you Jesus! (Gary Neal Hansen)
Giving Gifts to Jesus (RFour) What is most valuable? (Ministry to Children) The gift of our time (RFour) Mary anoints Jesus Lesson Plan (Sunday School Works) ActivitiesIt smells funny in here! Gather some small opaque containers with removable lids and fill them with different items with distinctive smells (e.g. cinnamon, vanilla, lemon peel, coffee, raw onion or garlic, soap, tuna, marmite, peanut butter, chocolate, stinky socks etc). Blindfold the kids and let take turns smelling and guessing what is in the containers.
Hand or foot washing: Let the children choose a partner and wipe each other's feet (or hands if that is more comfortable) with wet wipes or moistened wash cloths. Dry them and then use a lotion, inexpensive body spray or lip balm to add some scent. Chat about the story and why Mary did what she did.
SAFETY NOTE: Essential oils should only be used with children over the age of 3 yrs. Only use ones that have been shown to be safe for children - these include lavender, peppermint, citrus, such as sweet orange or mandarin, and ginger. Make sure essential oils are appropriately diluted. Further info here and here. |
Questions to think aboutI wonder... (Gary Neal Hansen)
Preschool FunHere are some ways you can invite your preschoolers to play their way into the bible story and spend time with God.
(Adapted from a St John's Johnsonville lesson plan / Teri Johnson-Frow) Washing station - Set up a station with some bowls of water, liquid hand soap, a clean jug of water (to pour and rinse hands), towels and handcream. Help the kids to wash their hands (or feet!) and then put some scented cream on. Things to chat about: How do they smell now? How do they feel? I wonder how Jesus felt when Mary anointed his feet. Perfume Bottles - Gather some herbs and flowers from the garden that smell nice. (Try rosemary, mint, basil, roses, jasmine etc. You can also use various types of teabags to provide scents, cinnamon sticks, citrus peel etc). Recycle some bottles to put them in. (Empty spice bottles or baking soda bottles with holes in the top are good for keeping the 'things' in but letting the smell out). Let kids choose the things that smell nice to them and make up their own perfume bottles. Things to chat about: Saying thank you to Jesus for your amazing nose and for all the amazing smells in the world he made. Thank you to Jesus for helping keep our hearts clean and beautiful. Scented playdough - Make up some playdough and add some scents to it. Try baking essences like vanilla, peppermint, lemon. Add cocoa or coffee. Or add some herbs - try basil. Remind the kids that they can enjoy sniffing them (but not eating the playdough). Things to chat about: What smells do you like? What smells don't you like? What do these smells make you think of? I wonder what Jesus thought when Mary put nice smells on his feet? Pray it!Blessing Balm (Lacy Finn Borgo, Spiritual Conversations with Children)
At the end of the session, use a simple scented lip balm to give your children a blessing. Check they are okay for you to do it - then use the balm to draw a cross on their hand. As you do say a simple blessing like, "(Name), you are God’s child. He loves you, and He is always with you. Thank you, God, for (Name)". The balm is a sensory reminder that while we can’t see God, sometimes we can get a “whiff” of God’s presence. Ask the kids if they would like to give you a blessing too. Art in Lent
If you want to mark Lent in a simple rich way, how about creating a space where your kids can spend some time with Jesus-related art. Try these questions or make up your own. Think about offering resources for kids to make art too.
The Anointing of Christ by Julia Stankova
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