Devotion

Devotion
Luke 7:36-39

When former president Ronald Regan died in June of 2004, there was a state funeral in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. There were several images that were a part of the larger experience. One was the picture of 4 former presidents and the current president standing together as the coffin was moved out of the National Cathedral. Another image was that of the rider-less horse in the funeral procession.

But the image that made the biggest impression on me was one of Nancy Regan on the day before the funeral service. As she stood by the flag-draped coffin in the Capitol Rotunda, she was brushing her hand over the flag on the coffin. At first I thought she was smoothing out the wrinkles in the flag. I remembered what someone had said about Ronald and Nancy Regan: “He worried about nothing, she worried about everything.” But then she continued to stroke the flag and was talking toward the coffin. She was talking to Ronald. I then realized that this was an act of her love and devotion for her husband. It was no secret that Ronald and Nancy Regan were close. Some people said she worshipped him.

The story in Luke 7 calls our attention to another woman and another story about devotion. While Jesus is in a house, a woman uses expensive oil as she pours the oil on his feet and with tears, wipes his feet with her hair. Her actions express her gratitude and deep devotion. She is grateful because she is a sinner. We don’t know what her history is, or what she has done, but we can assume that she needs God’s grace. She has heard about God’s forgiveness, and responds with love and devotion. Her actions say: “Thank you.”

The story reminds us that our actions are an expression of our priorities and our devotion. The use of our time, our energy, and our resources, tell us what we think is really important. We must admit, that there are some things that just have to be done, but what we do with our “free” time, or extra time can tell us about our interests and commitments. In the story in Luke 7, the woman uses her time and energy, and expensive perfume to express her devotion to Jesus. The question for us is how we will use all that we have and are. What does how we live tell us and others about our priorities and our passions?

The good news of this story is that God is gracious and loving. In our own ways, each one of us has fallen short of God’s intentions for us. God wants us to live full and overflowing lives, but we have come up short of God’s grand plan for us. Jesus spoke the words of grace to the woman. “Go in peace. Your faith has saved you.” She expressed her faith through her act of devotion. She also received the forgiveness of God and was able to make a clean start.

God has great plans for each one of us. It all begins with a gracious and loving God who calls us to do our best. And when we fall short, God offers us the gift of forgiveness, and a new chance to start again with a clean slate and aim to do our best. That’s the way it works when we have faith in a gracious and loving God who calls us to love Him with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength. It is about being devoted to God, because He is devoted to us.