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“Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. 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 12:1-3

Please read this passage a few times (and maybe John 11 as well) and try to visualize this scene. Imagine and feel the love, joy, and thankfulness around that dinner table.

Have you ever found yourself lost on the Internet? After 15 minutes, 30 minutes, or maybe even an hour, you catch yourself and wonder, “How was I able to waste so much time without even thinking about it?” For me, it is on Etsy or Pinterest browsing ideas for decorating my house -- and poof -- 30 minutes are gone.

I am not alone in wasting time decorating my house. In a little book called Haggai, at the end of the Old Testament, God raises up a prophet to tell the Israelites that they are wasting their time paneling their houses instead of rebuilding the Temple, and God is not pleased (Haggai 1:2-11).

One of my husband’s college friends posted on Facebook: “Does anyone in the D.C. area have a suit I can borrow, I am going to a meeting with President Obama.” We assumed he found one, even one that fit, because the next Facebook post was a picture with him and the President. We are a casual society; whether going to the opera in jeans or showing up to class in sweatpants, we don’t think our clothes represent our respect for a person or institution. But does the casual nature of our society influence our approach toward God?

In Exodus 19, the Israelites have been brought out of slavery and have come to Mount Sinai to worship and meet with their Deliverer. Verses 10-13 give instructions for this meeting: Moses is to consecrate the people, then they are to wash their garments and wait three days. Peter Enns explains consecration throughout Exodus is the “act of setting apart for special service to God. This fits well with the notion of Israel’s being a ‘holy nation’ and ‘kingdom of priests’ (19:6): They are set apart for God’s service.” They are about to meet the King of angel armies, something no other nation has ever done, and it’s clear preparation is involved. It is not a casual meeting, but a meeting with gravitas.  They are to prepare themselves and wait until the King is ready to receive them.

Overview

Athens in Paul’s time was no longer a politically important city.  Greece had given way to Rome, and its political influence had declined through the centuries.  It was, however, still the intellectual center of the world.  This city was heir to the great philosophers who set the standards and patterns of thought: Socrates, Plato, Epicurus, and Pericles.

After hearing about Athens all his life Paul, the academic and now the apostle, is finally there -- a city intellectually and culturally sophisticated but morally decadent and spiritually dead -- in spite of having, according to some accounts, up to 30,000 statues of gods.  No wonder they had a statue to “the unknown god!”

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