Adoring the Person of Jesus

The story of Mary anointing Jesus - and Judas' utilitarian complaint - highlights how at the center of our faith is the person of Jesus, not a philosophy or moral code. Our gathering week by week for word and sacrament, for fellowship and serving others, is not to instill generic "goodness" but rather to come into a real contact with Jesus himself. If we mistake the point of Christianity for some generic universal way of living (rather than dying and rising in Christ), then we are easily lured into substitutes (idols) for taking our place in the Body of Christ. These are all seemingly good things, until they become substitutes (rotary, soccer, scouts, etc, etc). As we make our way into Holy Week next Sunday it is wise to remember that our salvation hangs not on a moral code or wisdom, but on the person of Jesus, the one who brought God and humanity together, who died and rose again.