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Good morning.
I am Abigail Todd, and I am part of Christ Church Kids.
Today's scripture reading is from the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 7, verse 36 to chapter 8, verse 3, as printed in the liturgy.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke.
When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table.
A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee's house.
So she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.
As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself,
If this man were a prophet, he would know that who is touching him and what kind of woman she is, that she is a sinner.
Jesus answered him,
Simon, I have something to tell you.
Tell me, teacher, he said.
Two people owed money to a certain money letter.
One owed him 500 denarii and the other 50.
Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both.
Now which of them will love him more?
Simon replied,
I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.
You have judged correctly, Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon,
Do you see this woman?
I came to your house.
You did not give me any water for my feet,
but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but this woman from the time I entered has not stopped kissing my feet.
You did not pour oil on my head,
but she has poured perfume on my feet.
Therefore, I tell you,
her many sins have been forgiven,
as her great love has shown.
But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.
Then Jesus said to her,
Your sins are forgiven.
The other guests began to say among themselves,
Who is this who even forgives sins?
Jesus said to the woman,
Your faith has saved you.
Go in peace.
After this,
Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another,
proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God.
The twelve were with him,
and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases.
Mary, called Magdalene,
from whom seven demons had come out,
Joanna, the wife of Chusa,
the manager of Herod's household,
Susanna, and many others.
These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
This is the gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Let's see if my mic is working now.
Can you hear me?
All right.
Abby, fantastic reading.
Thank you so much.
So, one of my favorite book discussions
that we've ever had here at Christ Church was in 2011.
Thank you so much, Walt.
Appreciate that.
2011, we got a group of people together,
and we read this book by a New Testament scholar.
His name is Ben Witherington.
And we basically read his work that he did in his Ph.D. thesis
at the University of Durham in England.
And the name of the book is called
Women and the Genesis of Christianity.
And it was a fantastic group.
It was a mixed-gender group.
We had people there from, you know,
church backgrounds that were more maybe patriarchal
and authoritarian.
I remember we had a woman in there
who was getting her Ph.D. at Cal
in, like, women and gender and sexuality studies.
And as you can imagine,
it was just a really lively group in our living room.
And sadly, I can't find my copy of the book,
but I do remember that we dove deep
into this portion of Scripture.
And Witherington made this point.
He said, prior to Jesus,
there were no women disciples
of any Jewish rabbis or teachers.
And so Jesus is creating this counterculture
that had never been seen with female disciples.
He transforms this woman in Luke 7,
and we're going to be looking at her story in a moment.
But there's also these other female disciples
who are named here as traveling companions
and witnesses of Jesus and His mission.
So, for example, who is this woman,
this lead female disciple, Mary Magdalene?
We know that Jesus gave nicknames to His disciples.
Peter, He called the Rock.
You know, James and John,
He called the Sons of Thunder.
And so you've got, you know,
Rocky and the Thunder Boys
as part of Jesus' group.
And then you've got Mary Magdalene,
which either means from Magdala, her hometown,
or it means the Magdalene, the tower.
Right?
So you've got this woman
who's had a rough background,
a rough life.
And Jesus powerfully transforms her
into this strong, towering disciple.
Right?
And then you've got this woman named Joanna.
She's a woman clearly of high status.
Her husband manages the estate,
the vineyards of the king.
And then we're not told much about Susanna
and these many other women disciples of Jesus,
but we do know from what Luke tells us
that they were funding Jesus.
They were bankrolling the apostles
out of their properties and their possessions.
If you read to the end of the gospel,
at the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus,
all the male disciples had run away in fear.
And so the primary eyewitnesses
to these world-changing events
were these women.
Mary Magdalene, in fact,
was the first to see the empty tomb.
She was the first to encounter the risen Jesus.
And she's the one who actually went
and shared the news with Peter, James, and John.
So Jesus' attitude toward female disciples,
toward these women,
really carried over into the life of the early church.
Paul, the apostle,
gave his greatest epistle
to a woman named Phoebe
to go and read it,
explain it, and apply it to the Romans.
He called a woman Priscilla,
his co-worker in Jesus Christ.
He called Junia an apostle.
He greets a woman named Nympha
as the leader of a house church in Colossae.
If we had all day,
it would be so fun
to talk to you about how radical
this actually was in the first century
and still is even today
in many parts of the world.
But really, the person,
the woman I want to focus on the most
is this woman in Luke 7.
And you've got to know
that there are two stories in the Gospels
where Jesus is being anointed by women.
One of them is in Luke 7 here.
It's early in Jesus' ministry.
It's in northern Israel
in a town called Nain,
which is near Nazareth.
And the other story
is told by Matthew, Mark, and John.
And it happens just before Jesus' crucifixion
in southern Israel in Bethany,
which is near Jerusalem.
So you've got to be careful
not to confuse and conflate
these two anointings.
But I want to ask three questions
of this story for us today.
How do you approach Jesus?
How do you see your condition?
And how does the root of forgiveness
bear the fruit of love?
So those are our three questions.
How do you approach Jesus?
How do you see your condition?
And how does the root of forgiveness
bear the fruit of love?
So first of all,
how do you approach Jesus?
We meet here these two real historical people
and they approach Jesus
in two very different ways.
In fact, Jesus evaluates
and contrasts their approaches to Him.
And we notice that this is a contrast
not between someone who's open to Jesus
and someone who's hostile to Jesus.
It's not a contrast
between someone who's interested in Jesus
and someone who's indifferent to Jesus.
Rather, Simon and this woman,
they hold in common,
they're both in the presence
of the same person
and they both desire
to see and to know Jesus.
And we read in verse 36,
when one of the Pharisees
invited Jesus to have dinner with Him,
He went to the Pharisee's house
and reclined at the table.
And if you're new to the Scriptures,
the Pharisees,
they were the pastors,
they were the Bible teachers,
and Jesus critiqued them the most.
And they were mostly opposed to Jesus,
except for just a handful of them.
And one of them is a guy named Nicodemus.
Nicodemus was a Pharisee.
And he came to talk to Jesus,
but he came at night.
He came in secret.
He came so that no one would see
he was talking to Jesus.
But Simon, this Pharisee,
is open, right?
He openly invites Jesus
to come to his home
in this public feast,
like you would invite
the synagogue teacher
over for a Sabbath meal.
And so in this way,
Simon is subverting
the dominant paradigm.
This is not a popular thing to do
in his circles and in his tribe.
He's open to Jesus.
He's interested in Jesus.
He's attracted to and admires Jesus.
He's curious to know more about Jesus.
He wants to learn from Jesus.
And we notice,
if you look in verse 39 and 40,
it's clear that
he thinks that Jesus is more
than just a teacher of the Scriptures.
Right?
He thinks maybe Jesus
is a prophet of God.
Maybe Jesus is
a special messenger of God.
He has a special relationship
with God
and has been chosen
to speak for God
like a prophet does.
But Simon,
who's open to Jesus
and who's interested in Jesus,
he ends up being
very surprised by Jesus.
He ends up being critiqued
and reprimanded
and actually condemned
by Jesus.
And I can imagine
that he felt
fairly miffed about that.
Right?
He felt annoyed
and disgruntled
by Jesus
because Jesus is showing
that something is
seriously lacking
in Simon's approach.
Something is
completely inadequate
about the way
he's approaching Jesus.
And Jesus,
he contrasts Simon
with this woman.
And I don't know,
I couldn't really,
didn't have the time
this week
to double check this,
but she's praised,
I think,
by almost more
than anyone else
in the Gospels.
Jesus just goes on
and on
about this woman.
And notice
at the end of the story,
she walks away
with confidence, right?
She walks away
with a confidence
that she's forgiven
and free.
She walks away
with a sense
that she has faith
in God's saving grace.
She has a great love
for Jesus.
She has great peace.
She has the peace
of God in her heart.
But how does Simon
go away from Jesus?
He goes away
seemingly with no forgiveness,
no grace,
no faith,
no love,
no peace.
In fact,
he's massively
dishonored Jesus.
It's a striking contrast,
isn't it?
Two people
in the presence
of the same person
both desiring
to see
and to know
Jesus.
And as far
as Jesus
is concerned,
he has the power
to give them
both the same things,
right?
He could have done
the same thing
for both of them
and how utterly
different
is the end result
here.
One is condemned
and the other
is pardoned
and receives
a gift of salvation.
Why is that?
Well,
Simon
is interested
in Jesus
in a mainly
intellectual way.
I think
that's his
primary problem.
He's all head
with no heart
and no hands
like this woman.
He's intrigued
by the words
and the works
of Jesus.
He's heard
about Jesus'
ability
to heal
the diseases
of the body.
He's heard
about Jesus'
ability
to give rest
to tormented
and troubled souls.
And so Simon
is curious.
He's prepared
to consider Jesus.
He's ready
to investigate
and to examine
Jesus with a kind
of cool
and detached
attitude
and to have
Jesus answer
his questions.
And he says,
okay, Jesus,
I want to have you
over for dinner
and a discussion
about your
extraordinary claims
to be the Messiah,
right?
Your claims
to be the one
who fulfills
and interprets
God's scriptures,
the one who
claims to be
the only way to God.
I want to talk
about that.
I'd love to have you
over, Jesus,
and talk about
your claim
to have the authority
to forgive sins
and to be the judge
of all the peoples
of the world
and to grant
eternal life.
I'd love to talk
about that
over dinner.
I'd love to know
more, Jesus,
about why it is
that you demand
everyone
to deny themselves,
take up their crosses,
and come follow you
in utter obedience.
Simon's openness,
Simon's interest,
Simon's curiosity
to explore
and to examine Jesus
is a very good thing,
and we share this
in common with Simon.
I don't think we'd be
in this building today
if that weren't the case,
but Simon,
he's standing apart,
right?
Simon is sitting loose.
He's holding back.
He's keeping
all of his options open.
His curiosity
is real,
but it's superficial,
right?
It's lacking in depth,
and Christ to him
is just an intellectual problem,
right?
He's not really willing
to fall at the feet of Jesus.
He's not willing
to give himself to Jesus,
but oh,
how different
is this woman,
right?
Her interest
is far deeper.
She's moved
to the depths,
right?
She wants
a personal relationship
with Jesus
that involves
her whole self,
utterly
and completely,
head,
heart,
hands,
holding nothing back.
She's all in.
In fact,
let's just read it again.
Verse 37,
it says,
a woman in that town
who lived a sinful life
learned that Jesus
was eating
at the Pharisee's house,
so she came there
with an alabaster jar
of perfume,
and as she stood
behind him
at his feet weeping,
she began to wet
his feet with her tears,
and then she wiped
them with her hair,
kissed them,
and poured perfume
on them.
Meanwhile,
Simon is detached,
he's holding back,
he's superficial,
he's only engaged
with his head.
And I wonder today
which attitude
and which approach
you bring to Jesus.
Right?
Are you merely
seeking knowledge
about Jesus
objectively
and cognitively
and rationally,
which is good
and which is essential?
Or are you also
wanting to know
Jesus subjectively
and personally
and experientially?
Right?
This is the fundamental
difference that Jesus
critiques and condemns.
Right?
In verse 44,
he says,
Simon,
do you see this woman?
I came into your house,
you did not give me
any water for my feet,
but she,
she wet my feet
with her tears
and wiped them
with her hair.
You did not give me
a kiss,
but this woman,
she,
from the time I entered,
she's not stopped
kissing my feet.
You did not put oil
on my head,
but she,
she has poured out
perfume on my feet.
Do you approach Jesus
like Simon
or like this woman?
That's the question.
And the second question
is this,
not only how do you
approach Jesus,
but how do you see
your condition?
How do you see
your condition?
Right?
Simon responds
in verse 39,
he says,
when the Pharisee
who had invited him
saw this,
he said to himself,
if this man were a prophet,
he would know
who is touching him
and what kind of woman
she is,
that she is a sinner.
Right?
He's questioning
Jesus' status
as a prophet
because if Jesus
had divine revelation,
if Jesus had
divine insight,
then he would know
that a righteous man
should not be
in a relationship
with this sinful woman.
woman.
And actually,
the Greek
in verse 37,
it says literally
that this is a woman,
this woman is a sinner
of the city
is what the Greek says.
She's a sinner
of the city,
which is a polite idiom
for one of the world's
oldest professions.
Right?
She's a lady of the night,
she's a woman
of ill repute,
she works in the
red light district,
she's a sex worker,
she's a prostitute.
And we're not told
how she got there.
Perhaps her parents
fell into poverty
and she was forced
into this work,
maybe she's widowed
or divorced
and she's desperate
to feed her kids,
we don't know.
But we can imagine
that many, many
self-serving men
have stolen
her sense of identity,
her sense of dignity
and honor
and confidence.
We can assume
that she feels oppressed
by guilt and shame
and fear.
And we're also not told
how she had experienced
Jesus before this moment,
but it seems
that she already has.
It seems she already
had met Jesus
and she had heard
Jesus' message
in his manifesto
that we looked at
a few weeks ago
in Luke 4
where Jesus says,
I've come to preach
good news for the poor.
I've come to
bring freedom
to prisoners.
I've come to
bring liberation
for those who are oppressed.
I've come to bring
the year of the Lord's favor
and his grace.
And that's the reason
she's falling
at the feet of Jesus
because she's experienced that.
She's experienced
Jesus' forgiveness
of her sins.
She's experienced
the fact
that all of her
spiritual and moral debts
to God
have been canceled.
That's why she's
at the feet of Jesus.
Now in the ancient Near East,
you don't have your feet
under a table
like sitting on a chair.
You're reclining
on a couch
with your bare feet
extended out
behind you
and that's kind of
how she's able
to sneak up
on Jesus as it were.
And she's standing
there at his feet
and she's got
this flask,
this jar,
this bottle
around her neck
of perfumed ointment.
And we've got to
understand that
this is the thing
that causes her
to be attractive.
This is the thing
that causes her
to be desirable.
It's the very thing
that allows her
to make money.
It's the very thing
that's given her success.
It's her most
treasured possession.
It's worth probably
about a year's wages.
And she's come
to Jesus' feet
so that she can
break that bottle open
and cleanse
his dirty feet
and sweeten
his smelly feet
and soften
his callous feet
and soothe
his tired feet.
And you know
only slaves
dealt with feet.
Only slaves
dealt with the feet
of their hosts
and their guests
but she doesn't care.
She's actually honored
to be a slave
of Jesus
because she wants
to show
how much
she's been forgiven
by him
in this act
of costly love.
And so she gets there
and before
she even can begin
this anointing
she's so moved
by the presence
of Jesus
and the power
of Jesus
that she begins
weeping.
Right?
She begins to shed
these tears
of repentance
these tears
of freedom
these tears
of absolute joy.
They start to fall
on the feet of Jesus.
I assume that's how
he even knew
she was there.
He can feel
her tears.
And you gotta know
also that in this culture
for a woman
to let down
her hair
was the most
intimate
most vulnerable
thing you could do.
In fact
if a married woman
let down her hair
in public
it was grounds
for divorce.
That's how intimate
of a signal
this is.
And she doesn't
really seem to care.
She just undoes
her hair
and she begins
drying the feet
of Jesus
and kissing
the feet
of Jesus
and she starts
to break open
this bottle
this tool
of her trade.
Right?
The one thing
that gives her
power in the world
the one thing
that gives her
leverage
in the world
this most precious
thing in her life
she starts to pour it out
on the feet
of Jesus
and I can imagine
as she does that
she says
I love you Jesus.
Simon
is outraged.
Right?
Simon
is
scandalized.
If you
if this man
were a prophet
he would know
who is touching him
and what kind of woman
she is
that she
is a sinner
and Jesus
answered him
Simon
I have something
to tell you.
Now if Jesus
ever says that
to you
just hold on
you know
like brace yourself
it's going to be rough
Simon I have something
to tell you
he says
you think
I'm not a prophet
huh?
Well not only
do I know
who this woman is
but I know
who you are.
In fact
I even know
what you're thinking
right now
I see
the thoughts
in your mind
and I can see
that you
don't even
really know
yourself
you don't even
know
the condition
that you're in
and so Jesus
says let's have
a little prophetic
story time
right now
about these two
debtors
and he says
this in verse 41
two people
owed money
to a certain
money lender
one owed him
500 denarii
the other 50
neither of them
had the money
to pay him back
so he forgave
the debts
of both
now which of them
will love him
more?
Simon
you think
that this woman
is a big time
debtor
and you think
that she has not
lived right
before God
and that is true
but what about you?
Don't you realize
Simon
that it's not about
the number
of your debts
it's not about
the size
of your debts
don't you see
Simon
that your state
and your condition
of being a debtor
of being a sinner
puts you in the exact
same predicament
as this woman
she owes God
over a year's wages
and you owe God
about two months wages
but who cares
even though
you're a nice guy
Simon
and I really do
like you
even though
you've lived a good
and moral
and respectable life
even though
you're theologically
orthodox
even though
you're ethically
circumspect
even though
you're spiritually
engaged
and religiously
committed
Simon
have you really
loved the Lord
your God
with all your heart
with all your soul
and with all your mind
every moment
of every day
have you really
loved your neighbor
as yourself
at every moment
and every opportunity
James
the brother of Jesus
he writes a letter
in the New Testament
and he says this
in James 2.10
he says
for whoever
keeps the whole law
and yet stumbles
at just one point
is guilty
of breaking
all of it
Simon
I have something
to tell you
you owe God
just like this woman
owes God
you are both
in the same condition
the same state
of being debtors
you're both
penniless
you both
have nothing
whatsoever to pay
you're both
justly condemned
under the law
and you both
deserve
to lose everything
and to die
in a debtor's prison
you Simon
you're identical
with this woman
you are on the exact
same level
spiritually
and morally
both of you
are insolvent
both of you
are bankrupt
both of you
are poor
and you Simon
you're powerless
to clear the ledgers
you cannot reconcile
your accounts
with God
in fact
the only way
that you can have
your debts
cancelled and forgiven
is in precisely
the same way
as this woman
and you see
what Jesus is doing
is he's given
this little
prophetic parable
as smelling salts
to Simon
because Simon
has no idea
how desperate
he is
he has no clue
how helpless
and how hopeless
he is
unless a gracious
benefactor
comes to pay
the cost
and to save
from his predicament
and the irony
is that
somehow
Simon
has invited
to his house
and to his table
one who is
actually righteous
one who
actually has never
sinned
one who
is
able to
absorb
and pay down
and forgive
all of his debts
but Simon
gives no impression
that this is the most
important person
he's ever encountered
he gives no indication
that this is the most
vital
and momentous
occasion
of his life
there's no signal
that here and now
Simon
could possibly
obtain
something from Jesus
which will make
an eternal
difference for him
he just wants to have
a detached
discussion with Jesus
he just wants to
coolly consider
Jesus
and critically
examine Jesus
and stand
ultimately in judgment
on Jesus
and the people
who love Jesus
many a guest
had been honored
in Simon's house
and at his table
but he's failed
to honor the most
important
and most honorable
guest
the one who
matters the most
the one
who could forgive
his debts
and the question
in the story
is what about you
how do you see
your condition
right
how do you
understand
your predicament
do you know
yourself to be
a desperate debtor
it doesn't matter
what the size
of the debt is
and do you know
that there's actually
only one way out
so how do you
approach Jesus
how do you see
your condition
and finally
how does the root
of forgiveness
bear the fruit
of love
how does the root
of forgiveness
bear the fruit
of love
it's clear
from Simon's
attitude
and Simon's
behavior
that
you know
he's lacking
in love
for Jesus
he's lacking
in love
for this woman
and therefore
he knows
neither the depths
of his sin
nor the heights
of Jesus
and the forgiveness
and salvation
that's on offer
to him
you know
if a king
had come
to his house
Simon would have
done everything
he could
to show the greatness
and the worth
of that person
here's the eternal
son of God
in the flesh
at his table
if only Simon
would have fallen
at the feet
of Jesus
like this woman
she actually
is the model
for all time
of what
we ought to do
and what we should
do
and this is what
Jesus says
in verse 47
he says
therefore I tell you
Simon
her many sins
have been forgiven
as her great love
has shown
but whoever
has been forgiven
little
loves little
and that's so easy
to misinterpret
and misunderstand
because some people
can say
ah I see
because her
loving deeds
because of her
loving deeds
to Jesus
she's
forgiven
her sins
are forgiven
because of her
actions
she's somehow
earned
she's somehow
merited
her debts
being cancelled
but the gospel
of Jesus
the good news
of Jesus
is actually
the exact
opposite of that
her love
is the proof
her love
is the evidence
that she has
been forgiven
her love
is the response
to God's grace
in Jesus
that she's
clinging to
by faith
her love
is the consequence
and not the cause
of her salvation
right
the reason
she has the ability
to love
in this way
is because
she sees
in Jesus
the one
who's come
to cancel
her debts
and she
doesn't even
remotely
have a clue
what that
even means
right
she doesn't
know
what that's
going to
cost
to Jesus
she just
knows
that Jesus
is the one
and the grace
of God
is liberating
her
in this moment
to bring
all of her
needs
all of her
failures
all of her
debts
to the feet
of Jesus
and just
cast herself
completely
on him
it's the grace
of God
that's unlocking
those tears
right
that are
rolling down
her cheeks
those tears
of repentance
and far
from coming
to test
Jesus
and examine
Jesus
like Simon
far from
being cool
and detached
she
just can't
restrain
herself
and that's
what grace
does
grace
moves her
to the very
depth
of her being
and what
begins to
flow out
of her
forgiven
heart
what flows
out of her
free
heart
is this
faith
that's
expressing
itself
in love
it's a love
that's not
merely subjective
feelings
and emotions
and affections
though it must
contain that
but it's a love
of objective
actions
it's a costly
love
it's a consequential
love
right
she's lavishing
devotion
and adoration
and honor
and gratitude
on Jesus
not just with her
head but with her
heart
and with her
hands
like we sang
about a moment
ago
take my love
my Lord
I pour
at its feet
my treasure
store
take myself
and I will be
ever and only
and all
for thee
what she's saying
in this moment
is not Jesus
I'm not
just adding you
as one more
thing
into my very
full life
she's saying
Jesus
you are my
life
everything I am
is yours
everything I have
is yours
and it's
remarkable
that she acts
out her love
without even
knowing how
Jesus is going
to act out
his love
on the cross
right
because Jesus
when he says
to people
your sins
are forgiven
your debts
are cancelled
he can't just
say that
and then poof
it just
vanishes
in the air
someone has
to pay
the cost
right
someone has
to eat
the debts
and absorb
the debts
and that's
why Jesus
gave himself
for us
entirely
and completely
in the agony
of his crucifixion
we could
not pay
so he
paid
he shed
his blood
and in shedding
his blood
he bore
our debts
and he
reconciled
our account
with God
and so
it's only
fitting
if he gave
himself
utterly
and completely
for us
that we
would give
ourselves
utterly
and completely
for him
that we
would take
that flask
whatever it
is in our
lives
we would
take that
bottle
whatever the
most important
thing is
and we
break it
and we
just pour
it out
on Jesus
you know
we can no
longer fall
at Jesus
physical feet
we can no
longer wash
or kiss
or anoint
his feet
right
the resurrected
Jesus
he's ascended
to the right
hand of the
father
he's been
exalted
to that
place of
all power
and authority
but you
can show
your love
to Jesus
by forsaking
your sins
you can
show your
love
to Jesus
by
taking his
commands
seriously
and obeying
them
right
you can
show your
love to
Jesus
by praising
him
not just
with your
lips
but with
your life
you can
show your
love to
Jesus
by telling
other people
that he
really is
the love
of your
life
Jesus
says to
her
and he
says to
us
your faith
has saved
you
go in
peace
but don't
misunderstand
that
when Jesus
says go
in peace
he's not
saying hey
good luck
with everything
and just go
live however
you'd like to
live now
when Jesus
says go in
peace he's
saying I
want you to
in some ways
come in
peace
come live a
new life in
my disciple
community
come join
Mary Magdalene
and Joanna
and Susanna
and all
these other
women
come learn
how to
live in
my grace
and in
my peace
come let
me master
all of your
relationships
and your
time
and your
job
and your
money
and your
sexuality
and all
the rest
go in
peace to
love me
as the
Lord
in every
area of
your life
that's what
that means
see the
root of
forgiveness
bears the
fruit of
love
and the
costly
forgiveness
of the
cross
must show
itself in
the costly
love of
our
discipleship
so friends
do you
love Jesus
do you
love Jesus
like this
woman loves
Jesus
has he
removed your
debts
has he
given rest
to your
troubled and
tormented
souls
has Jesus
put the
peace of
God
into your
heart
if he
has just
know he's
worthy
he's worthy
of all
that we
could possibly
pour out on
him
in the name
of the
father son
and holy
spirit
amen