Title: Costly Love By: Judy Moore Bible Reading: Book of John (Chapter 12, verses 1-11) Recorded: Sunday 24/05/2020 (Online Service) Longing For Hope: Costly Love It’s noticeable who the heroes have been during this crisis. From the nurses to the delivery drivers, from the shelf stackers to the carers, many of the heroes have been people that are not often publicly praised. And yet, these painful times have given us a glimpse of how crucial some roles really are. And so we have rightly honoured them. We celebrate what we value. And in this passage we have two very different examples of giving honour where honour is due. Firstly, we read that Jesus is being thrown a banquet (v1-2). And it’s important where this meal takes place - the home town of Lazarus. If ever there was a reason to publicly honour someone, it is when they have demonstrated the power to overcome death! And into this party comes a second display of love and honour as Mary recklessly, extravagantly, pours expensive perfume over Jesus. A very public, yet very intimate, expression of honour. For us today, it seems that this pandemic has the potential to change the world forever. And as we try to get our bearings, it is worth highlighting the cost of Mary’s expression of love. It was so costly that it caused embarrassment and controversy (v4-6). But, it’s worth noticing the surrounding drama. Jesus saved her brother from death, and now Jesus connects her costly love with his own death (v7). It can be easy to only focus on us and our immediate needs and yet here we catch a glimpse that Jesus is bigger even than death itself. And in such a time as this, that really is worth celebrating and honouring. For full videos of our livestream services please visit our YouTube Channel - http://bit.ly/RiversideChurchOnline What's true of Riverside Church when we meet together physically on a Sunday morning is still true of us online. We exist to help people get to know Jesus and grow as his followers. Whoever you are, whatever you believe, you're so welcome in this community. To find out more about Riverside Church and to find our social media account information please visit: https://riverside-church.org.uk/ Note: While this talk is based on the above listed sections of the Bible, the actual bible readings used during our services may sometimes change.