Church in Marble.......Today I went to our little historic church as I always do on Sundays. I did the things I usually do as a pastor's wife. I prayed for the service while the church was empty before God's people arrived. I prayed for those who would come. I acknowledged that God knew my heart and that the loss of my niece was still fresh and the news that my dog, Starbuck, has cancer was close. But for a moment I wanted my prayers during this path to the cross (the season of Lent) to be about all those who would walk through the door.

Jon preached from the gospel of John 12: 10-11. It was the story of Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus annointing Jesus' feet with expensive perfume and taking down her hair (which was something women would not do in that time and culture) and using her hair to dry His feet. Jon's theme was, do we do all that we can do to express our love for Jesus. Do we do all that we can do to serve Jesus. As he was sharing Mary's example of "extravagant" love for the Master, he got down on his knees as she did. He went through the motion of letting down her hair as she did. He went through the motion of washing and drying Jesus' feet as she did. It was so very simple but so very powerful. I began to weep as I saw it in my heart. Do I show that kind of extravagant love to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?

It was communion Sunday and as we gathered around the altar to partake, I continued to weep. I was not the only one. There were the sounds of sniffs all around. We all gathered remembering the path to the cross. We all were acknowledging just how much He has done for us. And yes we knew that He knew our very hearts and shared in the joys and the sorrows that we brought to the altar. He told us that He would be called Emmanuel, God with us. Today in the Marble Church it was truly an Emmanuel Sunday, God with us.