Emotion - a right response

We were looking at Luke 7 again on Sunday and the incident where the woman weeps, wipes and anoints Jesus feet. It is striking passage, why? Because her response is so emotional - in fact Jesus draws attention to her response of great love and contrasts it unfavourably with Simon's failure to love but desire to discuss ideas.

It poses the question are we to respond to Jesus emotionally? This woman is aware of her sin and the great salvation that Jesus has given her hence her lavish love seen in action. A great sinner worships a great Saviour.

I found myself asking whether I know that response? Whether I keep on knowing that response and what does appropriate expression of that look like? Or am I like Simon engaging in the debate enjoying the cerebral challenge but not broken and worshipping because I love little because I think I have little to be forgiven for?

Scrooge

Sometimes I think that the media perceive Christians as almost resenting Christmas, as if we don't want anyone to enjoy themselves, that all we should do is sit and contemplate. Actually the thing that marks out the first Christmas, Jesus birth, is marked with joyful celebration. In Luke 1 Zechariah and Elizabeth are overjoyed at the news they are to have a son, the Angels joyfully celebrate God's coming of salvation in Luke 2, the shepherds return glorifying and praising God, in other words celebrating because salvation has come.

Celebration and joy are stamped all over the first Christmas and they should be over ours too. As Christians we have more reason to celebrate than anyone else, our salvation is what we are remembering. That God brought his eternal plan to fulfilment as he sent his son, enfleshed in weak humanity, to identify with us in every way but without sin, to live a perfect life of obedience to God on our behalf and then to take our place as our substitute on the cross. To exhaust God's righteous anger against us before rising again as a guarantee that death was conquered and to ascend leaving us his spirit that we may become more like him.

I defy any Christian not to celebrate with that in mind this Christmas!