Sermon: That's The Way Love Goes

Sermon Text: That's The Way Love Goes

 You can love math, but you can’t math love.
 
I know people who love mathematics, and are great with numbers. Even a math-challenged guy like me finds satisfaction in balancing our checkbook and doing our taxes. Balancing checkbooks, keeping budgets, doing taxes — all these are important.
 
But they have to stay in their place. You can love math, but you can’t math love. Love is beyond the numbers.
 
My wife once said something I’ve always remembered. She came home from a board meeting for an agency which cares for the disabled. As they worked through budgeting the high cost of care for these wounded people, my wife said, “You know, you can’t put a price tag on compassion.”
 
You can love math, but you can’t math love.
 
We are almost to Holy Week and the remembrance of the final days and hours of the life of Jesus. Today we hear the story of a woman with a jar of ointment. No one gets higher praise from Jesus than this nameless woman — no one. He gives her a stunning compliment.
 
Apparently, she is the only one other than Jesus who sees the storm coming. She sees ahead of time that the Romans will crucify Jesus. She knows that part of the horror of crucifixion is that the victim is not usually allowed decent burial. So, if the body of Jesus is going to be anointed for burial, it has to be now — before the storm.
 
She brings her gift. It’s a jar of ointment, or perfume. And it’s costly. Three hundred silver coins is roughly the what an ordinary worker would earn in a year. This ointment is worth a year’s salary. She breaks that jar and pours it on Jesus. All of it.
 
You can love math. But you can’t math love. You can’t put a price tag on compassion.
 
The disciples miss the point. They are all about balancing the checkbooks. They are focused on the budget, and only the budget. They criticize this woman, harshly.
 
But you can’t math love. Jesus speaks up. And he says that she’s doing a fine thing. The word here means both “good” and “beautiful” at the same time. Then Jesus goes on to give her a stunning tribute. He says, “What she has done will be told in memory of her.” All over the world, everywhere these gospels are read, and recited, and remembered.
 
We still remember her. Why? Because of her love.
 
You can love math. But you can’t math love. You can’t put a price tag on compassion.
 
So let’s learn from this greathearted woman.
 
Balanced checkbooks are important — we know that. But love is a different thing entirely.
 
Love is reckless. Love does not count the cost. You can’t put a price tag on kindness.
 
Love is not like money. The more money you give away, the less you have. But with love, it’s the other way round. The more love you give away, the more love you have. It’s not mathematically right, but that’s the way love goes.
 
Life is short. We should tell the people we love every day that we love them. And even more, we should show them.
 
This woman in the story loved Jesus and poured out that gift of ointment like she was pouring out her life into his. She was reckless. She broke the budget. She had a heart we sill honor two thousand years later.
 
We remember her.
We stand in awe of her.
And we want to follow her.
 
You don’t need any special gifts.
You don’t need unusual resources.
You already have the one and only thing you need:  one, standard-issue, human heart.
 
You can love math, but you can’t math love.
You can’t put a price tag on compassion.
Kindness is never wasted.
 
The more love you give away, the more love you have.
It’s not sensible from a mathematical point of view.
But that’s the way love goes.