Grace, mercy, and peace are your through Jesus Christ, who has canceled our debts of sin. Amen.

Ever-living and ever-loving Lord, you are a tranquil sea of peace for those who call on you in faith. Your life, death, and resurrection made true and lasting peace between God and us. You have forgiven all our sins, and you promise us eternal life in heaven. Yet, you have not forsaken us while we live on earth. When our sins trouble us, remind us through your Word and sacraments that our debt of sin has been canceled through Christ’s death and resurrection. Amen.

Many of you may know Bert Sass. I believe she is about 93 years old, a widow and a shut-in. And just so you know, she gave me permission to tell this story. A few months ago, Bert was moving her car. She meant to put the car into drive, but instead put it in reverse. She panicked and stepped on the gas … and slammed into the parked car behind her. The bumpers of both cars locked. In her panic, Bert then put the car into drive and stepped on the gas. Pulling the other car behind her, she then slammed into a tree in front of her.

Nobody was hurt, not even Bert. But, two cars were totaled, a tree was pretty much mauled, and her spotless record of never being in an accident in 63 years of driving was now blemished. But still Bert thanked God.

Imagine if this had happened to you. What would your reaction be? Would you curse and get angry? Would you worry and pout? Or would you praise God for your accident?

Bert decided to praise God, and even thank him for her accident. Why? She admits that if someone had told her to stop driving, she would have disagreed and fought them. But she believes that this was God’s way of telling her – forcefully telling her – that it was time to stop driving. She agreed. I believe this is an unexpected example of faith.

Today we examine another example of unexpected faith from Luke’s Gospel. Jesus had praised the great faith of the centurion (7:9). Here another person on the fringe of society, a woman who had lived a sinful life, proves her great faith by her love. A living faith will demonstrate itself by love for the Savior. This woman chose to pour out her love in a unique and unusual way. Everyone who has truly experienced the forgiveness of sins will find ways to show love for Jesus. We, too, can pour out our love upon Jesus for our salvation and through our sacrifice.

It seems that Jesus didn’t turn down many invitations to a meal. He went to a wedding in Cana. He ate at the homes of tax collectors. He even accepted a dinner invitation to eat at Simon the Pharisee’s home. It doesn’t seem that Simon had invited Jesus to his home out of love or the desire to learn from him. We can assume this because Simon didn’t provide Jesus with any of the courteous customs of the day – providing water to wash Jesus’ feet or giving him a kiss upon entering the home, or pouring oil upon his head. Simon probably just invited Jesus over because Jesus was popular among the people. People would hear that Jesus was coming over for dinner, and Simon would be a celebrity because he had such an important guest.

But another person showed up as an unexpected and unwelcome guest. A prostitute had heard that Jesus was there. So she came to see him. She had probably heard Jesus preach before and she trusted Jesus to save her from her sins … which were many. And even though she wasn’t invited or even welcome, she saw the opportunity to get close to the One whom she believed to be the Son of God, the Savior, and the long awaited Messiah.

When Simon saw her pouring out perfume on Jesus’ feet, he thought a snide comment that she was a "sinner" and Jesus wasn’t much of a prophet if he couldn’t tell she was a "sinner." Jesus knew what Simon was thinking and told him a story about two men that owed large sums of money – fifty and five hundred denarii. A denarius was a coin worth about a day’s wages. So let’s say that one guy owed 5,000 dollars and the other 50,000. Neither one could pay the lender back. Yet the lender forgave both debts completely, entirely. Which man would have the greater appreciation for the free gift? The one with the greater debt.

Jesus then drew a comparison between the behavior of Simon and that of the woman. The Pharisee had shown no love for Jesus. On the other hand, the woman had not stopped showing love to Jesus since she entered the home. What Simon had failed to do for Jesus, this woman did with all her heart and in her own way. With her tears and with her perfume, she was pouring out her love on Jesus for the salvation he had granted her through the forgiveness of her sins. Her many sins were forgiven. Her large debt of sin had been completely canceled. And she was eternally grateful.

How grateful are you for your salvation? Is receiving the forgiveness of sins at the beginning of the service just "ho–hum"? Is receiving forgiveness in Holy Communion something special or are you more concerned that the service is going to be extra long on a communion Sunday?

At my previous congregation, I really didn’t have any shut-ins. So I am grateful for the opportunity to visit the shut-ins here at Epiphany. And for the most part, I think they like having me come over. Although, I did have one lady who asked me to come over, and then asked if I could bring my daughters with me. I teased her that it’s nice if the Pastor can come over, but nicer if the Pastor’s girls can come with him.

What I really appreciate about visiting the shut-ins is how grateful they are – not for the Pastor’s visit, but grateful for what the Pastor brings with him – Word and Sacrament. Many times after the confession of sins, they will say "thank you." After the devotion – "thank you." After the Lord’s Prayer – "thank you." And during the Lord’s Supper, many have tears welling up in their eyes, out of joy for what they are receiving. Again, a "thank you." Not to me, but to the Lord, for what he brings with him.

For you see, our debts to God are great. Our lack of worship and study of his Word. Our lack of prayer and love. Our quickness to question and doubt and cry out in anger towards God. Like the sinful woman, we have had adulterous actions and our fair share of adulterous thoughts and feelings. Like Simon, the proud Pharisee, we have had our fair share of looking down on others and withholding forgiveness from them.

But Jesus has removed our debt to God. Through his death and resurrection, the debt has been paid. You and I could never pay this debt. But God loves you so much that he sent his only Son, Jesus, to the cross to pay what only he could pay. Now you don’t have to have an eternity without him. Jesus absorbed all the guilt and all the hell of every wrong thing you’ve ever done. Your sins are forgiven. The debt has been paid. Salvation is yours!

Why, though, didn’t Jesus condemn this woman for her previous lifestyle? Why didn’t God disown David for his adultery and murder? Why didn’t God reject Peter after his disgraceful actions in looking down upon the Gentiles as second-class Christians? Why was Paul not banished by God forever because of his persecution of the Christians early in his life? And the answer is because there is nothing in the world so tenacious and resolute as the grace of God. "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17) We pour out our love on Jesus because instead of condemning us for our sins, he gives us salvation.

Before she entered the room this woman knew what she wanted to do. Standing behind Jesus she wept. She wet the feet of Jesus with her tears. She wiped his feet with her hair. She kept on kissing his feet thus showing her great love for Jesus. Finally she poured the precious perfume on Jesus’ feet to show him honor and thanks.

Jesus did not move as she did all this. Quietly he accepted her offering of gratitude and her tears of repentance. Jesus gladly received this sacrifice of love and affection.

And so Jesus also gladly accepts our offerings of love and gratitude. He willingly receives our sacrifices of adoration and affection. This alabaster jar of perfume was quite expensive. It was quite a sacrifice for this woman to pour out such expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet. And yet she did it willingly, gladly. Nothing was too great of a sacrifice for her Savior. Her life had been so touched by Jesus that she was determined to do something for the One who had done so much for her.

And what about you? What kind of sacrifices do you make for your Savior? Think of your sacrificial offerings. They are given to the Lord out of thankfulness and out of necessity so this church can carry out Christ’s mission in our community. Think about what a little extra "sacrifice" might mean for Christ’s Church. We have about 300 members here at Epiphany. Each week, if every member gave up one fast food meal, or a Starbucks coffee and muffin, or here in Racine, a Kringle or fish fry. That’s about $10 extra dollars a week to give to the Lord. If every member did that, that would be an increase of $3000 a week! An extra $156,000 a year! Now imagine what would happen if we really sacrificed and gave up cable or the Dish or the movie channels or (heaven forbid!) the NFL package or anything else that we can really survive without. We would have more money for Christ’s Church than we would know what to do with! God be praised! It can happen!

This woman came to Simon’s house to worship Jesus. We come into the Lord’s house to worship Jesus here at Epiphany. In the past four weeks, I’ve noticed that, except for a few people, I haven’t seen the same faces for three weeks in a row. Yes, it is summertime, but we still want to make sure we set aside time to worship our Lord for his salvation.

The same is true of our Bible study. This woman had undoubtedly seen Jesus perform miracles and hear Jesus preach about forgiveness and salvation. We get to see Jesus perform miracles and hear about his forgiving love in our Bible studies and Sunday school. I know that you aren’t traditionally used to attending Sunday Bible classes during the summer, but my feeling is that why should we take off from studying God’s Word just because its summer. Besides, another pastor said to me, "Mike, the surest way to make sure that you don’t have anybody for Bible class is to not have Bible class.

So, is spending 2 ½ to 3 hours in church on a Sunday morning for worship, fellowship, and Bible class too much of a sacrifice for Jesus? I don’t think so. What about you?

Jesus didn’t mean much to some at Simon’s dinner party. He meant a little to others. He meant a great deal to at least one. She was willing to sacrifice. What would you be willing to sacrifice for Jesus today? Just how much is God worth to you? Is he worth a few dollars? Is he worth a few hours? Is he worth living a Christian lifestyle through the week? Is he worth giving up your sin – as this woman undoubtedly did? Is God worth the number one spot in your life? The answer to all those questions is a resounding "YES!"

Simon could justify his sins. He didn’t love Jesus because he didn’t need Jesus. The sinful woman, however, was sensitive to her sins. She loved Jesus much because she saw how much she needed to be forgiven.

The lesson for you is this: The more sensitive you are to your sins, the more you cherish your salvation, and the more you will love Jesus. The more you realize the grace, mercy, and love of Jesus in your life, the more you will sacrifice out of love for Jesus. All your love for Jesus will come pouring out. Amen.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)