“Prepare For The Worst, Hope For The Best” by The Rev. Kaji Douša
In the story of Mary’s anointing of Jesus, we hear about how she took some very costly ointment and anointed Jesus’ feet — cried over his feet — and wiped her tears with her hair. And this anointing is so beautiful because it was her acknowledgement that Jesus was King in her life. And also, it was her acknowledgement that he would be preparing for death. And in that way, Mary gave us a wonderful model for discipleship. Because as Disciples, we do well when we prepare for the worst, and hope for the best. By preparing Jesus for the worst — for death itself — Mary was acknowledging that he was in danger and she was showing him that she was with him. But then, by anointing him King, she was anticipating that God was going to do something amazing, that would take them past the worst. And that’s how we as Disciples get to live, too. When God sees something terrible happening in our lives, God brings us hope and promises to do well and to do right. Prepare for the worst and know that God will do the best. Amen.