Uninvited But Ready To Serve

Party Invite

You’ve got to be a bold person to show up to a party uninvited. You have to be even bolder of a person to show up to a party that you were not invited to and bring a gift for the featured guest and hand it to them personally. Everyone at the party might thing you lack class, they may consider you rude, they may even call security if provided and have you escorted out. For us to be cognizant of what it is going to mean to truly minister to this community it’s going to take some being uncomfortable with guest that you did not invite. Matter of fact we are going to have to be okay with people just jumping right in to serve Jesus even when we set the table for the event.

You may be in control of the invites but Jesus is in control of who shows up. It’s not up to us to control who walks in the door, it is expected of us to be welcoming to every person that comes to the Lord. Here’s where the rubber meets the proverbial road, you may not have invited anyone but Jesus said whosoever will! Regardless if I am ashamed of my past, I have a savior in Jesus who says COME UNTO ME, I will give you rest.

Who is This Uninvited Guest

We are introduced to this woman as a woman in the city who was a sinner. Nevertheless she knew where Jesus was.

She did not come empty handed, and she was ready to serve, and her readiness turned into action.

She brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, she stood at His feet behind him weeping, she washes His feet with her tears, she kissed his feet and anointed them with fragrant oil.

She was on a mission to serve, what type of mission are you on this morning? Are you here for yourself or are you here for Jesus.

As Christians we have to ask ourselves a few things, most importantly How will we treat the uninvited guest? How do we treat women? How do we treat the most vulnerable in the church and community.

Think about her labels for a second, let’s look at the descriptors in this text.

A woman in the city who was a sinner.

Her hair was down, we know this because she wiped the feet of our savior with the hair of her head.

HISTORY LESSON: Historically in Greco-Roman and Jewish Literature loose and disheveled hair symbolized grief, contrition and gratitude. I believe it is quite evident that this woman is experiencing those emotions. Her service is a sign of gratitude, her tears are a sign of contrition and grief. Her faith drove her to show up uninvited, uninvited and ready to work.

Historically Sunday has been a day of Sunday Best, we put on our best suit our best dress, our best shoes but internally we are disheveled. internally we are disorganized and grieving, and internally many of us are navigating this idea that we showed up but nobody invited us.

On thing we must realize is that humility is not passive, humility might show up uninvited with a gift in hand. I did not show up this morning despite not being invited by anyone in this room to be labeled, I came here to serve and how dare we miss the message of Jesus by labeling the people that we have idea of what they are going through.

Pharisees Will Always Trip

This is not the first time a Pharisee has said something out of line in the presence of Jesus. We have to be careful that we do not miss the lesson of what not to do when reading about Pharisees because sometimes we can become just like them.

Think about this, you invite Jesus who said “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

Just to condemn the folks that show up because Jesus is there. We have to be careful that we aren’t like the Pharisee in labeling people that do not look or live the same way we do.

The Pharisee even assumes that Jesus is no prophet because He didn’t label the woman in a similar way. The Pharisee assumes because of what society deems as shameful, it was shameful for an unmarried woman according to Jewish customs to have her hair down and show up uninvited.

Here’s the issue tho, the woman showed up with oil and supplies to wash feet and/or serve. The Pharisee, Simon invited Jesus to his house and wasn’t prepared to be hospitable.

History of Phariseean Judgement

Luke 15:2

The New King James Version Chapter 15

2 And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.” 3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:

Luke 18:11

The New King James Version Chapter 18

God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’

When we are judgmental of people we miss the actions and the service, when we are so busy nitpicking the actions of others we miss out on who is truly in our presence - JESUS.

Simon literally invites Jesus to eat with him, Jesus shows up and he becomes so distracted by an uninvited guest he misses the true blessing of being in the presence of the Lord.

This happens to us when we come to worship and we are distracted by the praise and response of others so much that we miss the blessing of being in God’s presence!

We are here for the Lord and no one else, the service and the humility of others should not cause us so much grief that we label them to a point in which we miss our blessing.

Jesus makes sure He lets him know what’s truly going on. In verse 44 of the same chapter the bible said “Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head, you gave me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss my feet since the time I came in, You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrat oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to who little is forgiven, the same loves little”.

We have to remember that everyone that claims to invite the Lord is not in line with the mission.

Jesus Died for the Uninvited

The same people we ridicule, the same people we neglect are the people that Jesus died for.

How can we invite Jesus in but not display the spirit of God in the place we invited him to be in. Jesus’ mission was about serving the downtrodden, healing the afflicted and being a refuge for the lost! We turn the church into a country club when we have this idea of prestige. It’s not about status it’s about salvation. It’s not about judgement it’s about justice. It’s not about position it’s about posture.

Did you come in here with a posture of humility today? Did you show up to serve, what did you bring today that says Jesus I love you and I’m willing to serve you, I’m willing to show up even in the places I’m not wanted and be the example of service and humility and love and hospitality to those who thing they have it all figured out!