Kiss the Sun or Lick the Dust

In one paragraph

On April 24, 2023, Pastor Brian walked Tribe fam through Luke 7:36-50, the story of a woman who poured out an alabaster jar of perfume on Jesus' feet. The message centered on two different ways a person responds when they encounter Jesus, captured in the title "Kiss the Sun or Lick the Dust." The whole service, from worship through the sermon, kept circling back to the same question: what does a...

Read together

1. Zechariah 4:6-7 not by might nor by power but by my spirit, the mountain becoming a plain before Zerubbabel, grace applied to the situation
2. Luke 7:36-50 main passage read aloud, the woman who anoints Jesus feet at the Pharisees house
3. Psalms 32:1 joy for those whose disobedience has been forgiven, sin put out of sight
4. Micah 7:16-20 nations licking the dust like a serpent, God casting sins into the depths of the sea
5. Philippians 2:9-12 every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord
6. Song of Solomon 1:2-4 kiss me again for your love is sweeter than wine, take me with you
7. Malachi 3:6 I am the Lord I change not, no variation nor shadow of turning
8. John 11 locating the anointing story near Passover in Bethany, home of Lazarus

What was said

• If there is a mountain-sized problem you have been ramming your head against in your own strength, stop and hand it to Jesus this week and ask him to apply his grace to it.
• If God's word has felt dry or dead to you, come to the author directly and ask him to give you a hunger for Scripture and to show you where he wants you to read.
• Think about what Jesus has specifically done in your life, forgiven, healed, set free, and let that be the reason you worship this week rather than going through the motions.
• If you sense something corking up your ability to freely express love and devotion toward Jesus, take a moment alone this week to whisper to him whatever you have been holding back.
• Sign up to serve at the Wind River Reservation trip June 25 through 28, giving your time to help lead VBS on the reservation.

Talk about it

1. Brian described two ways of dealing with a mountain of opposition: ramming against it in your own strength, or putting it in Jesus's hands. Which of those has been your default response, and what has that looked like in practice?
2. Lissa shared a picture of someone too fatigued to even cry out to the Lord. Has there been a season in your life where you hit that kind of exhaustion? What, if anything, helped you turn your eyes back to Jesus?
3. Brian talked about the difference between going through the motions of church as a cultural tradition and actually encountering Jesus. How do you personally notice when one has started replacing the other in your own life?
4. The woman in Luke 7 poured out her tears and her costly perfume at Jesus's feet, completely unconcerned with who was watching. What, if anything, holds the cork in place for you when it comes to expressing that kind of open affection and worship toward Jesus?
5. Simon the Pharisee skipped the ordinary gestures of welcome, and Brian suggested it was because he was too proud to play into the idea that Jesus was as great as everyone said. Where do you see that same posture showing up today, either in culture broadly or quietly in yourself?