Woman, Go In Peace

"Your faith has saved you, go in peace" Luke 7:50

This woman mentioned in the Gospels is referred to in many ways; "the sinful woman", "the woman of the city", "the woman with the alabaster jar". It's interesting to note that while the whole community seemed to know exactly who she was, no one seemed to know her name or at least, no one bothered to call her by her name.

Do you ever feel like a nameless face in the crowd, known more for what you have done wrong than for who you really are? "As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears... ' This woman's encounter with Jesus literally left her speechless, tears running down her cheeks. Here was someone who really saw her and didn't judge her by her past or her present but saw the potential of her future. And in response to this she offers her most precious possession to him as she anoints His feet with oil.

In this one gesture she shows Him and all who is watching how precious He is and how unworthy she is. And it's this complete surrender and total adoration, this act of worship that seals her fate.

I think in many ways we can all relate to this woman. When we have that moment of kneeling at the foot of the cross, finally able to lay our burdens down, remove all our "labels" and surrender to the One who can save us. That transformative moment when He looks at us, not at our sins, not at our past, not at who we try to be but at us and sees us exactly as we are and still loves us. And then, He leans towards us and says, "your faith has saved you, go in peace"

In this session we will consider what it looks like to come to Christ just as we are, with all our flaws, fears and uncertainties and lay them at His feet as we kneel before Him in worship (and just like this woman we can experience the forgiveness and salvation that Christ has to offer). We will consider what it means to "go in peace" and what this looks like in our lives.