But I also bring greetings from Sindel Baptist, which is my home church, and uh also from the Baptist Union of Victoria. It's a privilege to work with the Baptist Union of Victoria, and we're so thankful for the role that New Hope plays in the life of our denomination. We have a vision for 500 flourishing churches in the next 50 years, churches that make disciples. Great to see the focus on discipleship that makes disciples, uh, Christ-like disciples, uh, so that we might transform our community. And uh thanks for the way that New Hope continues to do that and has been such an encouragement to many over the years. I wonder whether you've ever had anyone ask you whether you've noticed something or someone. I regularly have people ask whether I've noticed the colour of a room or some piece of furniture, and more often than not, the answer is no. If after a wedding, some and I've done hundreds of weddings, if someone asks me the colour of the bride's dress, I normally have a fair chance of getting it right. But if they want to know the colour of the bridesmaid's dresses, I'm probably not as up with those. Do you want to know the the worst mistake I ever made at a wedding? I was trying to tell the bride how beautiful she looked, and I said in front of everybody, must have taken you forever to look this good. I tried to dig myself out of the hole. It didn't work that well, but during the signing of the register, I said, I'm so sorry. I was trying to tell you that you look really beautiful. And she said, Don't worry, I didn't hear a word you said. That's why you should never preach a long sermon at a wedding, because the bride and groom don't take it in a lot anyway. Have you noticed that when you purchase a new car, suddenly you notice others just like it? Have you noticed that what you're interested in determines what you see and likely to notice? When I go into a bookshop, I gravitate towards the areas on sport or leadership or personal growth or team building. Whereas when my wife Julia and I go for a walk or a bike ride, she's attuned to notice either the houses or the landscape because she's a town planner. Or she might be looking for birds. She's she loves bird watching. Might add that if we're bike riding, it's dangerous to ride behind her because without warning, she's likely to stop if she hears the sound of a bird. In contrast, when walking or riding or driving, I'm much more alert to a football or a cricket match going on in a local park. Today we look at a great story that we find in Luke's gospel about who Jesus sees and who Jesus notices. And I want to tell you the story as though I'm the lady in the story. It also has some searching questions about what we notice. The story has three main characters. There's Jesus, there's a lady, and there's a man. And here's the story, as might have been told by the woman. Recently I encountered an amazing start-up young rabbi. They call Jesus. I heard him announcing that there was grace and welcome for sinners, and I needed that because you see, I had the reputation of being a sinner, a serious sinner in the city. I needed what Jesus offered. And I reached for it and embraced it. Not everyone appreciated Jesus' approach, and some of the religious leaders wanted to set him straight about lots of things. I've learned that religious people often seem to be more correctors than connectors. But Jesus wasn't like that. I wondered whether I'd ever get the chance to thank Jesus personally and maybe have the opportunity of a conversation with him about my life and my situation. Then I found out that a guy called Simon, a Pharisee, a religious leader, had invited Jesus to dinner, and along with others, I got there early and I stood with the crowd around the perimeter of the dining area in the open courtyard, hoping to see Jesus and hear something that would be encouraging and helpful. I'd brought some expensive perfume. It was the most expensive thing I owned, with the random hope that I might be able somehow to use it to express my thanks to Jesus. Maybe anointing his hands or his head. Wasn't long before Jesus arrived, and immediately the scene was filled with tension, tension heightened by what did not happen. As Jesus entered the house, all the traditional courtesies were conspicuous by their absence. There was no welcome hand on the shoulder or kiss of peace as a mark of respect for a distinguished rabbi. There was no water for the washing of hands or cleansing of the feet dirtied by the dusty roads. There was no olive oil to place on Jesus' head, so Jesus simply entered and then reclined on the dining couch around the table. I was really upset about Jesus being treated so shabbily. But what could I do? I was overcome with emotion, and without thinking too much about it, I found myself making my way to stand behind where Jesus was reclining. His head and his hands were not accessible, but his feet were. Couldn't ask for water, especially not in that company. But as tears flooded my eyes and coursed down my cheeks, they landed on Jesus' feet. Didn't quite know what to do. So I knelt close to him. There was no towel to dry the flood of tears, so I let down my hair and I used it to wipe his feet. Wow. I was overcome. I kissed Jesus' feet and was then prompted to pour perfume on them. It was different from the olive oil that Simon could have or should have used, but it just seemed worth the expense. And the fragrance filled the room. It allowed me in some measure to enter into the rejection and the humiliation of Jesus. In hindsight, perhaps I'd thwarted Simon's plan. The person that he and others sought to check out to see whether he was a prophet or not, or to patronize or humiliate, that person was now being honored. Jesus didn't seem embarrassed at all by what had happened. I'm so glad he accepted my expression of care. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. A room filled mainly with lawmakers and a few lawbreakers like me. The righteous in the room were shocked and stunned at what they probably saw as a provocative act when I let my hair down, but it was anything but that. Thinking about it later, I recognized that normally such an act would prompt my immediate removal from the scene, but no one moved. Simon the Pharisee was utterly astounded and engaged in a little disapproving conversation with himself. Jesus heard what Simon was thinking and saying to himself. He was thinking that if Jesus were really a prophet, he would know what kind of woman this was who was touching him. A serious sinner. Jesus answered Simon's thought and said, Simon, I've got something to tell you. Oh, teacher? Tell me. Jesus replied with a story. Two men were in debt to a banker. One owed 500 silver pieces and the other 50. With each silver piece being the equivalent of a day's wage for a hired laborer. And so one owed not even two months' wages and the other owed almost 18 months' wages. Neither of them could pay up. So the banker cancelled both debts. Simon, Jesus said, Who would be more grateful? Simon answered, Well, I suppose the one who was forgiven the most. You got it. You nailed it, Jesus said. And then Jesus, turning to me, continued to speak to Simon, asking, Simon, do you see this woman? I thought to myself, what's coming next? Of course he's seen me. Jesus continued, I came to your home and you provided no water for my feet. But she rained tears on my feet and dried them with her hair. You gave me no greeting, but from the time I arrived, she has not stopped kissing my feet. You provided nothing for freshening up, but she has soothed my feet with perfume. And the fragrance has filled the room. It's impressive, isn't it? She was forgiven many, many sins, and so she's very, very grateful. If forgiveness is minimal, the gratitude is minimal. And then Jesus turned to me and gently and tenderly and with unmistakable authority said I forgive your sins. Well, that surely set the dinner guests muttering things like, Who does he think he is? Forgiving sins. But without taking notice of them, Jesus again spoke to me words that I will never ever forget. He said to me, Go in peace. Your faith has saved you. I left that dinner with a lightness of spirit, a joyful heart, and a sense of well-being that I've craved for years. You see, Jesus had drawn out from me that tiny seed of faith that changed my game forever. Also, couldn't get off my mind Jesus' question to Simon when he said, Do you see this woman? I got to know that Jesus really sees people. He sees people in a way that welcomes and values and accepts and cares and provides dignity and with a love that can transform. He sees what people can become. He sees deeply. And I want to see like that. Friends, this morning, with whom do you identify in this story? Do you see people as they are? Or who they could become? This story reminds me of the many times throughout Scripture when God sees and he hears the cry of the human heart. You go back to the book of Genesis in Genesis 17 and you read about Hagar, an Egyptian slave, after being mistreated by Abraham and Sarah. And she declares in her distress, You are the God who sees me. You go to Exodus 3 and you find the declaration to Moses, God says, I've seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I've heard them crying out. I think he hears the cry of hearts all around our world. Go to Psalm 121, and it's a beautiful psalm. And several times through the psalm of just a few verses, we read about God who's a watching over God. He watches over us when we come and when we go. He never slumbers nor sleeps. So when we're sleeping, he's awake looking after the universe. But he's also accessible in the middle of the night when we need it. Go to Psalm 139, that beautiful psalm that tells us that God knows when we sit and when we stand. He perceives our thoughts. In fact, there's no place in the entire universe where we can go where God is not already present. And even when we were conceived, it says God saw us. Does that blow your mind? Jesus sees people, he really sees people. He sees you this morning and he sees me. He knows what we're thinking. He sees our heart, and according to our needs, he wants to and has the resources to respond. What's your heart's cry today? And what does he see in your life today? Do you need to hear from Jesus today? I see you. I know you. I want to be with you. You're never alone. Do you need the words this morning, I forgive you, go in peace? What about that wonderful invitation from Jesus? He says, if you're tired and worn out, burned out on religion, come to me. Walk with me. Work with me. I'm really glad he didn't say work for me. He said work with me. Watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. Come and spend time with me, and you'll learn to live freely and lightly. It's a beautiful invitation from Jesus. Elsewhere he says, if you're thirsty, anyone who's thirsty, come to me and drink. And rivers of living water, refreshing water, will flow from within you. This morning, do you need to hear the words, my grace is sufficient, my strength is made perfect in weakness. Watch how I do it and come work with me. Some of you would know the fact that my first wife, Jenny, died back in 2009. And two verses that for us were really, really important at that time was Romans 8.26 and 27. Do you feel sorry for verses like that? Because we normally quote Romans 8.28. Those two verses before, here's my translation. It goes this way. In your times of weakness and challenge, God's Spirit comes alongside us over on the other side to help us carry the load. And the word that's used is, you know, when you've got a really heavy load and you're trying to lift it up on your own and you can't? And you see your mate coming, you say, Would you grab the other end of that? And together you lift it and carry it? That's the word that's used. In our times of weakness and challenge, God's Spirit comes alongside us over on the other side and helps us carry the load. But I'm so glad for the next bit. Which goes on to say, and if you don't know what to pray, it doesn't matter. Because the Spirit takes our wordless size and our aching groans and keeps us present before the Father. You know, the exciting news is that he also entrusted, Jesus also entrusted to his disciples the same mission that he came with. And this morning he says to those of you who are followers of Jesus, do you see people? Do you really see them? The Melbourne prayer breakfast a few years ago, the speaker, David Wright, challenged us at the start of a day to pray a prayer something like this. Lord, I know that there is someone you want me to bless today. Please help me to be sensitive enough to your spirit to know who that is. Courageous enough to act on your direction, and willing enough to sacrifice what is necessary to bless them. One of my favourite stories is a story told by John Maxwell. Do you know the name John Maxwell? He's written lots of leadership books, he's a pastor, he speaks with presidents and prime ministers, and he says there are five things he does every day. The first is that he values people because Jesus values people and he's a follower of Jesus. Second thing he does every day is he thinks about ways to add value to people. The third thing he does every day is that he looks for ways to add value to people. The fourth thing he does every day is that he adds value to people, and the fifth thing he does every day is he teaches others to add value to people. And when he was telling this story, he said, one of the things I do with my grandkids, and I do this now with my grandkids, he says, one of the things I do with my grandkids is I say to them, Who are you going to see tomorrow? And how can you add value to them? And when he was telling the story, James, his youngest, was about nine, and James pipes up and he says, Tomorrow, Papa, I'm going to open doors for people. And Maxwell says, that's fantastic. But he says, more than that, when I open doors for people, I'm going to smile at them. And Maxwell says, You've got it, go for it. He says, more than that, when I open doors for people and smile at them, I'm going to say, have a good day. And Maxwell's so excited, he said, You go for it, James. The next day, James calls his grandfather and he says, Papa, today I open 42 doors. And Maxwell says, he's nine. And he's got it. He sees people and he wants to help them and bless them. Friends, do you see this woman? This man? This young person? This child, this neighbor, this person whose exterior is tough, but they're craving for love. The person who's grieving and needing hope. You know, there are many in our world who are often unseen, but they're not hiding. They're overlooked. Do you see them? When Jesus saw, he really saw. He was moved with compassion. He fed the crowd. He stopped for the one. He hardly ever got from point A to point B without stopping for someone whose life was in a bit of a mess. He hosted the party, extended forgiveness. He comforted the grieving. He loved extravagantly. He knew that at the Father's table there is room for more, many more. There's room for everybody. But he also discomforted comfortable. Ask the lady in this story, whose name could have been Mary, but Luke doesn't tell us that. But ask her who Jesus is. And she's likely to say something like, no one ever spoke to me like Jesus. No one ever cared for me like Jesus. No one ever loved me like Jesus. No one ever stood up for me or spoke up for me like Jesus. No one treated me with such dignity as Jesus. No one ever really saw me and responded like Jesus did. He forgave me a lot. And to hear him affirm my faith helped to transform my life. Would you join me as we pray? And this morning, as our heads are bowed, there may be someone here this morning, and you just hope that someone sees you. Jesus sees you. He knows what you're thinking. He knows what you're feeling. He knows what you're experiencing. And he has the resources to help. And sometimes he uses other people to help. But if you're here this morning and you would would like me to pray for you because you really want Jesus to see you and to know you and to help you. Just going to ask you, heads bowed, eyes closed, would you raise your hand? I'd love to pray for you. Yep. Thank you. A number of places. Yeah. God, you've seen those people this morning. You know their hearts. You know the cry of their heart. Thank you that your resources are able to meet them. That you've got a word for them this morning. You see them, you know them. Lord, would you apply your resources according to their needs? Help them to know that they're loved, that they're not overlooked, and you care. And Lord, thank you that you see all of us and you know us. And this morning our desire is that you would help us to see and respond to people like you do. We want to be a blessing to the people we encounter today and every day. Help us to represent you well. We want to walk with you, Lord Jesus. So come, Lord Jesus, and fill us afresh. And may it be true for us that rivers of living water will flow from within us. And we want to give you the honor and the glory. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.