Скачать или смотреть The sweet smell of perfume: a reflection for the Fifth Sunday of Lent

This home, where I’m standing right now, is filled with love.
You can feel it in the gentle care of others
In the warmth of hospitality
In the acts of kindness I saw
I’m only a servant
Simon’s servant
That’s where I am
Simon the leper is my master
Jesus healed him, a long time ago now
It’s a special day today
Lots of people have turned up…
Lazarus
Jesus brought him back to life
That was pretty amazing!
Martha and Mary
Both so kind and caring
Though Martha was more practical
Outdoing herself in the kitchen as usual
Not leaving me much to do if I’m honest
But as for Mary…
What was she thinking, pouring this expensive ointment on Jesus’ feet?
I’m talking a lot of money!
And then…cringe…drying his feet with her hair
Jesus didn’t seem to mind though
The one sour note was Judas
Going on and on about how wasteful this all was
Wasting this perfume
I’ve never liked him much
Mainly because I knew he was a thief!
Hypocrisy if ever there was!
But I couldn’t get out of my head what Jesus was saying
It’s almost like he was looking ahead
To the future
He said something about what Mary did being more than kindness
She was preparing him for his death
Such a sweet smell of perfume in the air
But when Jesus said that there was also a smell of death
And it wasn’t just to do with Lazarus coming back to life
I’ve been thinking about this for a while now
And the guests are all getting ready to leave
I can’t stop thinking about those words about death
But I can still smell the sweetness of that ointment
It’s in the room
Filling me with hope
That whatever happens to Jesus
Everything is going to be okay

Based on John 12: 1-8
© Words and Music Darren Garfield 2025