"Last Week's Gospel"

LAST WEEK’S GOSPEL

Text: Matthew 26:6-13

A week ago Saturday they captured Brian Nichols, the man who broke loose in an Atlanta courthouse and killed a judge, a court reporter, a deputy, and a federal agent. When I turned on the TV Sunday night, they were airing a press conference with Ashley Smith, the woman he took hostage while he was on the run and who eventually turned him in.

As I listened to her story, I was spellbound. When it was finished I thought-- that’s a sermon. In fact, that’s the perfect sermon for Palm Sunday, the day that marks the beginning of the last days of Jesus’ earthly life. Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, the time when we reflect on the whole life of Jesus and try to figure out what it all means. What was God trying to accomplish in Jesus, and what could it possibly have to do with us today?

I think Ashley Smith’s actions in the 7 hours she was held hostage last Saturday morning give us the answer. She doesn’t have a stellar past. She’s been in trouble with the law and didn’t even have custody of her daughter. Her husband died 4 years ago. He was murdered... stabbed to death and died in her arms. But none of that kept her from living out the Gospel in the moment that it mattered most. Last Saturday morning, Ashley Smith was Jesus Christ for Brian Nichols; and just as Jesus wanted the story of the woman who anointed him with expensive perfume to be told from generation to generation, so I want Ashley Smith’s story to be told in honor of her and of her faith.

And so her story is the sermon this morning. Her story is of Christian love. There is compassion, accountability, and love for every single person involved in the events described. This is what it means to love your enemies. This is what it means to be the Body of Christ. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to love.

Introduction ©2005 Anne Robertson

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You will find the audio and video at

Ashley Smith video from MSNBC
(Windows Media Player needed)

and the transcript at

Transcript from CNN