Alabaster Jar

Author Anne Ortlund in her reflection upon the passage of the women who broke her alabaster jar draws this comparison:

"Christian file into church on a Sunday morning one by one they march in 

- like separate alabaster vases.

Contained. Self-sufficient. Encased. Individually complete.

Contents undisclosed. No perfume emitting at all.

Their vases aren’t bad looking. In fact some of them are the beautiful people and they become vase-conscious: conscious of their own vases and of another’s.

They are aware of clothes, of personalities, of positions in this world. They are concerned with the exteriors. And so before and after church (maybe even during) they are apt to talk vase-talk.

This woman broke her vase.

Broke it? How shocking. How controversial. (Perhaps some even considered it scandalous)

Was everyone doing it? Was she at some vase-breaking party?

No she just did it all by herself. What happened then?

The obvious: all the contents were forever released.
She could never hug her precious perfume and keep it all to herself again.

Many bodies who file into the church, no doubt do so because they have Jesus inside them.

Jesus - precious, exciting, life giving. But most of them keep Him shut up, contained, enclosed all their lives.
 And the air is full of NOTHING!

They come to church and sit - these long rows of cold beautiful alabaster vases!

Then the cold beautiful alabaster vases get up and march out again, silently - or maybe talking their cold alabaster talk - to repeat the ritual week after week, year after year. Unless they just get too bored and quit.

The need for Christians everywhere (nobody is exempt) is to be broken. The vase has to be smashed!

Christians have to let the Life out! It will fill the room with sweetness. And the congregation will all be broken shards, mingling together for the first time.

Of course it’s awkward and scary to be broken!

Of course it’s easier to keep up that cold alabaster front.

It was costly for Mary too."

(Excerpt from Dr Andrew Peh's sermon "Cracked Pots for Christ")