Different Worship | Get Used to Different

Jul 12, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Jar of Worship and the Echo of Value

When a year’s wages shatter at Jesus’ feet, what spills out is more than perfume. Mary’s act of breaking the alabaster jar wasn’t impulsive—it was the overflow of a heart that had already decided Jesus’ worth. Judas’ question about “waste” masked a transactional view of faith, reducing worship to math. But true worship isn’t calculated. It’s the unguarded response to encountering a love that rewires our priorities. What we pour out reveals what we’ve quietly enthroned. [05:29]

“Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, ‘Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’”
(John 12:3–5, NIV)

Reflection: What “jar” have you hesitated to break for Jesus? What practical calculation keeps you from offering Him your most costly surrender?

Day 2: Sabbath as a Mirror for the Soul

Rest isn’t laziness—it’s rebellion. Sabbath stops the machinery of productivity to expose the idols humming in the background. When emails pause and calendars clear, our compulsions rise to the surface: the need to control, the hunger for approval, the fear of irrelevance. Mary’s weekly Shabbat trained her to see past temporary drivers to the God who sustains all things. Sabbath isn’t about finishing work but remembering who never needed our labor to begin with. [17:50]

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work.”
(Exodus 20:8–10, NIV)

Reflection: When you last sat in true stillness, what anxiety or obsession bubbled up? What does that reveal about what you’re trusting to sustain you?

Day 3: The Unfinished Work and the God Who Sustains

In a world of endless demands, Sabbath whispers: “The universe isn’t yours to manage.” Mary didn’t rest because her to-do list was done—she rested because her identity wasn’t tied to completing it. The perfume poured that day was the fruit of a thousand small surrenders, weekly rehearsals of trusting God with unfinished business. Our refusal to pause often masks a quiet disbelief that God can handle what we leave undone. [22:21]

“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.”
(Psalm 127:1–2, NIV)

Reflection: What unfinished task or unresolved problem feels too urgent to entrust to God this week? How might resting disrupt your illusion of control?

Day 4: The Receipts of Our Worship: Dollars and Hours

Our bank statements and screen time reports don’t lie. We sacrifice for what we value—whether it’s a child’s soccer game, a Netflix series, or the quiet compulsion to check emails. Mary’s jar-breaking worship wasn’t a one-time event but the culmination of a life that refused to let practicality drown passion. Every choice to give time or money is a vote for what rules us. Judas counted coins; Mary counted Christ worthy. [20:51]

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
(Luke 12:34, NIV)

Reflection: What mundane expense or time investment this week unintentionally exposed your heart’s true loyalties?

Day 5: From Obligation to Overflow: When Worship Becomes Natural

Worship shifts from duty to delight when we stop performing for God and start responding to Him. Mary didn’t plan her act of devotion—it erupted from a heart saturated in Sabbath’s rhythm of awe. Like muscle memory, her weekly pauses to honor God’s worth made extravagant love the default, not the exception. When we let Sabbath recalibrate our vision, pouring out ceases to feel risky and starts feeling inevitable. [26:06]

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
(Colossians 3:16–17, NIV)

Reflection: What routine or habit could you reshape this month to make responsive worship—not guilt or duty—the engine of your spiritual life?

Sermon Summary

John puts two responses to Jesus in the same room. Mary’s jar says Jesus is worth everything. Judas’s question says the cost is too high. And from a distance, Judas’s question can sound super spiritual. A year’s wage poured out on feet feels like a lot. It can sound responsible to ask why the perfume was not sold and given to the poor.

John pulls the curtain back and says Judas did not care about the poor. Judas cared about appearances, and he was a thief. So the issue was never just money. Generosity, before it is ever about money, is about worship and value. Judas calculates the expense. Mary recognizes the worth of the One sitting in the room.

Worship is a response to worth. A life starts to revolve around whatever has become ultimate. Time, attention, money, emotional energy, and the thoughts that keep replaying all tell the truth about what is being worshiped. The hard question is not just what something costs. The hard question is, what is Jesus worth?

Mary’s heart did not get there in one emotional moment. Sabbath had been shaping her week after week. Shabbat was never meant to be a burden. Sabbath was God’s gift, a weekly way of remembering who is God and who is not. The work is never finished, the email never stops, the calendar keeps filling up, but God’s people stop because the universe does not depend on them.

Sabbath reveals what has quietly become a little god. When everything gets quiet, the heart starts talking. The mind drifts toward fears, approval, comfort, success, children’s achievement, money, productivity, or whatever has been driving the week. Money leaves a receipt. Time leaves a habit. The calendar reveals what drives a life just as surely as dollars reveal what is valued.

Jesus says where treasure is, there the heart will be also. If success sits on the throne, enough will never be accomplished. If approval sits there, enough people will never be pleased. If comfort sits there, hard things will always be avoided. If money sits there, security will always feel out of reach.

Jesus frees people from the things that never satisfy but keep getting returned to. Mary’s act was not pressure, guilt, or irresponsibility. Mary’s act was the natural response of a heart captured by Jesus’s worth. Sabbath creates space to see the competing gods, put them back in their place, and worship Jesus as the One who actually belongs on the throne.

Key Takeaways

1. Worship responds to recognized worth [08:13] Mary’s jar was not mainly a financial decision. It was a visible answer to the question of what Jesus was worth to her. A heart does not pour out what it treasures unless something greater has already captured it. [08:13]
2. Sabbath remembers who is God [17:50] Sabbath is not God asking for religious busyness in a different form. Sabbath is the weekly interruption that tells a person the universe has never depended on them. Rest becomes an act of trust because stopping exposes the lie that everything will fall apart without constant control. [17:50]
3. Quiet reveals hidden drivers [19:19] When the noise stops, the heart starts talking. The mind’s drift in empty spaces is not random, because it often points to what has been driving attention, fear, and desire. Sabbath gives enough quiet for those hidden gods to be named instead of obeyed without noticing. [19:19]
4. Treasure exposes the heart’s throne [24:29] Jesus’s words about treasure and heart are not abstract. Success, approval, comfort, and money each make promises they cannot keep when they sit in the highest place. The thing on the throne does not merely receive attention, it slowly shapes the whole person. [24:29]
5. Generosity grows from captivated hearts [26:06] Generosity is not created by pressure or one emotional appeal. Mary’s gift came from a heart that had learned the worth of Jesus over time. When Jesus becomes beautiful enough, worship stops feeling like obligation and starts becoming the most honest response available.

## [26:06]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[05:29] - Mary’s Costly Act
[06:46] - Judas Sounds Spiritual
[07:16] - The Motive Behind Appearances
[08:13] - Generosity Begins With Worship
[09:19] - What Is Jesus Worth?
[10:29] - Sabbath As The Key
[16:25] - A Holy Family Table
[17:21] - Rest Before Work Is Finished
[18:30] - Sabbath Reveals Little Gods
[20:03] - What Drives The Life?
[22:21] - Rest Is Trust
[24:29] - Treasure And The Heart
[26:06] - Inventory Without Guilt
[29:59] - Sabbath Reveals What Captures
[31:48] - Prayer For Reprioritized Worship

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
John 12:1-8 (NIV)
1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. 7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Observation questions

In John 12:3-5, what two contrasting responses to Jesus’ presence are described? How do Mary’s actions and Judas’ question reveal their priorities?
According to the passage, what does Jesus’ response to Judas (v. 7-8) clarify about Mary’s act of worship?
The sermon mentions that “Sabbath reveals what has quietly become a little god” [18:30]. What examples were given in the sermon about how our calendars, thoughts, or habits expose what drives us?

Interpretation questions

Why might Judas’ question about giving to the poor (v. 5) have sounded spiritually responsible, even though his motives were corrupt? How does this relate to modern debates about generosity?
Jesus says, “You will always have the poor among you” (v. 8). Does this mean caring for the poor is unimportant? How does this statement reframe the relationship between worship and practical service?
The sermon argues that “rest is trust” [23:35]. Why might stopping work (Sabbath) feel risky or uncomfortable? What does resistance to rest reveal about our beliefs about God and ourselves?

Application questions

“When everything gets quiet, the heart starts talking” [19:19]. What fears, desires, or preoccupations tend to surface when you pause from work or distractions? How might these point to “little gods” competing for your worship?
The sermon states, “Money leaves a receipt. Time leaves a habit” [21:32]. What do your spending habits or calendar choices from the past month reveal about what you value most?
Sabbath is described as a “weekly interruption” to remember “the universe does not depend on you” [17:50]. What practical step could you take this week to create space for rest that redirects your focus to God’s sovereignty?
Mary’s act of worship grew from a heart “captured by Jesus’ worth” over time [26:06]. What daily or weekly rhythms could help you cultivate a deeper awareness of Jesus’ worth in your own life?
Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). What tangible adjustment (e.g., time, money, priorities) would most clearly reflect Jesus being your ultimate treasure?

Sermon Clips

76s

#RestIsTrust

“``And every Sabbath, Mary kept the Sabbath every week. She was reminded that the universe has never depended on her. And when you and I take a Sabbath, we're reminded the universe has never depended on me. And it's not because resting is magical. I mean, if you're tired, take a nap. That'll help a little bit. It's because resting is trust. People who struggle with rest usually struggle with trust. Now when we look at Mary's worship, she she's not being impulsive or irresponsible. She's been doing this week after week her entire life. Her whole life, she's learned that God is worthy of trust. God is worthy of trust, and I'm gonna honor that each one. And every week, she looks at what are the drivers of her life, and some of them have been obvious, and some of them have been hidden. But it quietly allows us to see like a mirror inside of us what we spend our money on, what we spend our weekends on, what we spend our emotional energy on, and the conversations that continue to scroll around in our head, what we spend our lives on. Eventually, eventually, those become our worship, and Sabbath reveals that.”

59s

#SabbathAsMirror

“And it's not because resting is magical. I mean, if you're tired, take a nap. That'll help a little bit. It's because resting is trust. People who struggle with rest usually struggle with trust. Now when we look at Mary's worship, she she's not being impulsive or irresponsible. She's been doing this week after week her entire life. Her whole life, she's learned that God is worthy of trust. God is worthy of trust, and I'm gonna honor that each one. And every week, she looks at what are the drivers of her life, and some of them have been obvious, and some of them have been hidden. But it quietly allows us to see like a mirror inside of us what we spend our money on, what we spend our weekends on, what we spend our emotional energy on, and the conversations that continue to scroll around in our head, what we spend our lives on. Eventually, eventually, those become our worship, and Sabbath reveals that.”

51s

#SabbathIsGift

“It's lunch because Sabbath was never meant to be an obligation. It was meant to be a gift. Sabbath was meant to be a gift, more of a declaration that every week, God's people would stop working, not because the work was finished. I mean, the work's never finished, is it? Is your email ever, like, to zero? If it is, I don't wanna know. Don't tell me. But, like, let's say it got there. Like, the email never quits. The the messages, they never stop. The work, the jobs, they never end. And this was God's way of saying, yes, but the work never ends, but we need to pause. And the reason we pause is because you need to be reminded that you're not God.”

36s

#SabbathRemindsUs

“And every Sabbath, Mary kept the Sabbath every week. She was reminded that the universe has never depended on her. And when you and I take a Sabbath, we're reminded the universe has never depended on me. And it's not because resting is magical. I mean, if you're tired, take a nap. That'll help a little bit. It's because resting is trust. People who struggle with rest usually struggle with trust.”

44s

#WorshipReflectsWorth

“So Judas is calculating cost where Mary recognizes the worth of who she's in the room with, where Judas sees the expense and how much the cost of the event was, and Mary sees this as her moment, her opportunity to worship with all of her heart, her mind, her soul. And that's the difference there is because worship is a response. We worship what we think something is worth. So the greater we think something is in our own eyes, we'll naturally give our lives to it. Like, what is your life revolving around?”

57s

#WorshipBeforeMoney

“Because what we find out in this is a question that we're gonna have to wrestle with and deal with a little bit this morning is that before generosity is ever about money, it's about worship and value. So Judas is calculating cost where Mary recognizes the worth of who she's in the room with, where Judas sees the expense and how much the cost of the event was, and Mary sees this as her moment, her opportunity to worship with all of her heart, her mind, her soul. And that's the difference there is because worship is a response. We worship what we think something is worth. So the greater we think something is in our own eyes, we'll naturally give our lives to it. Like, what is your life revolving around?”

93s

#SabbathRevealsHearts

“And that's why God gave us the Sabbath. Not because he needed his people to rest, but because Sabbath, time of not working, reveals what's in our hearts. Because when everything around us gets quiet, we begin to notice what we've been worshiping all week because there's remnants in our mind. And I think this is where Sabbath is so important for us because it's a question of do we trust god enough to stop? Because quietly in the back of our mind, we we don't think we're god. We just think everything depends on us. Because if I don't answer that email and if I don't finish that project and if I don't solve this problem, people are gonna be I mean, somebody might be disappointed. And every Sabbath, Mary kept the Sabbath every week. She was reminded that the universe has never depended on her. And when you and I take a Sabbath, we're reminded the universe has never depended on me. And it's not because resting is magical. I mean, if you're tired, take a nap. That'll help a little bit. It's because resting is trust. People who struggle with rest usually struggle with trust.”

80s

#TrustToStop

“Because when everything around us gets quiet, we begin to notice what we've been worshiping all week because there's remnants in our mind. And I think this is where Sabbath is so important for us because it's a question of do we trust god enough to stop? Because quietly in the back of our mind, we we don't think we're god. We just think everything depends on us. Because if I don't answer that email and if I don't finish that project and if I don't solve this problem, people are gonna be I mean, somebody might be disappointed. And every Sabbath, Mary kept the Sabbath every week. She was reminded that the universe has never depended on her. And when you and I take a Sabbath, we're reminded the universe has never depended on me. And it's not because resting is magical. I mean, if you're tired, take a nap. That'll help a little bit. It's because resting is trust. People who struggle with rest usually struggle with trust.”

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Different Worship | Get Used to Different

Devotional

Day 1: The Jar of Worship and the Echo of Value

Day 2: Sabbath as a Mirror for the Soul

Day 3: The Unfinished Work and the God Who Sustains

Day 4: The Receipts of Our Worship: Dollars and Hours

Day 5: From Obligation to Overflow: When Worship Becomes Natural

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Different Worship | Get Used to Different

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