caught between simon and the woman

So much has happened since my last entry - the basic summary being the CPI (church planting) conference in Hakone, the festival/concert at Ochanomizu church (in Tokyo), visiting the Nakano family and the preachers meeting. Perhaps I'll take a few days to reminisce about each aspect. But today I want share about the thought that continues to echo in my heart and mind daily since last Wednesday.
Josiah Bancroft, one of the main speakers at the conference, focused his morning lesson on Jesus' visit to Simon the Pharisee's house. I've sat through MANY sermons...some of them have even been very good. But do you ever have those times when Truth digs down deep into your heart and touches the core? I wiped tears away as God used this man to convey the message into a real experience, though I've read it several times.
He led us through a discussion group exercise where we compared Simon and the woman. He asked the question, "What should have been Simon's response to Jesus?" and also, "If you could choose to fill your church with one or the other, which would you choose - Simon? the woman?" Perhaps the greatest point, though, was that he shared the thought that many of us, at our conversion, identify with the woman but as we continue in our christian walk, we shift towards Simon. How very true.
I guess I find myself somewhere between Simon and the woman. It's disconcerting, and yet very real. While my feelings are still raw, I find myself drawn to read and re-read the story. I continue to contemplate various aspects of this story...so much so that I feel like I've written lots of words and said little in this entry.
Lord, help us as your people to be a repentant people. When you give us opportunities to see you, as you gave Simon when Jesus was with him, please remove the scales from our eyes and allow us to see you clearly. Help us, like the woman, to seek you with our whole hearts. Heal your church, Lord, and use us as conduits of your love.