Play Now on Spotify! Alabaster Box – Cece Winans

Welcome to a new segment on the blog: Worship Wednesday! Each week, I’ll highlight a worship song that has impacted me and explore how it can deepen our faith and transform our lives. Worship is more than just music—it’s a powerful connection to God that helps us surrender, reflect, and grow spiritually. This week, we’re looking at a song that has profoundly moved me: CeCe Winans’ “Alabaster Box.”

Some of you who know me probably know that I didn’t grow up in a particularly religious home. I’ve shared before how my wife was pivotal in bringing me to a relationship with God, but what really changed my heart—what broke down the walls and made my faith real—was worship music. It was through music that I found the emotional connection I needed to fully surrender to Christ. Worship music was the vehicle God used to get through to me, and to this day, it remains the most powerful way I connect with Him.

When a person writes a song, they pour a little bit of themselves into it. And when it’s worship music, it also carries a piece of the Holy Spirit. That’s why worship music moves me in ways nothing else can. I can study the Word, read theological books, listen to podcasts, and watch sermons, and while all of that builds my understanding, it’s worship that connects my soul to God. It’s what makes me feel it.

One song that has profoundly impacted me is CeCe Winans’ “Alabaster Box.” If you’ve never heard it, stop reading, click the link above, go listen to it, and then come back—I’ll wait.

Alright, now that we’re on the same page, let’s talk about it. The song is based on Luke 7:36-50, where a sinful woman, broken and unworthy by the world’s standards, walks into a Pharisee’s house and pours out expensive perfume onto Jesus’ feet, washing them with her tears and drying them with her hair. She holds nothing back. This perfume was likely the most valuable thing she owned—her security, her future—but she willingly sacrificed it as an act of worship, because Jesus was worth more.

“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.” (Luke 7:36-38, ESV)

“Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‘Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.’” (Luke 7:44-47, ESV)

This passage is one of the most powerful demonstrations of love and surrender in the Bible. The woman, likely known in the town for her sins, did not let shame keep her from approaching Jesus. Despite the judgmental stares and whispers of those around her, she knelt at His feet, pouring out her heart in brokenness and gratitude. Her act of worship was extravagant, uninhibited, and deeply personal. Jesus’ response was not one of condemnation but of grace—He saw her heart, her faith, and He forgave her. This shows us that true worship is not about appearances or status but about a sincere, sacrificial offering of ourselves to God.

It’s this kind of worship—raw, unfiltered, and deeply personal—that Alabaster Box captures so well. The lyrics of the song express the idea that no one else can truly understand the depth of another’s gratitude for what God has done in their life:

“You weren’t there the night He found me, You did not feel what I felt, When He wrapped His loving arms around me, And you don’t know the cost of the oil, In my alabaster box.”

That right there? That’s why worship is so powerful. No one knows your story like you do. No one knows what you’ve been through, what you’ve suffered, what you’ve had to let go of. Only you know what it cost to surrender to Jesus. And that’s why true worship is so personal. It’s not about putting on a show, not about singing because it’s what we’re “supposed to do” in church—it’s about pouring out our hearts because we know what He’s done for us.

The Bible repeatedly emphasizes the value of wholehearted worship and sacrifice. Romans 12:1 tells us: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” True worship isn’t just about singing songs; it’s about living a life that is fully surrendered to Him.

I find that in difficult seasons, nothing helps me through like worship. Not just listening on Spotify or the radio, but standing in the midst of a room full of people, all lifting their voices together in praise. There’s something about that unity, that collective surrender, that makes it feel like a direct phone call to God. Worship music has the power to break chains, to lift burdens, to bring peace in the middle of chaos. Psalm 34:18 reminds us: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Worship invites God’s presence into those broken places.

And if worship music has that kind of effect on my soul, I have to ask—what effect does secular music have? I realized a long time ago that I couldn’t afford to fill my mind and heart with things that pulled me away from God. So I choose worship. I choose to fill my alabaster box with the things that bring me closer to Jesus.

Conclusion

So, what’s in your alabaster box? What have you poured out before God? And if you haven’t yet, what’s holding you back? True worship isn’t about looking perfect or knowing all the words—it’s about surrendering everything to Jesus, because He is worthy.

Now, consider this: what is the most valuable or precious thing you own? Maybe it’s something material, like a prized possession, or maybe it’s something deeper—your time, your ambitions, your comfort. Would you be willing to lay it at Jesus’ feet as an act of worship? Could you pour it out before Him, holding nothing back? That’s the challenge I’m wrestling with, because I know I’m not there yet. But I want to be.

Prayer

Father, You are worthy of our greatest love and devotion. Just as the woman poured out her most valuable possession at Your feet, help us to surrender what we hold most dear. Strip away our pride, our fears, and our reservations so that we may worship You fully, without hesitation. Teach us to trust You with everything, to lay down our own will in exchange for Yours. We long to bring You an offering that is pleasing, an alabaster box poured out in gratitude. Shape our hearts to worship You in spirit and in truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Call to Action

If this post resonated with you, take some time today to worship. Put on your favorite worship song, get alone with God, and just pour it all out. And if you haven’t heard “Alabaster Box” yet, go listen to it. Let it remind you of the cost of your surrender—and the infinite worth of Jesus.