The Dirty Jobs
April 1, 2008
Bible Reading: Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. ~ St. John 13:1-5
Bonus Reading: Philippians 2:4-7
On Maundy Thursday, I was honored by the Lord, along with Fr. Ed, to wash our parish leadership’s feet. The nave was silent, despite a full congregation, as the Holy Spirit moved powerfully and personally among us, when the clergy modeled the Lord, embracing the feet, while loving and serving each other in this ancient custom of the Church. As the water flowed, so did tears and love among us all. The Presence was palpable…hearts pounded to the message thundering in our spirits: Jesus gave us this example of love and service to one another, even if it means doing the dirty jobs.
Jesus underscored this truth when he stooped to wash the disciples’ feet. Foot-washing was customary then because people wore sandals or walked barefoot on filthy roads. Usually a host’s servants did the dirty chore, but Jesus saved this for Himself, forgetting He was a king, instead, taking the form of a bondservant… (Philippians 2:7). Interestingly, the disciples did nothing about the dirty feet, not even for themselves. Was it beneath them? It wasn’t beneath Jesus. He placed their needs above his own - even as he approached his darkest hour. Any of us would be consumed with the prospect of the coming Crucifixion, if we were in His place. Not Jesus. He loved us to the end.
What’s this mean to us?
- Forget about it - The life of a servant requires a kind of forgetfulness, the ability to forget our own needs or status to tend to someone else’s. “Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me” (Romans 15:2-3) Once we’ve done that, we can…
- Do what Jesus does - Take positive, unequivocal action, when you see a need. “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”(John 13:14) Get busy among God’s people - don’t just wait for someone else to do it. Strip off the outer coverings of pride, busyness, self - and get down to the job the Lord has for us. Ignore the anxieties and trust them to the Father - here is the task at hand. But, to do that, we need the Holy Ghost, so…let’s pray this…
Contemplative Prayer: “Holy Spirit, please show us where we need to serve - and how our service would change marriages, workplaces, schools, parish, households, and communities, if we began to serve each other before we considered our own needs.”
Think about it: “…all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. ~ 1 Peter 5:5
All love in the Beloved,
Chip+
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