Washing feets
So... is anyone going to be washing feet tonight? We had a rather nice discussion around Christmas - how 'bout Maundy Thursday?
I was posting on my blog about how much I like Maundy Thursday. I wondered what anyone else did on this night (I know you have nothing better to do this week than post comments). :)
I also wanted to share these pieces from McLaren's THE SECRET MESSAGE OF JESUS. I think they fit well on this day. On p.32:
"Jesus says again and again, [his] kingdom advances with neither violence nor bloodshed, with neither hatred nor revenge. It is not just another one of the kingdoms of this world. No, this kingdom advances slowly, quietly, under the surface - like yeast in dough, like a seed in soil. It advances with faith: when people believe it is true, it becomes true. And it advances with reconciling, forgiving love: when people love strangers and enemies, the kingdom gains ground."
"Violent revolutions, in this sense, aren't revolutionary. Noisy regime changes are utterly predictable - brought about by displays of power and hollow promises and indomitable wealth. In contrast, the message of Jesus may well be called the most revolutionary of all time..."
And on p.34 he ends the chapter with:
"Is it possible that the message of Jesus was less like an advertising slogan - obvious and loud - and more like a poem whose meaning only comes subtly and quietly to those who read slowly, think long and deeply, and refuse to give up?"
Wow... great chapter on a great day. Happy Maundy Thursday everyone.
posted by dan at 11:35 AM
5 Comments:
We will be washing one another's feet in obedience to Jesus' command.
Do you realize that what we do in worship around Christmas and what we do in worship Easter Sunday is not commanded by Jesus. Only what we do on Maundy Thursday is.
this year we observed the ordinances of feet washing and the Lord's Supper during the evening service of Palm Sunday. We are having a Good Friday service and inviting other churches of the area to join us. We will focus on the cross. After the service we will be showing The Passion.
Did Jesus command the apostles and us to perform a ritual of washing each others' feet, or was his command intended for us to serve each other in a spirit of humility?
We just concluded our Maundy Thursday service which included feetwashing and communion.
We had 29 people present. About 15 women participated in feetwashing while only 3 men participated - myself and our two elders.
Since I will complete my first year at the church at the end of June I am still learning the patterns.
What strikes me as interesting is the number of men present who don't participate.
One guy in particular is on my mind. He has been a Church of God person his entire life. He comes to everything we have at the church. But, often he lacks a humble spirit. For example, he claims that if he lived at the time of Jesus he would have NEVER thought like the Pharisees, NEVER would have doubted like Peter, and ALWAYS would have recognized who Jesus truly was.
Also, as we talk about changing some things in order to better reach the relevant needs of the community he hesitates and often supports his opinions by quoting "the Bible". When pressed for specific passages that don't exist (and most he thinks exist do not) he shrugs his shoulders and shuts up.
I'm still processing that the one guy who has been the biggest pain in my neck so far doesn't participate in feetwashing.
I'm not going to make too much of this, but there is a connection between his participation and the opinions he shares.
Jesus closely ties our beliefs to our actions. I am reminded of this as I reflect on our service.
Thursday evening we had about half the congregation gather for a dinner and ordinance service. Instead of moving from the fellowship hall to the sanctuary, we have stayed in the hall the last two years and shared the ordiances in that setting. It has been more intimate than before.
Like Brent, I sometimes look back and wonder why certain leaders (men) of our church do not participate in the act of feetwashing. Like Brent's friend, these men are long time CGGC folks.
But on the other side, it was touching once again to see a 15 year old boy knee in front of our 75 year old elder and wash his feet. It reminded me of one of my first MT services (back in Latrobe) where a 12 year old boy knelt before his elder (over 70) and then watch as Bill struggles to get to his knees so he can, in turn wash Matthew's feet.
And to respond to our anonymous friend, we are to do both - wash one another's feet and love each other in a heart of service and humility.
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