by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
At the Last Supper, we read of Jesus washing the feet of the Apostles in John 13. It is hard for us to imagine that a Guest of Honor, or the head of any Corporate Group would be allowed to take on such a role. The menial task of washing the dust off the feet of those who were there because of Jesus, is beyond any social standard the world has ever seen. But, the act has two purposes: it cleansed the dirt of the street off before tracking it into a house, and secondly, it refreshed the guest coming in. It protects the house from outside defilement, and it refreshed those who are now in fellowship with one another inside the house.
Oddly enough, we do this with our own homes: A door mat is usually provided to clean off our feet at the door, and a refreshment is almost always offered. In the case of Jesus, the honored guest became the host. The Exalted One took on the role of the servant, and left us that example to follow.
On Sunday mornings, the church has usually been swept, the shelving dusted, the rugs vacuumed, and the bathrooms scrubbed,. The coffee has been made, and usually home-made baked goods are brought in. The music has been chosen and practiced. The lyrics and the bulletins have been printed, and someone else has folded them ahead of time for you. And on Communion days, someone has broken the matzos into bite-size pieces, and poured the wine into dozens of tiny cups for you. The mail has been picked up, the lights are on, and the heat is up to a comfortable level.
As a congregation, we are blessed to have many servants who perform all these tasks regularly, and they receive the blessings of fellowship while doing them. Yesterday, as we resumed our bi-monthly workdays after the holidays, we were blessed to have nine people come in to take on these tasks, and two were not even from this congregation! Much was accomplished shoulder-to-shoulder, and the lunch meal was shared around a true table of fellowship.
Among the Twelve Apostles, no one even thought to serve Jesus, or each other; Jesus willingly took on the role, AFTER the supper; He saw a “teachable moment.” Just as you have been welcomed into the House of the Lord this morning, think of ways that the Lord can use you to welcome others, and the serve them every day, all during the week. Freely we have received; freely we give.
“For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.” ~ John 13:15 ~
