The Power of Service
Maundy Thursday Sermon 2024 | Gigi Miller Deacon Intern
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[00:00:00] We welcome to the pulpit, Gigi Miller, who is our deacon intern. Gig, thank you for preaching this evening.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Please have a seat.
So I have a confession to make. I like a good instruction manual. Okay, it's not much of a confession. And maybe it's just because I've been a technical writer for many years.
But I really appreciate a clear, short, step by step guide to anything, really. Recipes, LEGO instructions, [00:01:00] GPS directions, even IKEA guides. If I can complete each step, then I'll get to the finished product. It may not be perfect or look like the picture, but it'll be done. Much as I love them, though, directions can be a little confusing.
I remember I was with a group of friends trying to make a thousand origami cranes, kind of like the ones in the back there, as a healing blessing. Everyone else seemed to catch on quickly and produce lovely flying cranes. I followed the written directions provided, and mine look like dumpy little pigeons.
Finally, a very patient person took my hands in hers and showed me how to make each fold. I got it! We know folks have different ways of learning. Sometimes directions don't work. Sometimes we need an [00:02:00] example. Tonight's readings remind me of these different learning styles. Exodus gives us God's instructions to Moses for helping the Israelites save themselves from the final Egyptian plague and prepare for their ultimate escape from slavery.
Let's see, it says, oops, I don't have it right there. There it is. Um, let's see, the reading says, "Take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one." You can almost see God making a numbered list with sub bullets and notes.
But in 1 Corinthians, we read quotes from the Gospels in which Jesus shows his friends how they are to remember him by [00:03:00] sharing the bread and the wine. Then we get to John's Gospel, which tells the story of Jesus last meal that we honor tonight. Here we are not on the first evening of Passover, but the night before Passover begins.
Jesus has been traveling through Galilee and the surrounding areas, teaching his disciples and the people they meet about how God wants them to live and what kind of sacrifice he will become. He teaches in parables, in cryptic comments after healings, in explicit warnings and words. And yet, they still don't get it.
I picture Jesus at the table with his friends chatting around him, discussing the news of the day, how they'll prepare for the Passover, the latest outrages from the Roman authorities, maybe some intel about the Pharisees, [00:04:00] regular first century table talk stuff. And Jesus knowing, as John says, that his hour had come and that he was soon to depart from the world, becoming increasingly frustrated with his trivial chatter.
They just don't understand, he thinks. I have to try something else. Finally, in the middle of dinner, Jesus gets an idea. He pushes his chair back and grabs a towel, a bowl from the table, and a pitcher from a nearby table. He pours some water in a bowl and starts washing his friend's feet. The end. Including those he knew would betray him.
Think about how strange this must have been for Jesus followers. In their rigidly hierarchical world, a world in which Jews like them were at the very margins of the Roman Empire, foot washing was an [00:05:00] act of hospitality and hygiene performed by the host's slave at the beginning of a visit, not in the middle of a meal.
So we can relate to Peter's confusion. Are you going to wash my feet? Jesus confirms that, yes, that's exactly what he's going to do. When Peter protests that he'd never let Jesus, his Lord and teacher, stoop so low as to do that menial task, Jesus, like any good teacher, basically says, "Hold that thought. Let me finish the lesson and we'll talk."
Jesus brings his teaching example to a close by telling his friends this is the kind of service they need to do for each other. Not specifically foot washing, but being present to each other's needs and caring for one another. It's through love and service that others will know that they [00:06:00] and we are walking the way of Christ and binding up the wounds of this hurting world.
I think there's an additional lesson Jesus wants us to learn, though. After all, foot washing is a two way action. I don't just wash someone's feet, I first allow someone to wash mine. In our culture, sometimes it's easier to do the foot washing, the serving, than it is to accept the service. Our society applauds the rugged individuals who can do things for themselves, who can pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and start over.
The "you've got this" mentality. I know I'm more comfortable pitching in and doing what needs to be done than I am being vulnerable enough to say, "I'm having trouble. I need help." It feels weak, but that's just what Jesus [00:07:00] wants us to remember. We are weak. We're all in need of love, God's love and the love of community.
In my time here at St. Peter's, I've seen you all serving and being transparent enough to be served. At the Wednesday morning healing service, a group that includes folks who just received a meal at Helping Hands, share their needs, and lay healing hands on each other. And through all your recent losses, you give and receive comfort as you grieve for those you love but see no more.
By admitting our own vulnerability, we can understand and have compassion for the vulnerability of each other. And we can allow God to enter that tender space and heal us all. As we come forward for foot washing, [00:08:00] let's remember that before Jesus gently took Peter's feet in his hands, his own were anointed by the tears and perfume of those who loved him.
It was only after Jesus received the grace and loving care and allowed God to minister to him through others that he shared this example of loving service with us. This prayer from the Cornelia community of Ireland can help us pick up the towel and basin.
"Jesus, you wash the feet of your friends with your hands. We do not know what to do with this kind of love or this kind of power. So we repeat it once each year. May we repeat it more often. Every month, every day, every hour, and every encounter. Because this is how you chose to share love and power with your friends." [00:09:00] Amen.
