While good friday focuses on Jesus death, this is really the funeral, the intimage gathering of loved ones for the pursose of saying good by and tying up the loose ends. It is a comemoration of the milestones of having shared Jesus earthly life. When I do funerals, I try to put aspects of the individuals life into a larger perspective. At the grave side I usually shate a poem, song or story which I envite the family to hear as though they were their loved one's parting words of advise and encouragement to them. This is the form and meaning I see Jesus giving to this last supper so I want to plan a service, in our fellowship hall, based on that. What suggestions can you share with me? Manzel
Yes, this is a good by party. I'd like to focus not just on Jesus feelings in saying goodby or on the disciples feelings but on our present needs of saying goodby. Because we know easter is just around the corner it is easy to be in denial. Sociologists tell us that we are living in a post christian era. Polls by Gallop and George Barna & info from Lyle Schaller and others tell us that all the main line churches are dying and dying faster than we thought. Perhaps we have a need to have a funeral and say good by to the old, institutional form of Christianity. It may be healing for people acknowledge the pain, frustration, and grief in facing the death of what has been for us the body of christ but maybe that will alow us to focus on the living spirit of Christ even after the body is gone.
Manzel, why not Seder (with participation of practicing Jew(s)) and foot-washing? Jesus' message is so clearly captured in these two rituals today, even as it was the first time around. Kay
A story from a book called, I believe, "But your land is so Beautiful", a book about South Africa - A little church was having a Maundy Thursday Service - a black congregation - and they asked a prominent white lawyer known to be a God fearing man to take part in the service - as a gesture of Christian hope and reconciliation, he was invited to wash the feet of the black woman who had been nanny to his children for many years. The church was crowded that night - and the lawyer, as he bent to was the elderly black feet, thought of the countless times that she had washed and tickled and kissed the tiny feet of his children as she bathed them and cared for them - overwhelmed by the thought of the love she had given to his children through all the years, he bent, as he dried them, to kiss her feet just as she had done to his family in his home, and a murmur of approval ran through the crowd. In the days following, the story leaked out - and a judgeship for which the lawyer had been in line was swiftly conferred on someone else by the racist regime. The pastor of the church was devastated, and went by night to the area of town where the lawyer lived. When he was admitted to the lawyer's study, he began to express his deep distress, saying, if I had known what would be the result for you, I would never have asked you to come to my church. The lawyer smiled at him and said, think nothing of it - had I known, I would have been there anyways. Go home, and do not think of it again. The pastor returned to his congregation and reported the conversation to them. The decided to honour that act - and from that day to this, the church was no longer known by it's former designation - it is now called, "The Church of the Washing Of Feet".
Kristine.
Thank you, Kristine, for an absolutely marvelous, prophetic story!
This is still almost two weeks away, but I think I'm going to focus on the physical-ness of the way Jesus spends his last night with his friends. Eating, drinking (see 1 Corinthians 11), washing feet... all very physical things to do to and with people. We have made Christian faith so cerebral, so brain oriented, it's no wonder we have trouble serving/living it out.
We don't want to know Jesus, we certainly don't want to follow Jesus. We want to think about Jesus, and keep it/him safe.
That's the down-side. Hopefully I'll have an up-side by the time next Thursday arrives! :-)
Rick in Canada, eh?
Maundy Thursday / Holy Mandate / New Commandment / Love one another.
The task for us is to learn to 'receive' from each other before we give or do ministry - we must let someone wash our feet. One of the great illnesses in the church are those people who give all the time - they are usually addicted and hostile personalities - often we allow them to continue in their dysfunctional roles - they need to learn first to receive - this was Peter's lesson and it must be ours. Not only do our feet need washing, but our souls need healing through the death on the cross - how do we preach all of this?
Tom In (sunny) GA
Rick, I have a favorite saying from which you might spring. "The best of friends are mad around a table." If you want to get to know someone better then invite them into your home and break bread with them. It's true if you are having problems with someone invite them in to get to know them and they you. If you keep people at arms length then it is easy to abuse them verbally/physically. But if you are in their home, you get to know them and can make peace.
Jesus took this time of the Passover meal (an honored tradition and mandate) to give them one last shot of teaching. Ray Boltz's song Touching Him comes to mind - the woman annointing Jesus with the oil. I wonder if he took time with each one and either told them how important they were to him or said good bye? He certainly told them how important they were when he washed their feet. I performed a wedding ceremony for a young couple that were in the Church of God and of course footwashing is part of their tradition. I watched as the groom became the servant of his bride and washed her feet. We spiritualize this act by Jesus into something more than it was. I wonder if he had not already planned to wash their feet because HE LOVED THEM SO MUCH AND KNEW IT WOULD BE HIS LAST TIME TO SHOW JUST THEM. The cross shows the whole world, but washing their feet and eating with them spoke volumes. He bonded with the guys one last time. I'm glad he did. Sorry I went on so long. FW in IN
Rick, I saw my typo = that is "made" around a table, not mad. However that probaly happens also. FW in IN
Anybody interested in chatting on these lections, and on the demands of the rest of Holy Week - I'm thinking Wednesday night - 8:00 p.m. New York time [Daylight] - if you want to bounce some ideas, meet me there!
Kristine!
love does not seek to dominate or control, but to serve-here the master takes the place (or should I say form) of the servant-love does not seek to exclude by rank, but to include through service-when I tell my people about foot-washing, they act as if they are physically repulsed-I guess it seems too personal, too real-or maybe the ones I've asked have really ugly feet!(like mine)
You know, I have been involved in three Maundy Thursday services in which we tried foot washing. They were NOT well received because the people did not want to have their feet washed. Since I am a former English teacher, I see a great deal of symbolism in that - especially in light of the dialogue between Peter and Jesus - and wonder if that might not be part of the problem with the "old line churches." Are we afraid even to bare our feet to the Savior - if so - what does that say about baring our souls? Is it too much of a "bother" to allow Jesus to serve us? "Lord, I've got to take of my shoes, my socks . . . . my pretense at control, my vanity, my pride, my fear, ... my sin." Rambling again, y'all - Rev. Rick - on an absolutely beautiful day in Sunny Ga. (I'd love to be about twenty miles "outside" with two over the transom and two on the riggers and basking in the ocean sun right now - God, can I be a fisher of fish for a while again?)
Rev. Rick -- Yes, "bare-ing one's soles" is truly "baring ones soul". I took a course in college lo, these many years ago by the Southern American author Andrew Lytle. He gave a lecture on the image of feet in literature. When feet are mentioned it is usually a way of pointing out something very significant. They are truly a badge of our humanity. You can't hide 'em (remember those old comedies with someone trying to hide behind the curtains and their big feet stick out into the room giving them away?), they often "trip us up", they are awkward and not real attractive and are usually the first to hurt when we abuse our bodies. Remember the phrases "barefoot and pregnant" and "all God's children have shoes"? Feet make the body vulnerable -- if they are not provided with the proper protection the whole body can be imprisioned unjustly.
Shortly after my arrival here at my new parish we did a "tour" of the glorious stained glass windows. We noticed that the only image where one could not see the feet was on the window of the Ascension. The parishoners noted that Jesus still carried the scars of the crucifixion -- but that now he was ascending to heaven he was no longer mortal.
Helpful? Preacherlady
Insightful Friends-- I write a bit of music and poetry. The following is a song I wrote a few years ago for Maundy Thursday.
Thursday Night by Steve Beckham
After your feet have been washed and the perfect meal's been served and all has been said that needs saying, will you be staying? Thursdays are so busy. There's still so much we must get through. But tomorrow will be worse, so may your Host make one request of you? Will you stay with me for just awhile? Please, pray with me for just awhile. A little while.
I know a little garden up on a hillside, set apart, where we can share all our troubles, heart to heart. I know, it's late, you're tired. Frankly, so am I, but tonight I need your moral support for tomorrow there's a harder hill to climb. So will you stay with me for just awhile? Please, pray with me for just awhile. A little while.
After your feet have been washed and the perfect meal's been served and all has been said that needs saying, will you be staying? Will you be praying with me for just a little while?
Blessings, Steve in Orange (CA)
This passage is such a challenge and such a blessing! For me, the discomfort comes from the intimacy of it, as well as our reminder to be willing to be humble, to be vulnerable, to serve each other, and the importance of servant leadership. This so violates our culture's model of what leadership looks like, and pits us directly against the expectations of the world, but also the expectations in our congregations. Steve of Orange, special thanks to you for sharing with us that beautiful song that you wrote for Holy Week. Blessings to all of you this week! Dot
Friends,We have done a hand washing the last few years that seems work to some degree.I like it because it's a mundane task; it's intimate; it provides a service for another person. Larry in cny
For our second year we are doing a footwashing for the "disciples"--12 volunteers from the congregation. This will include some women and young people. The congregation will be witnesses. That seems to work fairly well. That, with poignant commentary including some of the above sharing will be quite powerful, I think.
Steve in CA-- What a wonderful song! How did you do it? With guitar? Is the music available? Would you share it? Please e-mail me at dwumc@jdv.net
Thanks!
Thank you Steve in Orange and Kristine -- what wonderful illustrations -- as is my custom, I am going to deomonstrate the footwashing with the children -- I will wash their feet in front of the congregation this Thursday and will then speak about it with the adults -- this is my first parish and my first year in the parish as an ordained pastor. I will do the footwashing next year for everyone and see how it is received after this year's experience. I think sometimes when we look in on something that children do we are able to take part in it in our hearts and we yearn to be young again -- with no preconceived ideas about what is expected. Jesus asked his disciples to look at things differently on that night of nights -- he even addressed them as children. Not in a condescending way but in a loving, longing way for them to reclaim their innocence and attempt to take on the world through that inspiration of abandonment and without second guessing everything that they do -- not caring what others thing but experiencing God in a powerfully simple way.
I am also going to invite folks up for communion in groups of 12 around a table that I will have set with a lace cloth, etc. I will recite the words of institution and have them take from the table their own elements. I think this will hint at the intimacy that the footwashing will give to the children.
Hope this adds to your journey. Lori in Luckey
Thanks to you all ... "Holy Week Happens" is how I'm feeling at the moment -- but I particularly liked the bare-in soles/baring souls insight. I'm also facintated by the profoundly sacramental nature of Maundy Thursday liturgy. In my tradition (Episcopal) we hold as the two primary sacraments baptism and eucharist, "the two things Jesus specifically told us to do." I am struck this year with 13:14-15 of this text, and imagine our Lord saying "what part of go and do this didn't you understand?" How easy it is to skip the hard parts, the servant parts, the bare parts. How different would the church have been ...how different could the church be ... if we truly held our servanthood as sacrament. Easter blessings to you all ... and hoping that Rev Rick gets some fishing in, down there in sunny GA! Susan in San Pedro
Yes, Susan, and "going and doing" depends upon the feet (metaphorically) "doing their thing", doesn't it?
Preacherlady
Yes, Susan, and "going and doing" depends upon the feet (metaphorically) "doing their thing", doesn't it?
Preacherlady
Lori in Luckey, i think your church is so lucky to have you. i really appreciate your comments and creativity. i never would have guessed you were in your 1st pastorate. thank you for sharing. I love to have my feet massaged! but very few people would agree to do it - either a professional (i guess they would) or some one who loves me very much. - rachel
Here's some good stuff for you: from Edward Hays, The Ascent of the Mountain of God; "In his book Forgotten Among the Lilies, the Canadian Oblate Ronald Rollheiser said this about the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist: "The truly important consecration that takes place is the consecration of the people that are there." This belief was expressed long ago by St. Augustine. When he distributed Holy Communion, he would often say, "Receive what you are." Similarly, after his reception of Holy Communion, a friend of mine sits in his pew quietly repeating to himself as the rest of the communicants pass by: "The body of Christ...the body of Christ...the body of Christ...." On this Holy Thursday, just like the first disciples, we struggle with the powerful implications of keeping the memory. There's a point in our reflection when we must grapple with the question: Do we wish to be consecrated into the body of Christ? That question is never asked of the bread used for the Mass or Lord's Supper: "Would you like to be consecrated?" Imagine if the bread responded, "No. No, thank you. You see, I'm just ordinary daily bread, I'm only good for sandwiches! Besides, I wouldn't want to become the body of Christ - it might hurt!" At each liturgy of the Holy Eucharist, each of us is personally asked, "Do you wish to be consecrated?" Unlike the blessed bread, we can refuse, saying, "No! I want to go to Communion, not become Communion!"
I have a rather long winded sermon title, but it might be intriquing: The Search for the Holy Grail Stops at the Wash Basin. Will tie in the above with the ancient Arthurian search for the Holy Grail. The search will lead us to unexpected places. -Jon in CA
Date: 11 Apr 2000
Time: 15:40:07
Friends, I found this article in teh Religious News Service from Crosswalk.com and saved it as a great illustration for footwashing. I'm excited about emphasising footwashing this Thurs.--liked the idea about just doing for children to 'warm' people up to the idea. Hope this helps you, too! Rebecca in MD, USA
Christians wash the feet of homeless people in Atlanta. The foot washing goes on all night every Wednesday between November and March, the five months the Central Night Shelter Operates, Cox News Service said. Volunteers fill basins with warm water, detergent, and disinfectant, and lay out towels, washcloths, toenail clippers, and rubber latex gloves. Feet are inspected, nails are trimmed, fungicide applied, and VapoRub massaged in. Then the homeless people get new pairs of white cotton socks. ...The foot-washing ministry was begun in the 1980s by Dr. Robin Line, who was inspired by the biblical passage describing Jesus washing the feet of His disciples before the Last Supper. It doesn't solve many of the homeless people's problems, but it makes them feel better, those who run the ministry say. ..."It's hard not to get to know a guy when his feet are in your lap," volunteer Neil Satterfield said. He said he was chatting with one man who began crying. The man said, "I am just so grateful to have someone to talk to," Satterfield said.
Date: 13 Apr 2000
Time: 01:51:06
We have done foot washing in our congregation on and off for many years. Last year the worship committee decided to try hand washing instead, since many people were still uncomfortable with foot washing. I prefer the vulnerability of foot washing, and feel that hand washing is a bit of a cop out. However, they argued that we don't wash our feet before we eat in this culture. We do wash our hands. The hand washing was very interesting. Many people had a hard time remaining passive and allowing someone else to do it. It is such a reflex to wash our own hands that it is difficult NOT to do it ones self. That in itself is a growing experience. But I still would like to get back to foot washing. New question: Tom in GA, can you say more about addicted, hostile personalities who have trouble receiving? Thank you everybody for being out there and taking the time to share your ideas. DG in NYC
Date: 14 Apr 2000
Time: 19:50:35
Thank you Kristine, and others, for the wonderful modern day illustrations of foot washing.
Does anyone else see a link between Jesus washing the feet of the disciples in Chapter 13, and Mary annointing Jesus feet and drying them with her hair in Chapter 12? Both acts of love, both times they got grumbling from the disciples. Or am I stretching things too much?
MN
Date: 15 Apr 2000
Time: 22:42:39
Kristine's story about the white South African Lawyer and the Black congregation is by Alan Paton who wrote "Cry the Beloved Country." We did foot washing at Patchwork Central in Evansville, IN. It is very intimate act and people in our culture subsitute sex for intimacy. No wonder people are resistant to doing foot washing. People who regularly do foot washing often restrict it to same gender people because of the sexual overtones. Sue in Cuba
Date: 17 Apr 2000
Time: 14:29:53
To MN, I don't think John (whoever he was) included anything in his Gospel unintentionally, and he is so highly symbolic that there MUST be a connection between the anointing of Jesus' feet in 12 and his washing the disciples' feet in 13. Darned if I know what it is, of course, but I think it's real! Let's think about this. Any ideas, anyone?
To Kristine and Sue in Cuba, The story of the attorney in South Africa is powerful. Now that we've established where the story came from, is it fictional or historical? Not that I want to quibble with whether it really happened. It did, in some way, in some place, but maybe just not the way that Paton wrote it. My only concern is I don't want to quote the story as fact and then find out it's "fiction,"...event tho it's true in any case!
Tom in Indiana
Date: 17 Apr 2000
Time: 14:43:33
Rebecca in MD, Thanks for your account of the footwashing at the shelter in Atlanta. Along with the South African story, I've just about got my homily written! I hope I don't get to wordy and have to choose between the two stories!
Just one other thing, as people are sharing their "customs" of footwashing. I'm the pastor of a Catholic parish in Indiana. We do have some resistance to foot washing, but I too opt for feet over hands. The very resistance (just as with Peter, perhaps for different reasons) is itself a good reason to keep doing feet, notwithstanding the positive experiences people have with hands, and their rationales for doing so. Just my opinion.
In our parish, for several years now, I invite people to come forward at will, remove their shoes and socks, and let me wash their feet. Then I escort them to another chair, where others come forward to have their feet washed. After each person's feet are washed, that person washes the feet of the next in line. I usually get about 3 or 4 lines operating. Not everyone does it, but it's still powerful, both for participants and witnesses. In the past, I've done some pre-recruiting of "ringers," who come forward at the beginning to get the pump primed, so to speak, but this year I'm going on faith...and the fact that I didn't have time to make phone calls ahead! (Maybe we'll only have one line of people!)
Have to relate a funny story: We always try to remind the women not to wear panty hose...try putting that in your bulletin...for obvious reasons. One year, one of the women in the parish had on hose and when I went to wash her feet it was the opposite of Jesus and Peter: "Are you sure you want me to wash your feet? You have on hose!" (The Master of the Obvious!) She responded that it didn't matter. She wanted so much to have her feet washed that she was willing to squish when she walked for the next hour or so.
Bottom line: If a bunch of middle-class, fairly conservative Catholics in Indiana can do this, with the occasional example like this one, maybe there's hope for everyone ! ;)
Tom in Indiana
Date: 17 Apr 2000
Time: 16:01:37
Raymond Brown for one in the Anchor commentary on John connects the washing of feet by Jesus and anointing of his feet by Mary in the 12th chapter. Both are symbolic acts that beforehand point to his death. The foot-washing acts out the humiliation (cf Phil. 2) and the anointing prefigures the burial. BAJ
Date: 17 Apr 2000
Time: 19:01:32
I was recently listening to a tape by John Maxwell. He contrasts the two basins talked about in the gospels--Basin theology. The basin Jesus uses denotes servant leadership; he was able to serve because he was secure in his calling and could put others first. The basin Pilate uses puts his own interests firsts and he washes his hands of the responsiblity of causing political fallout.
Since we aren't doing a foot washing, I'm going to try to work this into homily into something around servanthood. Perhaps we'll serve each other during communion.
Just thoughts, Zack in Atlanta
Date: 17 Apr 2000
Time: 20:15:32
Question:
Those of who have been practicing the ritual of footwashing on Holy/Maundy Thursday, have you noticed MORE willingness on the part of the participants to be involved with works of mercy and compassion within the community - or is this ritual confined to the inside of the church, something not to be taken out into the streets?
tom in ga
Date: 17 Apr 2000
Time: 23:02:05
Sorry my dear friends for the lateness in sharing this idea (far fetched), but could there be a relationship between the washing of the feet in a attitude of servanthood with also having "Holy Ground" in the presence of Christ (as Moses with the bush)? Am I too far stretched? Just some late thoughts as I'm writing my homily. And thank you for the wonderful stories. Latino in Wyoming
Date: 18 Apr 2000
Time: 04:54:38
The barracks had been abandoned, abandoned to the refuse of conflict, abandoned to those whom did not exist. Yet, they did exist, there in front of us, a few children playing in the gravel road, and then scampering out of our way as we slowly drove in, tires crunching on the loose, dusty rock. Several ran quickly back to the large, dirty structure, a squat boxy place that provided a roof no doubt, but in all of it's dismal plainess, stole even the color from the few wild flowers surrounding the dreary building, trying to push drooping petals up from the cold March ground. "Lord," I thought, as I looked at the brown grimy walls, the broken windows, and the large rotten pieces of siding which lay beside the building, decaying where they had fallen. "Lord, a person would lose their soul in this awful place," which, of course, was the reality of the many who lived here. Still, it was a preferable reality to the horror of sure death they had left behind. "Lord."
As we departed the vehicle, a few men, violated and beaten, made their way out to greet us, slowly walking as if hobbled by age. Their ancient middle-aged frames were seemingly bent with the weight of an unspoken violence. Reaching us, they pressed their hands into ours, gripping, surprisingly warm, not at all the cold touch which I expected from these walking corpses. Flesh on flesh, the energy of being flowing from one to the other, giving and taking the essence of self. And in their touch - life.
We followed them as we climbed the narrow stairs up to the second floor apartments, rooms built to house one or two soldiers, now housing a family … or two … or three. I could feel the narrowness of the hallway pressing in on me as I stepped around bags of flour which had been delivered only a few short days before. "Such a few bags for the many hungry mouths, but they weren't starving, at least not from lack of food." As we passed door after door, unmistakable sounds of living came from within those cramped rooms. So many lives unfolding behind those soiled doors, so many shattered lives.
At the end of the dim passage way, one of the doors swung open and a large grizzled face smiled from beyond the shadows, eyes sparkling under bushy eyebrows, his smile made ever brighter by the great black beard surrounding it. His fleshy palms slapped my back as we embraced. "Ahhh, it is good to have guests," he exclaimed in clipped and broken English. "It is very good to have guests." And as we all squeezed into the tiny room, sitting on beds, settling into the two small wooden chairs, and situating ourselves on the gritty floor, his story began to unfold.
He had been a machinist before the bad times, before the soldiers came. He escaped just ahead of the burning and slashing and raping and killing. We listened intently as he told of his flight with his wife and children, as he told of the screaming shells and the deadly snipers. It was an amazing tale, an awful, amazing tale. They were the fortunate ones, he explained. He had now been here, in this wretched place, for quite some time. In the beginning, he thought he would settle in this country, but a new government had been elected and promises, once made, were now broken. "We will go somewhere else," he concluded. "We will go somewhere else."
As we sat in silence, trying to make some sense of the confusion, trying to understand our place in this fathomless nightmare, his wife moved slowly about us, serving us steaming Bosnian coffee and small, brown cakes - cakes baked with flour they could scarcely afford to share. One of our group strummed a guitar, brought that at least we might offer the gift of music. And as he played a song of God's Kingdom, someone began to sing. Just one voice at first, then another voice, and then another. And as the voices lifted, louder and louder, entwined, blending together, I realized that it was not just English which I heard. Joining our voices was the language of these broken ones. Growing stronger with each note, their voices washed over us, bathing us in hope and promise and joy, soaring beyond the confines of the room, washing away that which could never be made clean, washing away the dirt and the pain and the death. Out of the basin of their brokeness, their voices splashed about us, bathing us in love, making us one.
By this, they … you … all will know. By this.
And it was so beautiful. It was so impossibly beautiful.
Shalom my friends,
Nail-Bender in NC
Date: 18 Apr 2000
Time: 17:39:15
Thanks so much to Tom in GA, who helped me to see that the emphasis of the ceremonial foot washing in on Peter, not on Jesus. All these years, I have thought what a magnanimous act it was on the part of Jesus, the Christ, to wash the feet of his follower. That is still most certainly true. However, I don't believe I've ever thought about through the eyes of Peter, who needed to receive such action with humility far more than Jesus needed to perform it. Now, just how all this will preach is yet to be seen, but, at least I know where I'm heading! Thanks to all!
Jim