Preached at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Albany MN.
Have a blessed Easter!
+I+N+I+
Have you watched Downtown Abby? It is this British soap opera set in early 20th Century England. It centers on the Earl of Grantham and his family – the Crawly family - and the servants who make their life possible. It is a HUGE hit for PBS.
If you watch the show you will have noticed how careful distinction exist between who serves whom. And it is not just “upstairs.” For instance, different ranks of servants are addressed in different ways. Senior staff by their last name – Carson, the butler or Bates, His Lordships valet. The Cook is Mrs. Patmore (although she has never married all cooks and housekeepers are addressed as “Mrs.) but the Assistant Cook is Daisy.
One of the supporting characters is Joseph Molesley. He was valet to Matthew Crawly, the heir who died tragically. He had a hard time getting established with an equivalent position and comes back = this time as a footman, several steps down the ladder. But what should he be called? As a footman he would be addressed as Joseph, but the “family upstairs” address him as they did when he as Valet, as Molesley. Carson, the butler, is not amused.
So I have sympathy for Peter in this moment. His moving target of a response tells of us of his confusion. Where to put the emphasis?
YOU shall not wash my feet.
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This may be the hardest thing Jesus ever told us to do!
It is not hard to THINK about. It is hard to DO!
To love each other as Jesus loves us is to ignore the barriers that exist between us. It takes us out of our comfort zone. It requires us to back our words of love with loving actions.
And I don’t think it is really any easier to accept that kind of love. I think that is the other source of Peter’s reluctance.
To be served in such an intimate way requires some distance. That is why, for instance, doctors don’t want to take care of their own loved ones. It changes the relationship.
I don’t know what was in Peter’s heart – but I know what is in my heart and the heart of those around me. We believe – really believe it as a matter of identity – that we need to be self-sufficient, self-secure & self-made.
But what if someone comes to us and says –
Can I help you? You need help!Can I serve you? You need to be served!Can I heal you, comfort you, forgive you…?
We might be uncomfortable, confused, put off, even angry.
This is why Jesus asked us not to THINK about loving each other but to engage in the physical action of doing it. Love is a behavior. Like any behavior it takes practice.
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Tonight we are
going to have the opportunity to take Jesus at his word and see what happens.We had thought
about having basins of water all over the place and invite everyone to come and
wash feet. But that might have taken a while and been a bit messy. It would
have been a big step.
So, we are going to try something smaller. Member how I explained to the children that, in addition to washing you feet the slave would have massaged healing ointment into your feet.
So, today we are all going to give each other hand massages. You’ll find non-scented hand lotion here and there in the pews. We’ll need to work together so that no one gets left out…
Don’t be scared. It will be fine…
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Following this, the closing…
Jesus called that a “New Commandment.” But the Commandment to Love God and Love Neighbor is not a new command – Jesus was just quoting the scriptures.
That makes this commandment NEW is who it is who gives it, and where we are all at when we hear it, and what is going to happen now.
Jesus will go and show us just what REAL love is; what it looks like; how far it will go.
He will get up and go to the cross, freely offering himself that the World might live.
+AMEN+
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