Beyond Sunday - What's next?

When my brothers started their ministries as pastors in WI, NY, and GA my dad got all of us boys the painting above.  And he preached a sermon to each of us that now sits above the fire place in our home.  I'll admit sometimes I forget about this painting; it kind of just blends into the wall.  But when John 13 is one of the readings, then it always pops off the wall for me again. It still preaches a sermon to me as I remember the words of John about what Jesus did for us that night.  It was a huge deal!

Jesus washes me.  Jesus washes you.  He got down on his hands and knees; he humbled himself and became a human being to make us clean and to bring us to God.  Jesus did everything that was needed to bring us home to our Father in heaven, the only place where we belong. This is a big deal! Jesus washes my feet.

And now he teaches us to do the same for each other. Jesus teaches us to love each other and served each other as Jesus loved and served us. This is a big deal.

Here are two questions for you today:

1) Who can I serve?  By God's grace and God's calling, through faith in Jesus, you are the hands, the feet, even the mouth of God in the world.  You are the hands of Jesus washing feet.  You are the mouth of Jesus proclaiming peace to the world.  Who can you serve? Whose feet can you wash?

2) How do you need to be served? Let someone do it.  I've hear this more and more lately.  "I am always glad to help other people, but have a really hard time letting other people help me."  I feel that way too.  I want to feel and even be self-sufficient; I want to get 'er done on my own.  And when someone has to serve me and help me, that's a jab at my ego.  But we can't do it alone.  We need the help.

That's why it's called grace.  We couldn't save ourselves, so God did it for us.  We could cleanse ourselves, so Jesus had to wash us.  We couldn't change our minds and choose Jesus, he had to choose us. That's why it's called grace.  God did everything - and I mean everything - to save us.

Peter didn't want Jesus to wash his feet.  But what Jesus doing? He was showing Peter grace and doing something that Peter need to have done.  It's just as much grace when other people help us.  God is working through them to help us, support us, strengthen us.  I don't really want someone else to wash my feet, but my feet get dirty and my feet need to be washed.  We need other people, other Christians to serve and help us as Jesus served.

Jesus keep you as you serve other people in his name!