Our Feet & Holy Week
FROM THE DESK OF IELA GALIANO-WILLIAMS
I think it is safe to say that a theme of Holy Week is Jesus doing the unexpected…not only does Jesus humble himself by riding in on a donkey, but later, at the last supper he shared with his disciples before his death, he washes their feet…
This was far from being an unexpected event at a dinner. It was a common sign of hospitality to wash the feet of your guests as the roads walked were dusty & sandals were the shoe of choice. Yet, it was always a servant, or even slave, of the household that performed the task. The lowest socially ranked person in the room was meant to touch the guests dirty feet, certainly not the host, & definitely not a guest of honor. Yet, Jesus had a way of flipping the script & sure enough, he paused during the evening meal to take on the foot washing task for his disciples.
Two points come to mind as I ponder this significant moment marked in history.
Firstly, we do not need to prewash our feet for Jesus.
Secondly, which of our neighbors' “feet” would we really rather not wash?
Let’s start with the first one….have you ever participated in a foot washing service? It can be a really moving experience, yet it can also cause a lot of us to suddenly “become busy” that night & skip that particular church event…because the reality is, we all have parts of ourselves we would rather not put on display.
It is a vulnerable thing to show someone our dirty, stinky feet. We shun those folks who dare take their shoes off on the airplane. When cold weather turns to warm, it sure takes me a minute to get comfortable wearing open toed shoes again & you better believe I am going to make sure my toenails are painted a nice color!
It is a sign of true comfort when we can get home, take our shoes off, & rest.
We work very hard at making ourselves “presentable” to the world. Whether physically, emotionally, mentally, behaviorally, or all of the above! We walk into a room & show our loving side, our happy side, our hospitable side, our optimistic side. We certainly do not try to lead with our angry side, our irritable side, our addictive side, our selfish side. We wait until we feel really safe with someone to let all of our “ugly” emotions show. There have even been many studies showing that children can act up more around the adults that they feel safe & secure with to show all of their emotions.
We have a saying at PAX that Jesus loves us warts & all. Well Jesus also loves you, dirty feet & all. You can be your full self with God. You can act up, you can be loving, you can be irritable, you can be optimistic, you can be all you are & more. God is there to receive you. Developing this type of relationship with God might take time. It is okay to tell God you are not quite ready to trust Him with your dirty, stinky feet yet. But know that, when you are ready, He is there with a towel, warm water, smile, & a listening ear to welcome you home.
Now let’s return to the second point…which of your neighbors’ “feet” would we really rather not wash?
What is interesting to me is that the Gospel of John makes sure to point out that Judas’ betrayal was already in motion, yet Jesus washed ALL his disciples' feet. The process of becoming spiritually formed is not just an internal growth, but one where we face outwards as well. We are not just called to receive God’s all encompassing love but to express it as well. I can think of more than a few people whose feet I’d rather not wash, both literally & figuratively. There are those I am excited to care for & those that I’d actually really rather not care for at all. But I don’t get to choose who I sit next to in the foot washing circle. I’m simply called to turn to my right or left, pull the warm bucket & towel over, & remember that we all are welcome in the Kingdom of God.
And so, as we approach the final days of Lent & Holy Week & all the complexities of Good Friday, may we offer our feet to Jesus in trust & keep our eyes out for whose feet we are being invited to wash.
Then, let’s deeply celebrate the arrival of Easter :)
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