After Jesus had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.
The foot washing we mimic
in our pimped up sanctuaries
on Maundy Thursday
with our tepid water
and pristine white fluffy towels
will never get close
to the ritual played out
by Jesus
who handled the feet
of grown men
who had just traversed
the gutters and cesspools
of Jerusalem
at festival time.
Our notions of servanthood
can barely compute
the magnitude
of the teacher
stooping,
kneeling
bathing
caressing
the soles
of his disciples.
And all without PPE.
But today
all over the world
we are witnessing
such magnitude
of selfless giving
in our frontline workers
who are risking all
to care for
the ill
and the dying.
Today, at every turn,
we are being confronted
with tangible reminders
of what servanthood looks like
and of the cost of love.
So maybe it’s a good thing
that we won’t be able to gather
and reenact a ritual
Instead,
as we bear witness to
an extravaganza
of costly love
May we not look away
but, rather, observe
and stand in awe
of the servants
who are teaching us today
about stepping up
and stepping out
to love
and to serve.
And may we never forget
our debt of gratitude
for their acts of servant love.
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