You can often tell...
Illustration
Object:
You can often tell where someone is from by the way they speak. Sometimes you can tell what someone does for a living, or what their values are by what they wear. A haircut in a picture or the shape of a pair of glasses can tell you in what era the picture was taken. Sports teams and high schools and even street gangs have signature colors. Logos on clothing, jewelry, and even tattoos can all serve to tell the world who you are and to whom you belong.
Christians wear crosses of all kinds and in all ways, but that is not how Jesus says people know his disciples.
Scott B.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Here again it talks about Jesus' love, this time for his own twelve. Now he showed them the full extent of his love by what he was going to do for them.
Foot washing was the role of a servant. It was another demonstration of Jesus' love for his twelve. It was humbling. It was an example for them to follow. Since it was a high holy day they must have all taken their shower, so the only thing left was their feet.
The saddest part of the meal was that Jesus knew his traitor was at the table with them. He still kept him in the group and did not reveal who it was -- maybe hoping he would repent and be cut to the heart. Judas was devastated, but only after it was too late and he had betrayed his best friend and Lord.
It was too much for Peter. He wouldn't have Jesus stoop so low as to wash his feet, but when Jesus said that he would not have any part with him unless he did, so he went to the other extreme and wanted Jesus to give him a whole bath. If nothing else this shows that neither Peter nor the others understood the significance of Jesus' act.
Do children understand the full significance of their confirmation? I know I didn't for many years. I knew some World War II veterans who suddenly remembered their confirmation work when they were in trenches under fire. It made them turn around and restored their faith.
I know of some churches that have reinstituted a form of foot washing. One even went to the extreme of dusting off the shod feet of the participants, propped on the altar rail, with a rag.
How hard it is for many to feel like they are receiving something that they do not deserve. We are sometimes too proud. We want to earn what we get. We are often like Peter, except we won't receive anything for nothing. We have to learn to obey, even if we don't like it or it seems to make no sense to us.
How often do we take time to list all the blessings God has given us, which we do not deserve? It is more fun to list the things we want God to fix now -- if he wants us to believe in him. It is also more fun to list the sins of others which we feel are far greater than ours.
When I was in Nepal, old pastor Tir, the first Christian in Nepal and the most revered Christian in the country, knelt humbly down to the wash the feet of his students at a group meeting. There was not a dry eye in the place.
Our main assignment from this passage is to learn where we may serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. Where can we serve our church? Is the pastor setting an example?
Christians wear crosses of all kinds and in all ways, but that is not how Jesus says people know his disciples.
Scott B.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Here again it talks about Jesus' love, this time for his own twelve. Now he showed them the full extent of his love by what he was going to do for them.
Foot washing was the role of a servant. It was another demonstration of Jesus' love for his twelve. It was humbling. It was an example for them to follow. Since it was a high holy day they must have all taken their shower, so the only thing left was their feet.
The saddest part of the meal was that Jesus knew his traitor was at the table with them. He still kept him in the group and did not reveal who it was -- maybe hoping he would repent and be cut to the heart. Judas was devastated, but only after it was too late and he had betrayed his best friend and Lord.
It was too much for Peter. He wouldn't have Jesus stoop so low as to wash his feet, but when Jesus said that he would not have any part with him unless he did, so he went to the other extreme and wanted Jesus to give him a whole bath. If nothing else this shows that neither Peter nor the others understood the significance of Jesus' act.
Do children understand the full significance of their confirmation? I know I didn't for many years. I knew some World War II veterans who suddenly remembered their confirmation work when they were in trenches under fire. It made them turn around and restored their faith.
I know of some churches that have reinstituted a form of foot washing. One even went to the extreme of dusting off the shod feet of the participants, propped on the altar rail, with a rag.
How hard it is for many to feel like they are receiving something that they do not deserve. We are sometimes too proud. We want to earn what we get. We are often like Peter, except we won't receive anything for nothing. We have to learn to obey, even if we don't like it or it seems to make no sense to us.
How often do we take time to list all the blessings God has given us, which we do not deserve? It is more fun to list the things we want God to fix now -- if he wants us to believe in him. It is also more fun to list the sins of others which we feel are far greater than ours.
When I was in Nepal, old pastor Tir, the first Christian in Nepal and the most revered Christian in the country, knelt humbly down to the wash the feet of his students at a group meeting. There was not a dry eye in the place.
Our main assignment from this passage is to learn where we may serve our brothers and sisters in Christ. Where can we serve our church? Is the pastor setting an example?
