Embracing Humility: The Call to Servanthood

He who wraps the heavens in clouds wraps around himself a towel He Who pours the water into the rivers and pools tipped water into a basin and he before whom every knee bends in heaven and on Earth and under the Earth knelt to wash the feet of his disciples and when Jesus is doing these things he is not disguising who God is he is revealing who God is. [00:01:54]

Jesus knew the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the father having loved his own who were in the world he loved them to the end and the idea is not just at the end he loved them it's not even just that he kept loving them to the end it's that he gave the ultimate expression of love John uses the same word here a form of it that Jesus uses on the cross when he said it is finished. [00:02:46]

Although Jesus was a very active person and traveled and taught and healed and trained his disciples the ultimate contribution that he makes in life is not what he does but it is is what is done to him he is handed over and he offers himself he willingly suffers he gives himself in self-sacrificial love. [00:03:33]

That does not mean that for any of us our ability to live in and in some strange way join our sufferings to the sufferings of Jesus as Paul puts it participate in the sufferings of Jesus lies available before us that is part of the Wonder and mystery of the Kingdom and The Fellowship of the withered hand and the cruciform cross-shaped life. [00:04:18]

He got up from the meal took off his outer clothing wrapped a towel around his waist after that he poured water into a basin began to wash his disciples feet drying them with a towel that was wrapped around him now what's striking here is the sequence or the order as you may well know back in the ancient world foot washing was an important Act of hospitality. [00:05:17]

Jesus does this why because he wants it to stick he wants it to get their attention he wants them to never forget this moment so he waits till the meal is going on and that he humbles himself because he knows his disciples and you and me our mind always tends to run towards what's in it for me what can I get how will I be served. [00:06:08]

Peter you might remember says no Lord you know don't do this and Jesus says well uh uh it is necessary for you to be washed you don't understand it yet you don't understand it now now of course Peter understood what foot washing was body understood what serving was about but what Jesus was explaining is this is a little Parable in a sense of the whole mystery of the Incarnation. [00:07:50]

The foot washing symbolizes in a literally pedestrian yet Sublime way the Deep Descent of God to even to the feet of human beings to serve and rescue see that's what surprised to everybody he is The Pedestrian Messiah that little word pedestrian means not just to travel on foot but uh often to not be very special or exciting or extraordinary. [00:09:28]

Our pedestrian God our God who comes to be with us to walk alongside of us to serve to give himself to offer himself ultimately expressed in the cross loved his own to the and loved you to the very end so now we enter into that way of life today just reflect on how much that God loves you that pedestrian God. [00:10:12]

If your life looks kind of pedestrian kind of not real extraordinary not real flashy do not despair because we follow a pedestrian Messiah a foot-washing messiah so today in just little ways is there's an opportunity just ask that question how can I serve what can I do how can I help and know he's right there with you. [00:10:45]

That's the story of Monday Thursday that's the story of the The Pedestrian Messiah who travels from Heaven to across and then back again out of his great love for you and me. [00:11:17]

If you have a story of change of growth of spiritual progress we want to know about it and so I'd invite you to text that to us or email that to us or even just share it right here in the comments um as often as it happens as frequently as it happens whenever it happens just let us know because that's the center of the target for us to help people grow spiritually one day at a time. [00:12:35]