Sermon: Maundy Thursday

Justin Yawn, seminarian

“Unless I wash you, you have no share with me”

Today we encounter two great actions of Christ as he spends his last night with the disciples. First, the act of humility by Jesus when he washes the feet of his disciples and, secondly, the institution of the Last Supper. Each is of great importance in the Christian tradition and especially in our liturgy tonight. This night we will follow Christ’s example and wash one another’s feet and then we will gather at the table to share in the last feast together as a faith community before heading to Calvary and the tomb.

If you notice the Gospel narrative does not mention the Last Supper. It is through the reading in 1 Corinthians that we begin to see the entire picture. The Epistle will come alive a little later as we gather at the table and celebrate the last feast with our Lord. It will be a feast of celebration and departure. But first, let’s take a moment and focus on the foot washing and the actions of Jesus. Let’s ask ourselves, how does this relate to us today? Is there more to this story than just an act of humility by Christ himself?

These questions bring us into the core of that night in a room inside the walls of Jerusalem. What was Jesus trying to accomplish through this humble act? Let’s explore this from three different perspectives that I have borrowed and adapted from Mary Louise Bringle. First, we will focus on the interaction with Peter and the words that I repeated at the beginning of this sermon. Peter proclaims to Jesus, “You will never wash my feet.” It is a formidable statement. After all the time Peter has spent with Jesus, it has come to more opposition. Jesus has knelt down and is crawling around like a servant and washing the feet of his disciples. However, Peter does not want to relinquish control over this action and his relationship with Christ.

Peter, upon first glance, seems to come across as modest in his action not to let Jesus wash his feet. It seems to be a form of pride that is illustrated through the opposition of Peter. Peter is trying to choose what he wants to accept from Jesus. Often it seems we might fall into this trap of selection and choosing what we want to accept from God. All through our early lives we are dependent on those around us.

I remember, well I don’t think I actually remember, but I heard stories about how I struggled with a form of meningitis that attacked one of my eyes. I had no control over the situation and all I could do was trust that my parents and doctors would provide for me what was needed to care for me. Here we see Peter trying to refuse this gift from Jesus who is trying to take care of him and prepare him for the future.

Pride can be a scary thing, something many of us might struggle with. In the contemplative tradition of the early church fathers and mothers, you see pride in a way that is slightly different then how we might think about it. St. Maximos the Confessor refers to the demon of pride in two distinct ways. First, it will try to get us to promote our achievements to others or it will cause us to belittle those around us who we think are not as perfect as us. Either way, as Maximos points out we turn ourselves away from the love of God which is first and foremost.

Peter is struggling with this notion of pride, he wants so bad to take control of an uncontrollable situation. He is missing the big picture. Jesus reminds him, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me”. Powerful words are uttered out of Jesus’ mouth. Jesus is trying to show Peter that trust is what is important and letting go. Think how much different our life would be if we stepped out of the driver’s seat and let Christ take the wheel?

This brings me to my second theme; learning how to serve. Jesus gets down on his hands and knees and proceeds to wash the feet of his disciples. Not excluding one of them, not even Judas. The servant role Jesus takes on calls us to think about the details in our lives. He takes aim at a small thing. Jesus does not get up and do something flashy or elaborate to express his love. He does not pass onto them some material gift that will help them in the world. Instead he offers them a towel off his body and water. Water that would have become filthy and a towel that would be hardened with the mud.

However, it is in this place that Jesus is calling us to. It is a place of dirty water and towel. Sometimes we spend our time focusing on ways of serving people that bring us glory or get our name on the map. The act of water and a towel call us to focus on the little, the exhausting, inelegant demands of service. Service is not always a glamorous task. When my uncle was ill with Cancer my Aunt spent most of her time tending to remedial tasks. She had to help him eat, clean, move and many other things. It was through this service in the minute details that brought comfort and peace to my Uncle during the last days of his life with us. Another important thing to note is, the very stoles that Bill, Allan, and Deborah wear all have their roots in the towel that Jesus used this last night with his disciples. It calls us to think, “How are we all being called to the towel of extending God’s hospitality to others?”

The last lesson I believe can be gleaned from this action of humility is one of reconciliation. As we notice in the text Jesus washes all the disciples’ feet even Judas. Jesus knows that Judas is about to betray him and hand him over to be crucified. However, Jesus is not letting that stop him from sharing in the fellowship with his disciples. Jesus is modeling service and willingness to reach out to those around him. Today we live in a world that is seemingly enveloped in violence.

All one needs to do is turn on the television and watch for about 5 minutes to be reminded of the violence around the world. Every day in Africa someone is killed for their political, religious, or ethnic affiliation. Today, women are beaten by their husbands repeatedly without any chance of escape. Today people in our own country steal and malign those who are unable to defend themselves. But through all of this comes signs of hope. In Rwanda, a woman whose family was killed in the genocide returns to offer love to her perpetrators. In Iraq, troops help Iraqi families rebuild their houses. Here at Holy Trinity, people seek to rid Haiti of its water problem and try to provide hope for a better future. Perhaps this is what Christ was modeling when he was crawling around washing the feet of his disciples. Calling us to remember that all have a share in this salvific act and it is by our actions that we represent this.

Christ says “Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them”. It is a simple statement that reflects the obedience and more importantly, the humility of Christ. We are called to walk in this journey and be a reflection of God to those around us.

Just as the disciples were washed as a community of believers, so we are as well. It is at this point that The Holy Eucharist, foot washing, and our baptisms collide. Tonight we will wash ourselves in the spirit of Christ’s humility and gather as a community at the Table. Perhaps when we were younger we were baptized given the spirit and brought into union with our faith community. Through the cleansing of ourselves we begin to see the work at hand; the life that Christ calls us to, and more importantly models for us.

The act of foot washing and the Lord’s Supper all show how we as a community partake in the body of Christ. The lessons that we can glean from Christ’s humility are all reminiscent of the love Christ has for us. Through waters of Baptism we are brought into the fold, through the body and blood of Christ at the Eucharist we are united together.

As we leave here tonight in anticipation of tomorrow let us not forget the events of this night. Let us try not to jump ahead to Saturday night and forget the tools that Christ was leaving to his faithful followers that still resonate with us today and will be the tools to remember when Christ leaves us. As a community of faith let us go out and share the humble love of Christ to those around us. I can assure you that where love and charity abound then God is reflected. I think if we can do this then we are living into the command that Jesus leaves his disciples with: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."