Reverend Jimmy Moore, preaching
Whose Feet Are You Washing"?
John 13:1-15
Sometimes it is very clear that science and faith, often thought to be at odds, are actually working in significant harmony. In accord to the knowledge we have, and as a faith response, we are all doing our part to make sure that we are keeping each other healthy. We are washing hands often and for twenty second, using hand sanitizer when we cannot wash hands, keeping some “social distance” from others, and staying home when we are sick. And at St. Mark’s this Sunday, we’ll take the additional step of worshipping only via a live stream on the internet. That means we will not worship in person, nor we will we have breakfast, Sunday School or scheduled small groups. These are interesting days to be sure.
Handwashing, of course, has multiple understandings, both literal and metaphorical. Obviously, we wash to make sure that we can eat safely and not pass along communicable diseases. Historically in faith communities, the washing of the hands has served as a ritual purification that happens before and after a meal, on waking in the morning or upon returning from a cemetery. Then, of course, the governor Pilate famously “washed his hands” as if to declare that he was entirely innocent of the death of Jesus.
But what about the washing of feet? Sunday’s sermon, which is included in the live stream worship service, flows from the foot washing passage in the Gospel of John, ironically chosen weeks before the focus on healthy precautions of sanitary cleaning. The sermon arises as a response to one of the questions Mary Beth and I have received as a part of our Lenten theme of “Holy Curiosity”. The questioner asks if we are ready to undertake a church wide social justice project. The sermon will be titled, “Whose Feet Are You Washing?”
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he shared with his disciples a Passover meal. Following the meal, Jesus washed the feet of the disciples, to their great surprise. This was an act usually relegated to a servant in the house as an act of hospitality, to remove the grime from the feet from guests who almost certainly had walked dirty and potentially unsanitary streets. On Sunday, we’ll talk about what it means for us to “wash feet” during a time when we are encouraged to maintain social distance from the other. We hope you join us in worship on the live stream. There will be music, scripture readings, prayers, a children’s moment, and we’ll find creative a ways to have an offering.
We hope to connect with you through the livestream. Click on this link at 10:25 AM on Sunday.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRug8vCO_eMZv7FepvZBrww/live