March 24, 2005; Maundy Thursday Readings: Exodus 12:1-14a, 1Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15, Psalm 78:14-20, 23-25.   The Rev. Dr. Hilary B. Smith An Example of Service What does it mean to say that we should serve each other as Jesus served his disciples? Jesus shocked his followers by washing their feet. He did so knowing that it would be a dramatic moment. It would be an experience that they would not forget. Just as they would not forget that last meal with him, when he took the bread and the wine and said, "This is my body and this is my blood." The experience of Jesus giving himself to them in the bread and the wine, said everything about how he would continue to be with them. On Maundy Thursday, we celebrate that Jesus gave them, and us, a way to experience his presence always. That same night Jesus also gave them a way to understand their relationship to each other. This day is named for that teaching. Maundy is from the Latin Maundatum, which means commandment. This is Commandment Thursday, and the commandment, was to love one and other. Jesus could have simply used words, as he did on other occasions to make his point about serving one another. Words are powerful, but actions make it real. By washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus showed them that his way of service was a way that differed from that of the world. Jesus and his followers lived in a culture that had specific guidelines about rank, prestige and power. Much like our culture, some people served and others were served. Certainly there is more equality now but it is far from perfect. It is far from what God desires. Jesus calls us to challenge the status quo when it comes to rank, prestige and power. When we proclaim that all people are loved by God and are of equal value, great value, we challenge the comfort zones of others and ourselves. Talk of equality is nice in theory; it gets much more difficult in application. For to serve as Jesus served requires that we be transformed by the grace of God. Transformed by the grace of God so that our first thought about a person is that he or she is a beloved child of God deserving of my care and concern. That is not always easy because some people drive us crazy, push our buttons, have lives so different from mine that it is hard to relate, or are so different that I do not even notice them most of the time. Talk of equality is great in theory; loving all people as Christ loves us is something that we can all affirm as our call as Christians. It is much more difficult in application. Jesus knew how difficult it would be for us and even for those who had been with him. They had heard Jesus talk about God's love. They had seen Jesus act in ways that manifested his beliefs. So why was it such a shock when he washed their feet? He was their Lord. He was not supposed to wash their feet. By so doing, Jesus helped the disciples to experience the gospel. Here was the personal experience of something that sounded great in theory. Through the concrete action, the words and the experiences of others became personal for the disciples. So important was this event that it continues to be done by the followers of Christ year after year. Year after year, the most difficult thing about it seems to be having one's feet washed rather than doing the washing. Why is that? Do we have more trouble believing that others should care for us than we do believing that we should care for others? So it seems on both ends of the action, there is tension. There is tension in serving others and there is tension in being served. Perhaps that is because there is tension around the intimacy and vulnerability required for true community. Jesus calls his followers to an intimacy with each other and with his world. He gave us the example to follow. It is not easy. We cannot do this on our own. Through the grace of God, however, all things are possible. Amen.