hTe time had finally come for Jesus to leave this world. He knew it. And what did he do? He didn’t give a last-minute lecture. Instead, during dinner, he grabbed a bowl and started washing the disciples’ feet. After he returned to the table, he asked the disciples, “Do you understand what I have done for you?”

Silence. The disciples looked at each other, but nobody spoke.

Jesus continued, “… I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”

Washing feet is kind of gross. But Jesus did it. He showed that nothing was beneath him as he served his followers. And he wanted his disciples to do the same.

As a nurse, I washed many feet over the years. It wasn’t my favorite part of the job, but it was a necessary one. Maybe a patient was bed bound, paralyzed, or no longer able to reach that part of their body. What’s interesting about feet, though, is that they often indicate a person’s health. Swelling can indicate high blood pressure. Sores that won’t heal can be related to diabetes. Cold feet can indicate a circulation problem. And foot pain may be telling you to lose weight or indicate the onset of arthritis or the presence of a fracture.

But feet washing is also intimate. It means getting close enough to a person that you can see all these things. And isn’t this the heart of Jesus’ message? In this very act, Jesus demonstrated that he wants us to love his people and to be able to draw close to them even in the yucky. By serving people, we follow the example Jesus set for us.

At the beginning of this Holy Week, who can you serve today?

A love letter from God …

Dear lovely one,

Your feet have carried you to lots of places. I know when the trail led to blisters and calluses. I know when you’ve sat on the beach and dug your toes into the warm sand and then cooled them off by walking along the shoreline. In all these journeys I have tended your feet so that they will cope. And when your foot was broken and life was hard I was the crutch you could lean on. Even now as you sit and read this I am willing to wash away the dirt from your feet, to make them clean again, to tend the sores and the hurts. And I ask you do that to others too. Love them as I have loved you. There is no greater commandment than this.

I see you, my beloved; I love you. And I am with you always.

Love, God