West Cocoa Chat

I’m teaching a Sunday School Class entitled “Vision.” My goal in the class is to come to a realization that casting a vision for ourselves and our church must involve Jesus into every aspect of our lives and the church’s life. Our very name, “Church of Christ” indicates that is a given but we know through experience that there are times when “Christ” is far away from out attitudes, debates, theological positions, and so on.

During one part of my class, we were discussing the aspect of how we can read of a direct example in Scripture but not be required to carry out the direct example but rather embody that principle in a 21^st Century form. The example I used was Jesus (John 13) washing the Disciples feet.

Here we have a direct example of Jesus doing something and hanging some heavy significance to it. In John 13:1 the text states that he was now “showing them the full extent of his love.” I then asked the class, “How many of you have had your feet washed lately, by someone else than you?” Nobody raised their hand. We then went on to indicate that although we don’t wash feet to the extent or frequency that was done in the First Century, we have a powerful example that we as individuals and as a collective church are to model – serving our fellowman.

An older gentleman at this point raised his hand and said, “You didn’t ask the other part of the question? You forgot to ask how many of us have washed someone else’s feet?” He then relayed how he washes (she wasn’t in the class) his wife’s feet due to her severe back problems. As he talked he smiled and relayed how it brought them closer together. Another gentleman talked about how his Grandmother when he was a child had him wash her feet as she was unable to do so as well.

Their comments put a “face” on a class that is mostly face-less as we talk about some of these guiding principles. I felt honored by them and God that he had allowed our Sunday School Class to be a venue that gave us a window into some lives that we would have otherwise known less.

Do we have any other foot-washers out there? Have a good day family.

// posted by cwinwc @ 3:19 AM