Jesus, Servant

Scripture         Read John 13:1-17
Focus Verse    Luke 22:27
For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits at the table? I am among you as the One who serves.

Commentary: Walking in sandals on the dusty roads of Israel in the first century made it imperative that feet be washed before a communal meal. In our scripture passage, Jesus rises from the table and begins to wash the feet of the disciples.  There he is, the King of Kings washing dirty feet!  The disciples must have been stunned at this act of humble servanthood which Jesus engages in for their benefit.  This appears to be in direct contrast to their own sense of servanthood.  With no servant present to wash their feet, they may have expected to wash their own feet but it probably never occurred to them to wash each others feet.  

With this living illustration of divine servanthood, Jesus teaches us all that, as his disciples we are called to serve, as he served, the people we encounter on a daily basis.  Jesus served by teaching, healing, loving unconditionally, offering us abundant life. He served with every move he made!  Of course, his greatest act of loving servanthood was sacrificing his own life to open a pathway for us into eternal life.

Reflection: How is God calling you to serve others?

Prayer Breathing in … Serving Jesus
Prayer Breathing out … Help me be like you

If music is a spiritual pathway for you, today may be an interesting choice.  When I consider that we are making our journey through advent and exploring Jesus as "Servant," suddenly I think of Mary, his mother.  We learn a lot from the parental figures in our lives, and as we make our way through the names of Jesus moving symbolically from heaven to earth, from his glorious divinity (as King in week 1) to his non-glorious humanity (as Human One in week 4) I think that Jesus must have learned a lot about servanthood from Mary who embodied servanthood as sacrifice by bearing the Son of God.  She said, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."  I invite you to listen to "The Magnificat, also called The Canticle of Mary" offered as a chanting prayer by Our Lady, Mediatrix of All Grace.  I like this presentation because I can listen to it as a prayer, and it stays true to Mary's original words in Luke 1:46b-55.  

We invite you to worship with us.  You can join us live OR recorded.

Livestream Worship - 11:00 AM
Go to https://www.hckaty.org/