April 18, 2019 (Maundy Thursday) – John 13:1-17, 31b-35
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
The Mission of Hospitality
Maundy Thursday – April 18, 2019
First Lutheran Church – Winnipeg, MB
Communion takes many forms.
In John’s Gospel, communion is not about the bread and wine –
we never actually see what we think of as “communion” in John’s Gospel.
John does say that Jesus has supper with his disciples – but that is about the extent of it.
And there is not a single word about sharing bread and wine.
Rather, the spotlight is on what for John is his vision of communion: foot washing.
John’s vision of communion with Jesus and communion with one another as Christians is
foot washing.
If you want to be one with Jesus, John says, you let him wash your feet.
And if you want to be one with one another, you wash one another’s feet.
And if you want to invite others into such a service oriented community, you wash their feet.
We often think about foot washing as being about humility and service,
and certainly it is about those things: Jesus after all assumes the role of servant,
and washes our feet, and commands us to do the same for one another.
And it’s true that in the ancient world only a servant would do this.
Yet, for all that, foot washing is, above all, about hospitality.
In the ancient world, you invited your friends over for something to eat.
Often they had a long and dusty walk to get to your place.
So foot washing was an essential step in making them feel welcome and
in removing any barriers that might keep them from the table.
Foot washing was above all about hospitality and welcome.
Jesus says to Peter: unless I wash your feet you have no share with me –
in other words, you have no communion with me.
After he washes their feet, of course, Jesus sends them in mission to go and do likewise.
As the Father has sent me, he says, so I send you: I send you on a mission of hospitality.
Wash one another’s feet – make everyone feel welcome and accepted.
In union with me, invite others into our communion, into our community of mutual service.
Remove any barriers that might keep anyone from our community of love.
Welcome one another and serve one another – be in a communion of service with one another.
Let your loving, serving, hospitable deeds flow from being in communion with me.
God’s mission is to lovingly invite everyone into the fellowship we share.
On this night, become one with Jesus – commune with Jesus – by having your feet washed.
Experience how refreshing and welcoming that feels.
Then invite others into the experience by doing the same for them.
When you return to your seat, think about how Jesus gives us the mission of hospitality,
to invite others into our communion.
And think about how we can continue to remove any barriers to that.
Our mission is hospitality – and John’s vision of the communion of foot washing
is meant to further and enhance that.
So together, let us say, “Amen.”
Pastor Michael Kurtz
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