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Sermon April 18, 2019
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Maundy Thursday
http://lectionarypage.net/YearABC_RCL/HolyWk/MaundyTh_RCL.html
Audio
So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. John 13:14-15
Please be seated
During Lent, I have been reading and journaling using a book Lent and Easter Wisdom from Thomas Merton. I have been gradually drawn in to the life and writings of Thomas Merton.
When Esther de Waal used to annually be in residence at The Washington National Cathedral, I met with her frequently and attended classes she gave. One year, she presented a multi-session opportunity using photographs taken by and writings of Thomas Merton. In 1992, she wrote a self-guided retreat on A Seven Day Journey With Thomas Merton. She had been given access to the photographs that Merton took and used them throughout the retreat guide.
Another time, I saw a one-man play about the life of Thomas Merton. I have some books and have used pieces of them at various times over the years.
When I moved to Kentucky, I made sure to visit The Abbey of Gethsemani near Bardstown. This is the place where Merton lived and wrote. He had his hermitage there. Gethsemani is in a beautiful part of Kentucky, surrounded by these small, green mountains. It is truly a holy place.
The reading for Tuesday in the 5th Week of Lent or April 9, made me pause and reflect. The piece is from Merton’s book, Seasons of Celebration:
It is entitled “No Man Is An Island and here is a portion of it:
“In building a community of pardon that is the temple of God, we have to recognize that no one of us is complete, self-sufficient, perfectly holy in [themselves] himself. No one can rest in his [their] own individual virtues and interior life. No [one] man lives for [themselves] himself alone. To live for oneself alone is to die.” Pg. 74 Lent and Easter Wisdom from Thomas Merton
“To live for oneself alone is to die.”
Maundy Thursday is about Jesus’ commandment to use to love one another. It is about Jesus’ commandment to serve one another. Jesus flips the human notion of power on its head. Many would say power is about making people do what you think or want them to do. Jesus says power is about humbling oneself to be a servant…about loving others…about living for others.
In our Gospel read tonight we hear of the love of Jesus for his disciples. They walked everywhere on dirt roads. By the end of the day, their feet, their form of transportation, were dirty and dusty. A gracious and welcoming host would have servants wash their guests’ feet. I know how I feel after a long day. I’m often glad just to put my feet up and I don’t walk nearly like Jesus and the disciples did! The hospitality of washing feet surely felt luxurious and welcoming.
And I’m sure we all know how intimate it must have been to have one’s feet washed by a servant. Maybe it wasn’t then. Maybe that was just understood and expected. However, we do know today that even taking one’s shoes and socks off during this service and having someone wash our feet feels very intimate. We feel vulnerable or known in a new way by another person.
Jesus’ act of servanthood was a profound way to show his love. And remember that Jesus even washed the feet of Judas, whom he knew was going to betray him!
Jesus helps us understand how powerful service to others is. Jesus helps us understand that living for ourselves alone is death. Jesus provides the example of life-giving love and service, which brings true joy, true peace and glorious life.
Amen
