Episode 1112: Service is Purpose

[00:00:00] Scott Maderer: Thanks for joining me on episode 1,112 of the inspired stewardship podcast.

[00:00:08] Shelly Lombard: I'm Shelley Lombard, founder of Millie money. Learning how to invest. We'll give you options for your future and to help others get inspired. One way to do that is to listen to this podcast. Inspired stewardship with my friend, Scott.

[00:00:24] Scott Maderer: because it is an example of how we can find our purpose, how we can find our health, how we can find our happiness. It's a sign of connection to a larger family. It's a connection to a larger sense of being the hands and feet of Christ and serving so that people will know that we are disciples of welcome.

[00:00:50] And thank you for joining us on the inspired stewardship podcast. If you truly desire to become the person who God wants you to be, then you must learn [00:01:00] to use your time, your talent and your treasures for your true. And the inspired stewardship podcast, we'll learn to invest in yourself, invest in others and develop your influence so that you can impact the world.

[00:01:16] In today's spiritual foundation episode about impacting the world. I talk with you about John chapter 13 verses one through 17 and 31 through 35. I also talk about why this service and this topic that's talked about in this passage. Isn't a ritual instead. It's a way of life. And I also share how this illustrates how we are supposed to find and show our purpose as.

[00:01:43] John chapter 13 verses one through 17 and 31 through 35 goes like this. Now, before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the father. Having loved his own, who were in the [00:02:00] world. He loved them to the. The devil had already put into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him and during supper, Jesus, knowing that the father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God who was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe and tied a towel around him.

[00:02:22] Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with a towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon, Peter, who said to him, Lord, are you going to wash my feet? And Jesus answered. You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand. And Peter said to him, you will never wash my feet.

[00:02:43] And Jesus answered. Unless I wash you, you have no share with. And then Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. And Jesus said to him, one who has faith does not need to wash except for the feet, [00:03:00] but is entirely clean. And you are clean though. Not all of you for he knew who was to betray him for this reason.

[00:03:07] He said not all of you are clean after he had washed their feet, had put on his robe and returned to the table. He said to them, do you know what I have done to. You call me teacher and Lord, and you are right for that as what I am. 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 should also do as I have done to you.

[00:03:34] Very truly. I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed. If. When he had gone out, Jesus said, now the son of man has been glorified and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at [00:04:00] once little children.

[00:04:01] I am with you only a little

[00:04:03] longer.

[00:04:04] Scott Maderer: You will look for me. And as I said to the Jews, so now I say to you where I am going, you cannot come. I give you a new commandment that you love. One of the. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another by this. Everyone will know that you are my disciples.

[00:04:23] If you have the love for one another. This passage from John is traditionally used in many surfaces for a Monday, Thursday service. This is the service that many churches have right before. Good Friday. And John, interestingly is the only gospel that never really talks about or sets the setting for the last supper.

[00:04:47] There's none of that. This is my body drink from this. All of you, the communion service that we all think of as that sacrament. Instead, John talks about this event. [00:05:00] Instead, this foot washing of. And this little moment of hospitality seems an odd place to put the focus, but this is where John puts the attention.

[00:05:13] Now we really can't figure out or know for sure why different gospels did pick different things. But I have to wonder what was Jesus thinking when he got up and grabbed the towel and the baby. This important cultural greeting of hospitality, the foot washing was a traditional event of hospitality seemed to have been missed by those that were gathering for the meal.

[00:05:41] Maybe it was a light bulb moment where Jesus said maybe if I show them, they'll finally get it. Maybe it was an place and a chance and a time to show the message in a different way. Maybe he just did it because it needed to be done. It's not really clear. It's not [00:06:00] spelled out, but in the minds of the disciples, it seems to be that maybe getting down and kneeling and washing the feats would have been demeaning in some way, would have been humbling in some way.

[00:06:14] And so they had all managed to overlook the opportunity to do and to serve in this. But for Jesus, he saw it as an opportunity to serve and to fulfill the purpose that he had been put on earth to do. So he comes and does this. And then afterwards, when the disciples maybe were a little confused about it, Jesus said, you know what I have done for you, but they still didn't seem to get.

[00:06:45] They were still maybe thinking about who was going to get the best seat who was going to sit at the right hand of Christ and heaven or who was going to get the rewards here on earth. They didn't really understand what [00:07:00] he had done for them. Now, oftentimes we think of the time the disciples got to spend with Jesus and maybe we even envy them a little bit because they got to have that personal time.

[00:07:13] They were right there. And yet it's still clear that they didn't fully understand what was going on. Either at the end, Jesus says, I give you a new commandment and that's what the Monday and Monday, Thursday comes from. That's from the Latin word for command. And this commandment is love one another as have I.

[00:07:37] I have loved you now, if you think about it, it's really not quote new. He's been acting out love for them throughout the gospel, but he did this one more time and got on his knees and washed everyone's feet. Love like I have loved you. This isn't supposed to be something that we just do once a [00:08:00] year. This is supposed to be a lifestyle in many ways, in many churches, this idea of serving others become something that they do periodically.

[00:08:10] It becomes a ritual, even a foot washing, and there's nothing wrong with foot washing. I actually think it should be something that we do. In fact, I would argue that in some ways it should be a sacrament because it is something that Jesus told us to do. But wider than that. And bigger than that, it's an example of having a culture of service.

[00:08:32] It's a culture that is a risky culture serving others. Not because something will come from it, but just serving because there's the opportunity to serve. This is a command. Not just a suggestion because it is an example of how we can find our purpose, how we can find our health, how we can find our happiness.

[00:08:57] It's a sign of [00:09:00] connection to a larger family. It's a connection to a larger sense of being the hands and feet of Christ and serving so that people will know that we are a disciple of Christ. And yet often we don't show our love for one another. Clearly we don't find times to show extravagant generosity.

[00:09:23] We don't find times and ways to serve each other. It's not easy. It requires sacrifice. It requires time. It requires energy. It requires money, but is something we are called to do love each other. As I have loved. Thanks for listening.

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