Towel Time
My beloved student body,
When we got to Taylor University as freshmen, we were blessed to experience a powerful feet-washing ceremony. Surrounded by thirty of our closest friends and the ambient hum of worship music, we were prayed over, serenaded by songs of joy, and tightly hugged with cheerful thanksgiving. At the end of the ceremony, teary-eyed upperclassmen knelt to wash our feet.
I remember being a bit uncomfortable as I watched four beautiful upperclass girls bend down and gently take hold of my ankles. My feet were stained with dirt from running around the lake, and years of being an athlete left me with blisters and bruises around my toes. However, as they dipped my feet into the water and wrapped a towel around them to clean them, I was suddenly unaware of the flaws in my feet. Those flaws didn't matter to the servants who were willing to wash me, regardless of my messiness.
It's the exact same story that happens in John 13 when Jesus kneels to wash his disciple's feet. We see in verse 5 that "he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of his followers, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." The feet of his disciples were messy and muddy. They had been walking for miles - some of them in dusty sandals and some of them with no shoes at all. But we see this picture of selfless servanthood as Jesus, the Lord of Earth, embraces the mess and washes their feet. He is not disgusted by their dirtiness or diverted by discomfort; rather, he knows that if they truly want to commune well, they must be willing to get to the places where things aren't always pretty.
He leaves his disciples with a commandment: "now that I have washed your feet, so should you wash the feet on one another." Because Jesus was willing to humble himself and serve those around him, we are called to do the same. We are commanded to step down into the ugly places and serve. It might be messy or uncomfortable and we might feel like it's easier to linger where life looks good. But that's not what Jesus did.
Taylor University, our community looks a bit like the dirty, dusty feet of the disciples - or worse, like the blistered, bleeding bumps of my very own toes. Things are messy. Our campus feels divided. Professors are enraged, students visibly shaken. Alumni are calling and shouting words that should never be spoken. Mike Pence is coming in what feels like a mighty storm. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, the decision is controversial. Some of us are enthused that the Vice President is coming to town, and some of us are crushed that someone who is part of an unloving administration would be selected as the commencement speaker.
I can't help but think that this situation is exactly akin to the messiness of feet-washing. Unclean, uncomfortable, uncertain...we've felt it all. But I also can't help but think that this is what Jesus was talking about when he commanded us to serve each other. Our feet have been washed, we have been given towels of our own. Perhaps these towels were given for such a time as this.
So instead of throwing the towel in, let us bow down our will and learn how to serve each other. Let us listen to the cries of our peers and sympathize with those who have been deeply offended by this administration. Let us get our towels dirty as we embrace this mess.
In this season, may we be remembered as a population who chooses selflessness and love. May they not remember the darkness on the news or the discouragement on social media, but may they always remember the dirt on our towels that comes as a result.
When we got to Taylor University as freshmen, we were blessed to experience a powerful feet-washing ceremony. Surrounded by thirty of our closest friends and the ambient hum of worship music, we were prayed over, serenaded by songs of joy, and tightly hugged with cheerful thanksgiving. At the end of the ceremony, teary-eyed upperclassmen knelt to wash our feet.
I remember being a bit uncomfortable as I watched four beautiful upperclass girls bend down and gently take hold of my ankles. My feet were stained with dirt from running around the lake, and years of being an athlete left me with blisters and bruises around my toes. However, as they dipped my feet into the water and wrapped a towel around them to clean them, I was suddenly unaware of the flaws in my feet. Those flaws didn't matter to the servants who were willing to wash me, regardless of my messiness.
It's the exact same story that happens in John 13 when Jesus kneels to wash his disciple's feet. We see in verse 5 that "he poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of his followers, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." The feet of his disciples were messy and muddy. They had been walking for miles - some of them in dusty sandals and some of them with no shoes at all. But we see this picture of selfless servanthood as Jesus, the Lord of Earth, embraces the mess and washes their feet. He is not disgusted by their dirtiness or diverted by discomfort; rather, he knows that if they truly want to commune well, they must be willing to get to the places where things aren't always pretty.
He leaves his disciples with a commandment: "now that I have washed your feet, so should you wash the feet on one another." Because Jesus was willing to humble himself and serve those around him, we are called to do the same. We are commanded to step down into the ugly places and serve. It might be messy or uncomfortable and we might feel like it's easier to linger where life looks good. But that's not what Jesus did.
Taylor University, our community looks a bit like the dirty, dusty feet of the disciples - or worse, like the blistered, bleeding bumps of my very own toes. Things are messy. Our campus feels divided. Professors are enraged, students visibly shaken. Alumni are calling and shouting words that should never be spoken. Mike Pence is coming in what feels like a mighty storm. Regardless of your opinion on the matter, the decision is controversial. Some of us are enthused that the Vice President is coming to town, and some of us are crushed that someone who is part of an unloving administration would be selected as the commencement speaker.
I can't help but think that this situation is exactly akin to the messiness of feet-washing. Unclean, uncomfortable, uncertain...we've felt it all. But I also can't help but think that this is what Jesus was talking about when he commanded us to serve each other. Our feet have been washed, we have been given towels of our own. Perhaps these towels were given for such a time as this.
So instead of throwing the towel in, let us bow down our will and learn how to serve each other. Let us listen to the cries of our peers and sympathize with those who have been deeply offended by this administration. Let us get our towels dirty as we embrace this mess.
In this season, may we be remembered as a population who chooses selflessness and love. May they not remember the darkness on the news or the discouragement on social media, but may they always remember the dirt on our towels that comes as a result.