Dear St. Luke’s,

I always write these little devotions at the last minute, which means I am writing this on Maundy Thursday for you to read on Good Friday. Tonight, some basins will be set up by the altar guild and the congregation will be invited to come up and wash each other’s feet, which feels a bit taboo and cringe-worthy, and that is kind of the point. As Episcopalians, our services can be moving, while not being emotive. We are masters of embracing the mystery of God’s grace, but in the most orderly way possible. When the disciples were getting their feet washed by their teacher, savior, and friend, they had nowhere to hide. The facades that they used to try to hide from Christ faded away, and they were left vulnerable with nothing between their filthy feet and their savior prepared to die for them. As Jesus finishes washing their feet, he commends them to wash each other’s feet as well.

Being vulnerable with each other as we wash our feet and being obedient to Jesus telling us to wash each other’s feet, in a way, prepares us for what will happen on Easter. Christ’s body on the cross was vulnerable and would have been considered shameful, and in his resurrection, we are the ones vulnerable before God as we wait in hope for eternal life. While we hope for the resurrection and trust that God knows our inner thoughts, we will bend over backward to avoid having someone wash our feet.

The beauty of this ancient practice is how moving it can be, even though it is so simple. Too bad it happened last night, and you probably missed this one. There is always next year to have your feet washed, but tomorrow is always an opportunity to practice being vulnerable and letting others be vulnerable with you. We cannot hide from Christ, and we should not hide from each other.

God bless you on these Holy Days, and I hope to see you soon.

Blessings,

Nick