Simply True Love

I was disturbed by some articles and postings I read this morning. The opinions were ones I had heard before but had paid little attention to but for some reason this morning they saddened me! Out there are pages and pages of controversy about whether Jesus really died on Friday, whether the Bible commands us to wash each other's feet in church services tonight and if it was really Easter Sunday that he arose! These controversies reminded me of John 13:6-8 and Simon Peter's hold on legalism. Is this really what Jesus wanted us to gain from HIS ultimate sacrifice!

Remember I am a retired homeschooling mom and believe that you need to study your bible and understand what is being said. You should have opinions but this week and this week in particular you should be focusing on the meat of the passages. Do I care if Jesus was born on December 25?! NO! But I am definitely going to celebrate the birth of our king. Likewise, I don't care whether the washing of the disciples feet and the last supper was on a Thursday in April or a Monday in May! I have been going to Maunday Thursday services for my entire life. I have watched, while people I have greatly respected and admired have pulled off their shoes and socks. I have wept while my pastors, whom in my eyes are greatly respected, have knelt in front of their parishioners and humbly washed their feet! Then, for all my life, I sat at the Lord's table and taken his body and blood knowing what darkness there will be tomorrow for Jesus but what light that will be for me! For years I have felt the spirit of God move through our church during these symbolic gesture. I have seen others so moved, as I, by a taste of the realization of the enormity of Jesus' love for us through the washing of his disciples feet and the taking of his body and blood.

Yes, the service tonight might be mandated by some churches' doctrine...But it is to help bring us closer to God and to help us better understand His plan which unfolds in scripture! I read the following once about the events of this week and I am going to quote it because I could say it no better..."The meaning, then, is that Jesus, having loved his disciples prior to this great trial or crisis of his life, was not deterred from loving them by its approach, but continued to give the most precious and unmistakable evidences of his love down to the very hour of its arrival, being neither driven from such a course by the terrors of his coming hour nor wooed from it by the glorious prospects of returning to his Father". Tonight, all over the world, pastors will kneel at the feet of their parishioners in hopes of bringing God's word alive, to help open a tiny window into the sacrifice of Jesus for us, to honor and acknowledge the immense love that the Father has for us. Millions of people will come together at the Lord's table hearing the words,"Take it; this is my body....This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many". And poured out it will be tomorrow.

Over and over in the gospels there are tokens and evidence of his immense love for us. Being in human form Jesus was going to experience the betrayal, the torture, the anguish. As as he wept on Palm Sunday in Luke 19:40.. "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 'If you, even, you had only known on this day what would bring you peace..'", he also was sorrowful in the garden that night after the last supper..."My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." Matthew 26:38. And then this verse is very powerful..."And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." Luke 22:44. HIS love is so big, so infinite, so perfect, so encompassing, so immense that, even knowning what was before him, he chose to give his life for us.

There were disciples that missed the "meat" of what was happening. They brought a certain amount of legalizing and arrorgance into the last days of Jesus instead of grabbing the hem of his garments and spending those last days and hours close to our Father physically, emotionally and spiritually. And today, on christian web sites I see the same things happening. But I want to fully embrace the sacrifice and leave the debates and skeptism of when, how, and if to others. Last Sunday, I wanted to jump on that donkey with Jesus and hold onto him while he rode through the streets...couldn't do that but I was in church reaching my palms to the heavens and loudly proclaiming the hyms. Tonight, I will hang my head humbly when I see Jesus in the body of my pastor as he washes the feet of my fellow brothers and sisters. Tomorrow, I will gingerly and tenderly kiss the feet of my crucified Lord as he hangs on the cross in our wonderful sanctuary. And finally, on Sunday, I will put on my best dress and hat and joyfully exalt the name of my precious Saviour. After all, that is the least I can do for the one who sacrificed so much for me because he loves me with the purest and simplest form of "true love".

"I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them...I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe that I am HE; I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me. John 13:15-17,10-20