Washing Feet: An Example of Service or Something More?

Jesus Washing Peter's Feet by Ford Madox Brown 1852-6 So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. - John 13:2-5 Today, in 2024 A.D., we don't give much thought to these few sentences. The impact of the activity of Jesus is lost on us because a) We wear shoes everywhere. Many of us even have "inside shoes" and "outside shoes". b) The Church's liturgy (as popularly practiced) often misses or lessens the importance of this event (pro tip: it's not simply Jesus giving and example of serving others). Contrary to what we see in the movies, the roads in the time of Jesus weren't all covered in perfectly placed cobblestones or silky, fine dust. If r

You are the Salt of the Earth

Matthew 5:13-16

Throughout history salt has been used primarily as either a preservative or flavor enhancer.  It is no secret that we love salt and I have a feeling that even in Jesus' day, folks loved salt.


Food critic Jeffrey Steingarten writes in his book The Man Who Ate Everything, salt is essential to good food and good cooking“It sharpens and defines the inherent flavors of foods and magnifies their natural aromas. Salt unites the diverse tastes in a dish, marries the sauce with the meat, and turns the pallid sweetness of vegetables into something complex and savory. Salt also deepens the color of most fruits and vegetables and keeps cauliflower white. Salt controls the ripening of cheese and improves its texture, strengthens the gluten in bread, and can preserve meat and fish, while transforming its texture. Cooked without salt, most dishes taste dull, lifeless, and lacking in complexity.”  That little crystal-like substance you have on your kitchen table does all of that...and more.  And Jesus says, "you are the salt of the earth."

That should really give us pause and make us consider what our role is in life.  Just look at the words Mr. Steingarten uses (highlighted in bold) and ask yourself if we, Christians, are doing these things and more for the world.  Are we sharpening and defining the natural truths present in the world around us so others can see God's reflection in them?  Are we uniting diverse ideas and marrying creative energies to further the will of God?  Are we deepening, strengthening, preserving, and transforming our relationships with others?  Or, have we lost our flavor and as a result has the world around us become dull, lifeless, and lacking? You and I are the salt of the earth.  We are essential to a good world and a good life!



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