Eucharist as a Direction of Service

Eucharist as a Direction of Service

Let us begin this essay with a prayer.

Almighty Father, your beloved Son, on the night he was betrayed, humbled himself and washed his disciples feet. Allow us, we pray, to receive that washing, and by the example of his great humility, serve those you have placed before us. All this we ask in the name of your Son our savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

In this essay we will be considering John 13:1-17. As described in a previous essay, Trinity and Incarnation, John's gospel presents a series of signs, together with teaching, that interprets those signs. John 13:1-7 is an example of this. It is first and foremost a teaching whose sign, the washing of the disciples feet, points to a greater sign, the crucifixion and resurrection. By washing the disciples' feet, a task ordinarily done by disciples for their masters,(1) Jesus was interpreting his crucifixion and resurrection as an act of service for those he loved. The passage begins with the statement, "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end (John13:1). The word "end" refers to his death, and even more, to his giving up his life for his beloved disciples.

As Jesus was about to wash Peter's feet, the following occurred,

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean" (John 13:6-11).

The phrase "afterward you will understand" means that Peter and the other disciples will understand the symbolic significance of the foot-washing as referring to the cleansing power of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. By means of this sacrifice, believers will be washed clean from their sins, and even more, they will have a "share with me," meaning that believers will inherit all the blessings of Christ's saving work. The words, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean," has been interpreted by the tradition in several ways. First and foremost, it means that faith in the saving work of Christ is what cleanses a person from sin and reconciles one to God. This is generally recognized. Some scholars think that the phrase "except for his feet" was not a part of the original dialogue between Peter and Christ since it is missing from some of the ancient manuscripts. Others believe it is original and that it refers to the daily sins that believers commit which must be cleansed by confession, repentance, and amendment of life. Regardless, the important point is that believers are made clean by Christ's redemptive, saving work and therefore, have peace with God and each other. Further, the daily appropriation of this saving event, even if the phrase were not original, requires daily repentance and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus.

In the next section of this text, Jesus commands his disciples to follow his example and wash one another's feet.

Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you (13:12-15).

Christ washed his disciple's feet as a way of showing them the meaning of his work on the cross, and at the same time, as an example that they might wash each other's feet. Just as the foot-washing interpreted the cross, so the cross sets forth our redemption, and at the same time, it is a command to serve others with the same love revealed by the cross. This is a difficult command, and to think we can do it is to fail to see its rigor. Nevertheless, God helps us by feeding us with his very life in the Holy Eucharist. As described in the essays, Trinity and Incarnation, as well as In Remembrance of Me, two principle factors are required for God to become objectively presence in Eucharist and to give us his life. First, the revelation given in the Lord Jesus must be visibly and audibly represented in worship. The liturgy, the words and actions of worship, are that representation. Second, as the Holy Spirit works, the Lord Jesus becomes present, and God acts. The words and deeds of a foot-washing are not set forth visibly and audibly in the Holy Eucharist, although the foot-washing reveals that the Holy Eucharist, representing the cross, reveals Christ as a servant. At this meal, Jesus serves us by offering us his body and blood and feeding us with eternal life. This is represented visually and audibly as the people come forward and are served the bread and wine. As they are served, Jesus himself, in his two-fold human and divine nature, serves them, and at the same time, by the communicatio idiomatum, God himself, the creator of the universe, humbles himself to wait on table in his eternal Kingdom. According to Luke 12:37, "Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them." This needs to be understood in a rather literal fashion since, by God's objective presence in the Eucharist, he communicates himself by the sights and sounds of worship. That is, human beings, like Isaiah in the temple, or Thomas with his hand in Jesus' side, can, not only experience the human nature of Christ, but his divine nature, and through him, the living God himself by means of earthly realities.(2) Therefore, as believers celebrate the Holy Eucharist, it is good to be awake, expecting the living God himself to become a servant, giving up his very life for those he loves. As this happens, over a period of time, believers are cleansed of their selfishness and empowered to serve as they have been served.

Let us review for a moment how God has served us in Christ Jesus as revealed in the Holy Eucharist. First, he set aside places and times to come to us and bless us with his presence. At those places and times, he revealed to us his great faithfulness by entering into a covenant with us, sending his Son to make propitiation for our sins, ransoming us from darkness, washing us clean, empowering us by the Spirit to remember the Lord Jesus, surrounding us with brothers and sisters in Christ where love abounds, conquering the devil who afflicts us, clothing us with the righteousness of Christ, forgiving us of our sins, healing our bodies and souls, bringing us before his throne in the company of angels and archangels, and serving us at table as we receive the bread of immortality. These are some of the ways that God has served us, and further, he blesses us with an additional blessing, the call to quit our useless, selfish lives in order to serve him and others with the love that he loves us. Let it be said here that this is who God is, and this is who we are in Christ Jesus.

As we dedicate ourselves to serve God and others, several things are important. First, it needs to be remembered that God has placed us first in his heart by serving us. Therefore, we are to place God first in our service. There is the two-fold commandment, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27). This means we love God above all, and we should since he has loved us above all. We love God by worship, praise, thanksgiving, and obedience. As we are obedient, he teaches us to serve others. He shows us how to do this concretely, that is, by meeting real needs as he directs. Sometimes he show us who to serve by speaking in times of prayer, sometimes he presents us with the needs of others through circumstances, sometimes he gives us gifts and abilities to serve others and he expects us to use them. Sometimes people ask us to help them, and if this is in accord with God's will, we should do so. Sometimes others put demands upon us that are not what God intends, and for that reason, we need to pray and ask the Lord whom and how we should serve. Generally speaking there are God-given authorities, in the family, the church, and the larger society, and these help us to discern God's work for us. At times, however, these authorities may contradict God's will as known in Scripture, and in that case, we cannot obey. All in all, however, we are called to serve, and God teaches us how to serve in our daily lives. The foundation of that service is being set right with God through his saving sacrifice, being clothed in Christ's righteousness, and being empowered to serve by being served by God himself.

This life of service always entails an element of suffering. Jesus was very clear on this. In his words,

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life1 will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake band the gospel's will save it (Mar 8:34-35).

Serving others entails self-denial and it takes many forms. Traditionally, two forms have been distinguished, red martyrdom and white martyrdom. Red martyrdom is what happened to the early Christians when they were willing to suffer death rather than deny Christ, and it happens to many Christians today as well. White martyrdom is the daily dying that comes to those who seek to follow the Lord on a daily basis. It can mean doing one's work well when there is little reward for it, giving up advancement for the sake of children, faithfully loving a spouse who has become disabled, persisting in the gospel when no one cares, taking a prophetic stand in the church leading to rejection, remaining faithful to a calling when it seems to lead nowhere, being willing to pay the price for justice in the marketplace and in politics, bearing an illness without bitterness, forgiving over and over again, standing firm when life collapses, and much more. Christ's red martyrdom was the culmination of his daily white martyrdom, and in the Holy Eucharist, Christ gives those who seek him the strength to suffer daily for his sake. That life is the only life worth living, and in the end, it is a blessing for by suffering for Christ one comes to know Christ. That is the blessing, knowing the Lord Jesus, and when we avoid the suffering God sets before us, we choose death. Not all suffering, however, is intended by God. God often heals people and delivers them from suffering. But God does lead the faithful to the cross, and in the cross, one finds the very life of God. The words of Paul stand forever,

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him ... (Phi 3:7-9).

Finally, this essay is entitled "Eucharist as a Direction of Service." God looks on the heart, and he knows that we often fail in our service of him and others. The heart has a direction, however, and that direction, in spite of weaknesses and sins, needs to be directed toward Christ and the service of others. The Holy Eucharist, taken over a period of years, redirects our hearts in the right path. The final prayer of the Eucharist expresses this beautifully, assuring us that God, each day, has prepared good works for us to walk in.

Almighty and ever-living God, we heartily thank you for feeding us in these holy mysteries, with the spiritual food of the most precious body and blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and thereby assure us of your favor and goodness towards us; and that we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of your Son, the blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs, through hope, of your everlasting kingdom. And we humbly beseech you, O heavenly Father, so to assist us with your grace, that we may continue in that holy fellowship, and do all such good works as you have prepared for us to walk in; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

Questions for Discussion

1. Have you ever had the sense that you are at table in the Kingdom of God and that God is serving you with his body and blood?
2. What blessings have you received from the Holy Eucharist, and how can you extend those same blessings to others?
3. As you think about worship, what parts seem to bless you most deeply? As you share this, pray that God would bless all of you in all aspects of the Holy Eucharist.
4. Think about your family or those close to you. Are there some ways you can serve them more fully? Are you serving others in ways that are not of God? Ask the Lord God to enable you to serve others as he would wish, and ask those studying this essay to pray with you that this would happen.
5. What experiences, such things as work, children, additions, suffering, leadership, and so forth, have you had that can enable you to help others who may be in similar circumstances?
6. What gifts and talents do you have that can be helpful to others -- gifts such as teaching, taking care of children, the ability to do manual labor such as cleaning or construction, or the gift of listening to and counseling others? Are you using these gifts and talents for service?
7. It is good to seek the counsel of the leadership of the church when thinking of service in the church. With whom do you need to talk about serving your church, and what can you offer to the church as you counsel with them?
8. In your work, whether as a laborer, in agriculture, as a business owner, or in government, God wants you to serve and to use your work, gifts, and talents to the welfare of others. How can you best do this in your particular circumstances? Do you need to change, to repent, and begin to dedicate your business, your position, your labor, your leadership, to the service of God, your organization, and your community? Are you engaged in work that is contrary to the will of God, and if so, are you willing to repent and seek honest work?
9. When you worship, are you aware that you and others are a blessing to God, and that you serve him in worship as well as in all other aspects of your life? How do you understand your daily activities? Do you see them as the works that God has prepared for you to walk in?
10. Jesus said, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29). In certain circumstances, God may call us to do things that are very difficult, and these take their toll on our bodies and souls. Jesus' crucifixion is an example of this, as is the suffering Paul experienced on some of his missionary journeys. Often, however, Christians do not wait upon the Lord and do what he has asked, allowing Jesus to pull the heavier load. As a result, they tire of doing good, having never learned to receive strength from God. They do what they think best, rather than what God commands. Are there some things in your life that you are doing that are not what God commands, but simply your ideas? This requires discernment, and it is good to get the counsel of others as well.
11. Can you think of ways to help others find how they can serve more effectively?

Endnotes

1. Raymond E Brown, The Gospel According to John, Vol. II, XIII XXI. The Anchor Bible, (New York: Doubleday, 1970), p. 564.
2. I have given a contemporary example of this at the end of my novel, Face to Face.

The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.