Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
It’s In the Moment with Sonja Knutson
What happens when Jesus interrupts an ordinary meal to become a servant? On this Maundy Thursday, we witness a profound moment that transforms how we understand love and service.
There's a striking difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant. Most of us serve when it fits our schedule, when we gain something from it, or when we're in control. But Jesus demonstrates something radical when he wraps a towel around his waist and washes the grimy, dirty feet of his disciples. He's not just performing an act of service – he's embodying the very nature of servanthood.
Why does Peter resist so strongly? Perhaps because our greatest fear is being fully seen. The disciples sit around that table with hearts full of contradiction – one will betray, another will deny, all will run away. Deep down, each wonders, "Is it me? Does he know about my doubts, my secret addictions, my regrets?" We fear exposure will leave us unloved. Yet Jesus insists on washing Peter's feet because he knows that soon, when Peter denies him three times and feels utterly ashamed, he'll need this memory. He'll need to remember that Jesus loved him fully – not just his presentable parts, but his dirty, grimy feet too.
This extraordinary love forms the foundation of Jesus' mandate: "Love one another as I have loved you." Before we can fulfill this command, we must first grasp its revelation about ourselves – that we are fully, completely loved by Jesus. When you approach the communion table tonight, come like these excited fifth graders, with hands wide open, hearts wide open, ready to receive love that reaches into your darkest places and transforms how you love others. Will you allow yourself to be loved this way, and will you extend this love to a world desperately needing it?
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Go ahead and take a seat. I have the best view up front here. These new fifth graders are over here taking their Bibles out and trying to find the Scriptures. Well done boys, good job. So we should be proud of them trying to dig into the Word. It's hard, isn't it? Yeah, did you even find it before she was done? It was so close. We'll try again later. Is that fair? So, happy Maundy Thursday. My name is Sonia Knutz and I am the pastoral associate here at Central. I'm so privileged to be coming alongside Ryan and the team tonight and through this holy week time.
Speaker 1:I went to get my coffee this morning and I was going to Caribou and I go there quite often, unfortunately, because it's getting more and more expensive coffee this morning. And I was going to Caribou and I go there quite often, unfortunately, because it's getting more and more expensive. But this morning I needed my lavender honey latte with my coffee bean. And Sarah, who normally works at the coffee shop, said good morning Sonia. And I'm like happy Monday Thursday, sarah. And she's like what? And so I continue to drive up to the window and she's like it's Thursday, I'm like it's Maundy Thursday and I continue to give her like a three-minute sermon on what Maundy Thursday is and what it means, mandate, and Ryan's already shared.
Speaker 1:But she didn't know it and so I was telling her. Today we had two services and tomorrow is Good Friday and we have service tomorrow night and on Sunday we have four services and she goes. That's a lot of church. She said literally. She said I only have to go on Sunday one time. I'm like have to want to, said no fifth grader ever, unless they're getting their first communion tonight, right, kiddos? And I'm like no, no, no, this is a good thing. I want to go to church on Holy Week. I love this week. Who's with me? Thank you, half of you. Okay, we'll get there.
Speaker 1:This is my favorite week. I mean, tonight is so cool. We get to celebrate this Last Supper and the mandate and the command that he gave us, which we will talk about in a little bit, but also tomorrow night, my favorite service of the year, as these testimonies will be shared. And then, of course, easter Sunday, when all of the celebration, the hoopla that he finally comes out of the tomb and whoo, it's going to be a great week, amen. So I gave her an invite card because you know, that's what Ryan told us to do last week. How many of you did that? One person, fifth graders get on that for me. I did my job and I left and I was swooping around I thought good job, sonia, it's 730. You're already caffeinated, you've already shared a sermon. Way to go. It's going to be a great day. Let's do this.
Speaker 1:But also, I was just so grateful that I took the moment to share what often we forget to do when these moments pass us by in our busy days. And I did it and I shared what Maundy Thursday was about and I invited her to church, and I hope she comes on Sunday morning and not to that one place church. I'm not going to say what it is, it doesn't really matter. So, anyway, I was excited that I got to share the message a little bit, and I don't want to get too far ahead of myself before, but tonight is all about the special moments through Holy Week and through the moments of our lives, and we often let moments pass by when they could be life-changing for not only us but for other people in our lives. So let's begin with prayer, father, I'm so grateful, first of all, for these fifth graders and their families that are coming tonight to share in this amazing meal that you shared so many years ago. You shared this moment with your friends, your disciples, and you taught them about this amazing command and you washed their feet, and you shared this act of love that we often let pass by in our lives. And so tonight I ask that we open our hearts and our minds to your love in our life, to who you call us to be as servants to others, and how you call us to share your love in this world. We love you, jesus. In your name, we pray Amen.
Speaker 1:So have you ever lived in a moment that's hard to forget and perhaps has changed your life? My guess would be that answer would be yes, whether it's a frivolous moment so maybe, like you and your best friend have shared this funny story and has lived throughout your life, and it's built your friendship in funny and unique ways or maybe a moment was for you an embarrassing moment or a scarring moment that you just can't get past. Maybe the moment that you're thinking of was the moment that you said I do to your loved one, or the first time that you bore a child and you saw that little squished face. That's not a moment that you often would forget or maybe your moment is when a loved one passes into the hands of eternity and Jesus. I was blessed to be in that moment a few weeks ago, as my mom passed into Jesus' arms, and it will be a moment as it was with my dad's passing a year and a half ago that I will never forget. It was a very special, beautiful moment that not everybody gets to experience, and I want to take just a moment and say thank you to all of you who have shared your love and your outpouring cards and your memorials with me and my family, and you also gave me the time to take time off and just be in those precious moments with my mom and with my brother and sister. So, from my heart, thank you for allowing me to have that time.
Speaker 1:Moments like that are life-changing and today, this Maundy Thursday, we celebrate and we remember a moment in time when Jesus took this one last opportunity, away from the noise and the crowds and the people that truly bookended his ministry, to eat with his closest friends and to share with them what at first appears to be just a rather ordinary meal, but instead it was life-changing, not only for his disciples, but for me and you as well, the scene takes place in an upper room on Mount Zion where the disciples are sitting around with Jesus at a dinner table and the way I envision is they're sitting on the floor, leaning into this table and eating with bowls and with their hands, and women are coming out and bringing food to them and wine to them, and they're just having casual conversation, as you would imagine, with a table with that many people around it. Peter's probably irritated that, matthew is talking about the cost of ministry and Andrew is probably wondering if they're going to run out of wine, and Philip is complaining about a blister on his toe because of all of the travel that they had been doing. You know, just an ordinary meal with friends. But then Jesus throws an unforgettable moment and he interrupts the meal to become a servant, as Ryan mentioned In our reading today, we hear Jesus gets up, he takes off his robe, he wraps himself in a towel at his waist and he begins to wash the feet of his friends. I love how, later in Philippians, paul writes about this scene and he shares.
Speaker 1:Jesus made himself nothing by taking the very form of a servant. He doesn't just say that Jesus came and served. He actually puts on the very nature of a servant, which surprises his disciples. They are used to serving him, but to be served by their teacher, by their leader. This is perplexing, and I get that there's a difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant. When I choose to serve, of course, this is a good thing, but at the end of the day I'm still in charge. I decide whom and when I will serve. But as a servant, I go whenever and wherever I'm called, with no stipulations.
Speaker 1:When we grew up in our family, not serving wasn't an option. My parents naturally served with joyful hearts and they dragged us everywhere to serve with them. Did they teach us beautiful life lessons and values? Of course, but was I serving with a servant heart? Well, I'd be lying if I said yes. I didn't always want to be there. I mean, I was a kid who wants to wake up on a Saturday morning and go clean a food shelf or rake the neighbor's yard. And when I was finally old enough to drive, sports and friends and activities filled some of those time gaps that I normally would have gone with my parents because I had to. But serving then would sneak into those time gaps when I fitted into my schedule or if I could drag my friends with me. So it was convenient for me and I was gaining from it. I was the one in control of when I was going to serve and when it fit my schedule, and in so many ways, this was the game that the disciples were used to playing as well.
Speaker 1:Did they follow their call to serve when Jesus called them? Yeah, absolutely, but often, like us, they served to gain status or when it was expected. For example, it was customary for a host to wash the feet of their guest like a servant. It wasn't a pleasant job. Think about that. As Ryan mentioned, washing their grimy, dirty feet after traveling a long day or working in the fields or working in the villages was kind of probably gross. This wasn't a task for teachers, rabbis, kings or leaders, and surely Jesus was not expected to do this disgusting task. This was a job for the host or servants, or the disciples. So when Jesus, in this moment, steps up to wash their feet, he is showing them a new way to lead and a new way to love.
Speaker 1:And Jesus writes as Sarah shared Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God. So he got up from the mill, took off his outer clothing and he wrapped a towel around his waist and he washed the feet of his students. I love this. He knew that he was returning to God. He related to the knowledge that he was so loved the kind of love that exists in a person who knows God in such a way that they don't need anything from the object of their love. He wasn't manipulating the situation. Jesus knew what the months to come had in store for these men. He knew they would be called to go out into the world like sheep among wolves and to love the unlovable. He knew their mission could end in persecution, and for some of them it did. So they needed this moment and slowly Jesus begins working his way around the room, one by one, washing their dirty, grimy feet. Yuck, right Feet are gross, aren't they?
Speaker 1:There are many things that I remember and love about my dad, but one thing I remember was not so lovely, and that was his feet. My mom called them worn feet. He worked construction all his life and he spent many, many years in soggy work boots. So let's just say that they weren't very pretty and he complained about them. Often they're ugly, they hurt, they stink. But about 17 years ago my dad had his leg amputated above his knee due to a blood clot, and with no leg, obviously there was no foot, but my dad would complain often about a phantom pain in his foot, which is common for amputees. They can still feel the pain in their missing limb and I clearly remember him often saying oh, my foot hurts so much. Today or it itches or it burns.
Speaker 1:And my mom would pick up that prosthetic foot and she would rub it and she would massage it and she would care for it as if it was still there and she would talk about the crinkled, overworked toes, the ugly toenails and the sweaty smell. And for that moment the foot was real and all of the anger and frustration and embarrassment of that prosthetic that dad carried and thought often defined him was gone. And that is love, my friends, and that image has stuck with me when I think of extraordinary acts of love. She loved him to the core and cared deeply about a part of him that was broken. She knew that missing leg and foot did not diminish the man that he was. He was not less than just because he couldn't run the same race that he did previously, but instead she reminded him that he was whole, no matter the broken parts of his life. We all have broken parts of ourselves that we would rather not have anyone see the secret parts, the ashamed and embarrassing parts, the angry and deceitful parts.
Speaker 1:And for the disciples, this was the case as well. In that room with Jesus on that night, they were hearts full of contradiction. As Jesus predicted, one of them would betray him and another would turn his back. And the disciples were bewildered and stared at one another when Jesus proclaimed this. Who would that be? Well, we know that Jesus plotted great evils against Jesus, know that Jesus plotted great evils against Jesus. I mean that Judas did sorry. And we know that Peter denied him not once, but three times. Because we've read the stories and we know the story. But I can't help but think what if they, the disciples, were confused? Because deep down they were all wondering the same thing. Is it me? Am I the one? Does he know about the things that I've done? Does he know about my doubts? Did he find out about that secret addiction? Has he heard about that thing from my past that I have such deep regret and humiliation over? Does he know the places my thoughts sometimes drift to and from? Is it me?
Speaker 1:For many of us, our greatest fear is that we'll be found out that our dirty, grimy feet will be exposed and that such exposure will leave us unloved. And perhaps this is why Peter puts up a fight when Jesus is ready to wash his feet—that as we read on in John 13, we hear that he insists that Jesus stay away and he says you shall never wash my feet. He says you shall never wash my feet, jesus. And Jesus tells Peter I have to wash your feet. It won't make sense to you right now, but in a few days it will become more clear for you. In a few days, when you're at your lowest moment, peter, when you've denied knowing me, your friend, your teacher, when you're feeling more ashamed than you've ever felt in your life, in a few days when you feel alone and unworthy of love, you will be glad that I have washed your feet. You will need this moment right now, peter, when the worst of you has been exposed, but in that moment you will know that I love you fully, not just your clean hands and your presentable face, but all of you, not just your achievements and your intellect and your wittiness. I love all of that, but I love your dirty, grimy feet. And that, my friends, is extraordinary love. That's loving to the greatest possible extent and loving to the end. It is a love that was commanded for this Maundy Thursday. Today and at the Last Supper and every day in between. Jesus commanded, he mandated his disciples after sharing a meal, after washing feet, after predicting his own death and betrayal, after giving wine and bread, he commands to his disciples to love one another as he has loved.
Speaker 1:Up until this point in the Gospel of John, the author has never stated explicitly that Jesus loved his disciples, and we know that. In John 3.16, the author tells us of God's love for the entire world. But on this night, in this moment, things all of a sudden get profoundly personal. Jesus was saying hey, guys, this isn't about the world, it's not about Israel, it's not about the person sitting next to you. It's about you, james and Andrew and Peter and Philip and Simon the Zealot, and even Judas. This love is about you. And before any of them could ever understand what the command compelled them to go out and actually do, they first had to wrap their minds around what that command revealed about them. They had to grasp the idea and the depth of Jesus loved you. Jesus fully loved them. Jesus said I have washed your dirty feet, I have washed your darkest areas of your life, I have cleansed you. I fully love all of you. It's less a statement about time and more a declaration about depth, and it's about how far this love would reach into a person's life.
Speaker 1:Brennan Manning writes about God's love this way. He says Jesus came not only for those who skip morning meditations, but also for the real sinners, the thieves, the adulterers, the terrorists, and for those caught up in unclean choices and failed dreams, and I love that. It says to the worst of the worst, to the one beyond hope, to you and to me, he says give me those feet, central. Do you know that kind of love? Or do you put that love aside because you think you're not worthy? You think that your feet are too dirty and you tried to hide them and there is no way that you can receive that kind of love or, for that matter, share that kind of love with others. And if that's you, then we would say to you that's a lie, because the truth is, if we are Christ followers, then that command is for all of us and his love is ours to receive and to share, and when that happens, the world changes. That night was about you and me and in that moment, that mandate was for all of us in this kingdom, because he loves us fully and has a bigger plan than we can ever imagine fully and has a bigger plan than we can ever imagine. Jesus is commanding us to go to serve, to love, to shake up the ordinary and to reach the deepest, darkest shadows of this world and to change lives, because he loves us and he's waiting for our grimy feet.
Speaker 1:We're going to celebrate the meal soon, and maybe tonight is the first time that you have heard or recognized the depth of Jesus' love for you and his desire for you to share that love with others. If so, cool, great, and maybe your faith is deep and strong. Whatever it is, when you come to the table today, I hope that you come as these fifth graders excited hands, wide open hearts, wide open minds, waiting to receive something that they've waited so long. I think of Lucy. Every time you come through the line, you're just so excited to receive it. And tonight's your night, honey, because he loves you, he loves all of us. So come to the table arms open, amen.
