St. Christopher's Episcopal Church: Sermons

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A Sermon Preached at St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Oak Park, IL
on Maundy Thursday, March 20, 2008
by the Rev. Paris Coffey

"During supper Jesus got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand." Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." - John 13:4-8

Japan was a Buddhist country until 1542 when Portuguese missionaries landed on an island in Southern Japan. Initially, they had moderate success, but Christianity was soon banned and its followers persecuted or put to death, leading to Christianity's virtual extinction in Japan in less than a hundred years. Today only 1% of the population is Christian, but among that 1% was Japanese artist Sadao Watanabe. Watanabe died of natural causes in 1996, but before his death he became one of Japan's most noted 20th century artists, despite the fact that his prints were exclusively of the Gospel.

Watanabe became a Christian, or so it's said, when he contracted tuberculosis as a boy and was thought to be close to death. He'd heard about Christianity from his school teacher, but it was not until he faced death that he vowed that if he should recover he would study the Bible and spread the Christian story through his art. Watanabe did recover, was baptized at the age of 17, and for the next 66 years told the story of the Bible as he'd promised. Combining Japanese folk art, modern Western art and ancient Buddhist painting techniques, Watanabe created scores of stencil prints that sold all over the world.

One of these prints - of "Christ Washing the Feet of St. Peter" - is on the cover of tonight's service leaflet. It's an impressive rendering of this event from John's Gospel in which Watanabe uses elongated hands, fingers and toes and the large eyes of Jesus to stress the importance of Christ's symbolic act. Only Jesus' eyes are open as he washes the feet of Peter, who in an act of surrender sits with eyes closed in prayer and humility as Jesus kneels before him. An angel, or perhaps God, blesses Christ's loving act of service, gently touching his halo as all three figures bend toward one another in a kind of Trinitarian unity. It's one of the most moving images I have experienced of the footwashing, expressing the peace and centeredness that come with surrender to Christ's love. Indeed, it suggests our NEED for such love if we are draw others into the love and hospitality of God.

In Peter's day, footwashing was a common act of hospitality, typically performed by a servant when a guest entered one's house. Today, though, it's quite uncommon (except for infants and invalids), and yet such care is no less needed. Each of us needs the love of God - need to receive it before we can share it - which is why Jesus says to Peter in tonight's Gospel, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." On the other hand, it's also the reason he says, "You also ought to wash one another's feet," for the way most of us experience God's love is through the love of someone else. Without human love human beings harden in their brokenness and become a danger to themselves and others. In contrast, with love even difficult times of loss, illness, hardship, loneliness, or degradation can be bathed in God's love if human hearts are there to care and human hands to serve.

In fact, this is what it means not only to share in tonight's footwashing, but to share in Christ's body and blood as well. As Jesus says and Paul recounts in tonight's second reading, "This is my body that is for you . . . This cup is the new covenant in my blood." To receive the body of Christ means that we become Christ's loving, living, breathing body for one another in the Church and in the world. To receive the cup means we become blood relatives in Christ and brothers and sisters to all children of God. And this changes everything.

It changes the way we see each other, for example, recognizing that although we may look as different as night and day, we all come from the same God, from the same gene pool you might say. It changes the way we treat each other, accepting that although not all of our siblings in Christ may be easy to like, they're family and so are important to love. It changes the way we serve each other, keeping an eye out not just for those closest to us, but for those who are NOT at the table, who need a little understanding, encouragement and especially an invitation. Indeed, it changes our idea of who's welcome at God's Table, knowing that we are all children of God.

After all, this is what it means to be a follower in the Way of Christ. This is what it means to have our feet washed and go forth to wash the feet of others. This is what it means to share in the body and blood of Jesus Christ. Indeed, this is what it means to go out and share the Christian story through whatever gifts we have been given - our art, our business, our parenting - but always through our love. As Jesus says after washing the feet of the twelve, "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." We pray to God that we may have this love and make it known it in the world; that we may receive it this very night in order that we might also give.

Amen.