Here is Buzz Commandment IV:
Thou Shalt Wash Smelly Feet [1]
I am absolutely convinced that the solution to almost all church problems is putting a towel around our waist and serving like Jesus. We ought to be so busy serving our communities that we don’t have time or energy to waste on petty problems. We don’t need more committee meetings. We need to wash more feet.
Never a dull moment. That is a pretty good description of discleship Jesus-style. The disciples never knew what Jesus was going to do next. He always seemed to have a surprise up his sleeve. I gaurantee this: the disciples never forgot the day Jesus put towel around his waist and washed their feet. It was a surprise left hook.
He rolled up his sleeves and got his hands dirty. He did a job that was reserved for the lowest ranking servant on the Jewish totem pole.
We’re called to wash feet. And when we do what Jesus did it creates a holy buzz.
Last May, a team from NCC went on a missions trip to Ethiopia. The most memorable day for me was the day we built a mud hut for an elderly Ethiopian grandmother in Addis Ababa. I remember feeling so exhausted physically and so energized spiritually. At the end of the day I felt like I’d come as close as I’d ever come to fulfilling one-quarter of the Great Commandment: Love the Lord your God with all of your strength.
And the buzz that it created in that neighborhood was unbelievable. Children congregated. Neighbors were wondering what we were doing. And the people we served were overwhelmed that this group of Americans would get their hands and feet dirty building a mud hut for someone we’d never met.
Let me put foot washing in psychological terms. When you do something for someone it creates a psychological debt that people naturally want to repay. Psychologists call it the law of reciprocation. I’m not suggesting that we give to get or serve to be served. In fact, if you do the right thing for the wrong reasons it doesn’t count in God’s ecomony.
But when we serve like Jesus it opens people up to hear the message.
If you want to generate buzz, here is my advice: show the love of Christ in some practical and creative ways. Do an offsite retreat praying and thinking about the needs you can meet in your community.
A few years ago, NCC started Extreme Home Makeover: NCC Edition. We had a team of NCCers to renovate and repaint a single mom’s house on Mother’s Day. It’s become an NCC tradition. Occasionally, we’ll do some kind of community service project. Last summer our Fantasy Baseball Small Group volunteered to serve as the groundkeeping crew for the local little league.
The opportunities are endless. There are smelly feet that need washing everywhere.
Every weekend our In Service ministry hits the streets ministering to the homeless community. Dozens of homeless men and women have become part of our community of faith because NCCers are washing dirty feet. We have small groups targeting the homeless. We believe that God blesses a church in proportion to how they care for the poor.
Instead of boycotting or complaining or finger-pointing, maybe it’s time we quietly put towels around our waists, got down on our knees, and washed feet.
[1] John 13
