A Sermon for Maundy Thursday
The Rev. Patricia A. Gillespie, adapted from Worship that Works
Exodus 12:1-14a
Psalm 78:14-20, 23-25
1 Corinthians 11:23-32)
John 13:1-15
Somewhere out in the wilds of Cyberspace there is a website called "Ask the Oracle." Those who stumble upon it as they surf the Internet are invited to have their fortune told. All that is required is to focus mentally on a yes/no question about the future. When the inquirer feels ready, she clicks on the "submit question" button. One of three answers appears 1. Yes 2. No 3. You aren't focused enough for the Oracle to respond. The oracle is consulted thousands of times a month by paying customers. That's right, the first fortune is free, but there is a fee for any further "consultations."
Doesn't it seem a bit strange that human beings intelligent enough to use computers and navigate the Internet, actually pay money to gain access to the Oracle's terse advice? Isn't it a bit frightening to realize that some of these people may set aside their own intellect, experience, and instincts to follow that advice? What's going on here? Are computers ruining our minds?
Actually, such behavior is not at all new. Long before the computer age, people have had trouble making decisions. Free Will, which gives us the capacity to make choices, is a central aspect of what it means to be human. But being free to choose also means sometimes making a bad decision. So as long as human beings have had free will, they have sought guidance for their choices, hoping to avoid making painful mistakes. Historically, humankind has made some pretty odd choices about where to look for this guidance. " Ask the Oracle" is really just a high tech way of flipping a coin, saying "eeney, meeney, meyeny, mo," or picking the petals off a daisy. It is way of letting chance decide for us.
Throughout the ages, people have also turned to God and religion to help them manage their free will. In Jesus' day, the Jews had a religion, which offered them lots of guidance. They had a rule for practically everything. Central to the Jewish tradition, then and now, was keeping the law.
Although Christians are equally fond of making rules, keeping them is not the core of our faith. We believe that through faith in Jesus Christ our sins can no longer separate us from God. We understand our salvation to be a free gift - and not something we can earn by keeping rules - no matter how good those rules might be.
Nevertheless, Jesus did not leave us without guidance. Instead of giving us a rulebook to show us the way, Jesus has become the way. In the church calendar, today is called "Maundy Thursday." "Maundy" means "command." This refers to the command Jesus gave his disciples after washing their feet. He said: "A new commandment I give you: love one another as I have loved you." (John 13:34)
When Jesus washes the disciples' feet, he asks them: "Do you know 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 should do as I have done to you."
In Jesus' time and place, the custom of foot washing was a common courtesy. The ground was hot and sandy. Because people wore sandals, their feet also got hot and sandy. Washing the feet was a necessity when coming indoors. Foot washing was something like the customs we have today about a guest's coat. When we come indoors, our coats have to come off if we are going to be comfortable. A host often offers to help a guest remove his coat, and then hangs it up for him. The difference is that most of us perform this courtesy for our guests ourselves. In Jesus' day, the host's servants would wash the guests' feet, since it was considered a demeaning chore.
Part of the example Jesus was giving his disciples was one of setting aside the current worldly understanding of social status. Jesus loves us in such a way that rank has no meaning. The Lord waits upon his servants as though he was the servant and they were his master.
We don't need to "Ask the Oracle," flip a coin, or consult a rulebook.
Jesus doesn't just guide us with laws;
he does not just show us the way;
he is the way, the truth, and the life.