scraping off the shit - a liturgy for maundy thursday

safe space maundy thursday liturgy
jesus washes the feet of the disciples

reading - john 13v3-17

scraping off the shit
where we walk, we walk in the crap left by others, by ourselves, the mess of human lives, the comings and goings of a wasteful, corrupt and selfish world, we wallow in the dirt and the hurt, oblivious to the stink and the stains that we carry with us.  God stripped off all finery, stepped in our shit, knelt in it, touched it, held our ugliest bits in the very hands that made us and washed them clean.

hands which formed matter, pulse which set the rhythm of the planets, breath which stirred life into being, mind which dreamt the diversity of the species, eyes which bore deep into the heart of humanity, heart which yearns for us to choose peace, feet that walk each step with us, mouth which chides and comforts, arms which embrace the hurting, strength which sustains the weak, life which was given up for love, creator who scrapes the shit off my feet, God who serves.

wash me clean

where I judge others
where I dismiss others
where I abuse others
where I ignore others
where I ridicule others
where I use others

wash me clean

where I elevate myself
where I think only of myself
where I want only for myself
where I gather to myself
where I hold to myself
where I value only myself

wash me clean

where I seek for power
where I seek for control
where I seek for praise
where I seek for status
where I seek for fame
where I seek for wealth

wash me clean

we begin this story of service and servant-hood by washing the feet of each other; we are a community of service, we serve each other, we serve the people we meet on the road, we serve the town in which we live, we serve the servant God, who as the God who became flesh and blood and lived amongst us chose to get right down and dirty in the shit and stink of human life to wash the feet of those he lived with.  so we wash each others feet.
[washing of each others feet]

reading - micah 6v6-8

the challenge for us is that instead of pointing to the rubbish others have accumulated from a place of “holier than thou” judgment, calling them to lift themselves out of the mire, we like Jesus bend and kneel amongst the dirt and the hurt, we get right amongst it, see it up close, feel it, smell it, risk its contamination… and wash the feet of those we serve.

may we be at all times, both now and forever
a protector for those without protection
a guide for those who have lost their way
a ship for those with oceans to cross
a bridge for those with rivers to cross
a sanctuary for those in danger
a lamp for those without light
a place of refuge for those who lack shelter
and a servant to all in need.

a buddhist prayer of peace

in that moment at the table Jesus was host and servant, head of the table and willing slave, honoured guest and lowest member of staff, holy and humble one.  stripping himself of all status and authority he calls us to a humility that flies in the face of modern culture and human logic, to a holiness that follows his pattern… to love in the name of the servant God.

Technorati Tags: alt.worship: Emerging Church: Rhythm: Spirituality: Worship

Comments

[Phil Smith]

Brilliant thanks mate. Going down to my fiances parents tomorrow and we were looking for some liturgy- Not sure my ego can face washing the mother in laws feet though.

[Mark]

LOL... I love the idea of doing this liturgy with you future parents in law! TBH I'm not sure I'd advise it though :-D

[Jo]

Mate,
this looks awesome - can I plagiarise next year? Love the use of the buddhist prayer too. I have shown this to some of my USA friends, and they cannot get over the title of the blog!!! I am still working on them. But in my perspective, this is brilliantly constructed.

[Mark]

Jo, Thanks, You are most welcome to use and adapt any of the stuff we write. It will all come out soon as part of a booklet we are doing with Proost. Part of a series of "liturgies from emerging communitiees". I knew some folk would have difficulty with the title and some of the language in this... it wasn't done for "shock value" but in attempt to "tell it like it was/is", the reason for washing of feet was of course all the dust, dirt and shit (literally) that would be everywhere... no tarmac ;) I guess this nescesity became ritualised as a sign of welcome and hospitality. It made me think of the call at the end of the passage Christs servant-hood as a pattern for our living... what would it really like to get down and dirty in community? We have got so scared of being tainted or corrupted by an "evil" world that we have built nice "holy" ghettos... often called "Churches"... Ann Morissy (Journeying out) wrote...

"Journeying out requires the capacity to rise above the anxiety associated with encountering and embracing a potentially overwhelming, outside world."

... and I wanted to capture something of the need to be washed in the most significant way by a God who gets "down and dirty" in extreme love for us and the call/command for us to likewise!

[Jo]

Amen, Mark. Amen.