Christian Family

This past Sunday held a new experience for me: attending a Grace Brethren communion and foot washing service. At first, the idea of washing feet just plain weirded me out. For one, I'm not very comfortable with my own feet or with the idea of someone else being close to them, washing them. And two, I wasn't sure if the idea of washing someone else's feet really appealed to me either. Of course, the main reason for this was because I greatly feared that I would be doing this with strangers.

As the time approached, however, I warmed up to it a lot more. I found out that men and women would be separate (washing another woman's feet sounded a bit better to me, I guess), and then my friend informed me that our little group of friends could cluster together and wash one another's feet. No strangers involved.

I have to say, firstly, that there is definitely something humbling not just in washing someone's feet but even in having one's own feet washed. I didn't have many qualms about kneeling before a close friend of mine and splashing water over her feet or drying them with a towel; I guess it felt natural to show care for someone in that way. But it was a little stranger when the moment came for my feet to be washed. As I sat, my feet soaking in a tub of warm, clean water, my friend kneeling before me to splash and rub the water over my feet, I felt like I was being pampered. It was a moment in which I could see the love within the church family. After my friend washed and dried my feet carefully, we embraced and told each other how thankful we were for each other.

Even though I didn't know anyone outside my little circle, I quickly became interested in two women sitting across from me. I couldn't tell from the snippets of conversation I happened to hear when they first caught my attention just how well they knew each other. At first I was under the impression that perhaps they were more acquaintances than friends. Either way, though, I could see the connection between them as they sat and talked, as they washed one another's feet, as they embraced and prayed for one another at the end. All over the room, women and girls washed each other's feet in a sign of humility, love, and service, then hugged, prayed, and chatted.

I am thankful whenever I have experiences like this with other Christians. Even just watching this group of people that I didn't know reminds me how they are still part of my Christian family, that we all still share a common bond. The joy in connecting and fellowshipping with other Christians, with praying and serving one another, with witnessing the love amongst Christians, is a powerful thing. It is just a small reflection of God's love, but where would we be without it?