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Brooksyne Weber
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Wednesday, April
13, 2022
"People
Of The Towel"
Message
summary: We want to encourage our believing
friends wherever you are to consider our Lord's call to
serve one another in humility as our Lord Jesus so
powerfully demonstrated!
"Jesus knew that the
Father had put all things under His power, and that He had
come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from
the meal, took off His outer clothing, and wrapped a towel
around His waist. After that, He poured water into a basin
and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with
the towel that was wrapped around Him" (John 13:3-5). "Now
that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you
also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an
example that you should do as I have done for you" (John
13:14,15).
Last
night we had two guests over to our place for dinner, both
named Joe and both are towel specialists at Kleen-Rite, a
company that sells supplies to the car wash industry.The senior member of the
team is Dr. Joe who has been in the towel business for many
years and is well-known in the car wash industry. Dr. Joe
lives in Florida but is up in Pennsylvania preparing for a
large car wash exposition in Nashville next month.
These towels are used for car washing, auto detailing, and more. Dr. Joe has a long tradition of providing the right "prescription" for towels and his specialty is towology! As you can imagine he is a very interesting and colorful man who is discipling the younger Joe in this business, although discipling is not a word used in the business world. More common titles for such a role would be mentor, trainer or coach!
These towels are used for car washing, auto detailing, and more. Dr. Joe has a long tradition of providing the right "prescription" for towels and his specialty is towology! As you can imagine he is a very interesting and colorful man who is discipling the younger Joe in this business, although discipling is not a word used in the business world. More common titles for such a role would be mentor, trainer or coach!
Most significantly both of
these men share our faith in Christ!
Our visit last evening
prompted a consideration of the only Bible reference to
"towel" which is in our daily text, when Jesus washed the
disciples feet. This towel had two purposes:
1) He
wrapped a towel around His waist
2) He
dried the disciples feet with it.
For many years we attended a
church that had an annual footwashing service on Maundy
Thursday, which we found very moving. In fact we will share
some photos from this service below.
But today I want to consider
a footwashing service when we served a church in upstate
Pennsylvania.
Let me introduce a third Joe
who had come into our church bringing personal and family
conflict with him. He later told me he was bitter. Among
other things he and his wife were in disagreement concerning
church attendance. But somehow she managed to persuade him
to come that particular Palm Sunday morning. A big, burly
man he didn't seem happy to be there at all and as I
stretched out my hand to greet him I wondered if he was
going to snap at me!
But he came back and three
weeks later responded to an altar call. He gave his heart to
the Lord and began the transformation process that continues
to this day some 40 years later. He joyfully testifies
to the change in his life and for many years was active in
ministry to boys through our Royal Rangers program where he
sought to influence them to live for Christ.
One of the most poignant
memories I have of Joe was his participation in a
footwashing service several years after he came into faith.
I was preaching from John 13 concerning Christ's example and
asked him if I could publicly wash his feet as a visual
sermon illustration. He agreed and it's become one of my
greatest ministry memories. I am sure some people in our
church from Northern Pennsylvania can still remember my
washing Joe's feet as a demonstration of humility and
service!
Footwashing is primarily a
reminder of Christ serving us by dying on the cross and how
we should serve one another. Following the original
footwashing Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and
Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one
another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should
do as I have done for you” (John 13:14,15). Years ago
a pastor challenged us to have a servant’s heart and to be
"People of the Towel", referring to humility
in service. Let us also pass on the same thought to you
today. As followers of Christ let us be people of
the towel.
Today, we want to encourage
our believing friends wherever you are to consider our
Lord's call to serve one another in humility as our Lord
Jesus so powerfully demonstrated!
Be
encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen
& Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we
see the tremendous humility of Jesus
who, being in very nature God, made
Himself nothing by taking the very
nature of a servant to live in human
flesh. His humility led Him all the way
to Calvary, where He became obedient to
death - even death on a cross! What an
unsurpassed example Christ is to us as
He looked not to His own interests or
comforts, but to our desperate need for
salvation. Help us, likewise, to look
not only to our own interests but to the
needs of others. Show us ways that we
can be of humble service to those who
need it most. In Jesus' name we pray.
Amen.Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental
Resources
"Footwashing: The
Fellowship of the Towel" An
interesting article about footwashing
Many
years ago Ester took these next three
photos of a footwashing service at our
former church.
Marjorie washing the feet of one of the youngest among us. What a powerful way to value and teach children!
Brooksyne washing the feet and praying over a sister.
The men and women hold the footwashing in different parts of the building. Ester looked down the hall into the men's gathering and snapped this photo.
The church we presently attend has an annual presentation of the "Order of the Towel" in recognition of longtime service. In this photo from 2017 Pastor Beau presented the "Order of the Towel" to Linda, a dedicated servant, who has faithfully served in the church nursery for over 40 years, in addition to many other areas of service! "Order of the Towel" is a reference to the Upper Room foot washing where Jesus washed the disciples' feet and instructed them, "Do as I have done for you" (John 13:15).
Follow-up to
yesterday's message on donkeys:
Yesterday we stopped by the Deep Run
Meadows Donkey Farms in Lebanon
County and saw these donkeys. I
spoke to the farmer who raises them
and these are actually miniature
donkeys. He also told me that the
shelter we had shown in our lead photo was not
the top of a silo as I had thought
but a fuel tank cut in half set up
on end with a opening cut out.
Jesse, my farmer friend from
the Old Windmill Farm shared an
interesting insight about the
donkey. he told me donkeys do not
like walking on anything but the
familiar ground and will step over
or around anything else unfamiliar
to them that might get in their
path. Yet we see the unusual or
miraculous nature of the donkey that
Jesus rode stepping on cloaks the
people spread on the road as well
as palm branches! (Matthew 21:8).
He also told me mules inherit the
same characteristic.
Our Amish neighbor up
Kraybill Church Road has a nice day
for some tilling today.
Major
Events of the Passion Week
Here's a helpful chart from a Study Bible as you contemplate the events that took place this holy week. It's inspiring to read these Scriptures in the daily sequence leading up to Easter. We will leave these materials up all week. If you choose only one gospel to read, Luke is often more detailed than others though there is much to be gleaned from each gospel.
Sunday
- Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem: Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19
- Jesus Clears the Temple: Mt. 21:12,13; Mk. 11:15-17; Lk. 19:45,46
- Jesus' authority challenged in the temple: Mt. 21:23-27; Mk. 11:27-33; Lk. 20:1-8
- Jesus teaches stories and confronts the Jewish leaders: Mt. 21:28-23:36; Mk. 12:1-40; Lk. 20:9-47
- Greeks ask to see Jesus: Jn. 12:20-26
- The Olivet Discourse: Mt. 24; Mk. 13; Lk. 21:5-38
- Judas agrees to betray Jesus: Mt. 26:14-16; Mk. 14:10,11; Lk. 22:3-6
- The Last Supper: Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22-25; Lk. 22:14-20
- Jesus speaks to the disciples in the upper room: Jn. 13-17
- Jesus struggles in Garden of Gethsemane: Mt. 26:36-46; Mk. 14:32-42; Lk. 22:39-46; Jn. 18:1
- Jesus is betrayed and arrested: Mt. 26:47-56; Mk. 14:43-52; Lk. 22:47-53; Jn. 18:2-12
- Jesus is tried by Jewish and Roman authorities and disowned by Peter: Mt. 26:57-27:2, 11-31; Mk. 14:53-15:20; Lk. 22:54-23:25; Jn. 18:13-19:16
- Jesus is crucified and buried: Mt. 27:31-56; Mk. 15:20-41; Lk. 23:26-49; Jn. 19:17-30
- The glorious resurrection: Mt. 28:1-10; Mk. 16:1-11; Lk. 24:1-12; Jn. 20:1-18
(This material is
developed from an outline in the
Life Application Bible)
"It's
Still The Cross!"
(A
selection of Scripture verses focusing on the Cross for personal, family or
congregational reading.)
Pastor: Here they crucified Him, and with Him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle. John 19:18
Congregation: This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross. Acts 2:23
Pastor: For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
Congregation: May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14
Pastor: By abolishing in His flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which He put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. Ephesians 2:15-17
Congregation: He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name. Philippians 2:7-9
Pastor: For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross. Colossians 1:19,20
Congregation: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; He took it away, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13,14
All: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.
Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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