Can You Hear The Echo Of God’s Love?
Good Morning Friends,
Since the mid 1970’s the Pittsburgh Steelers have involved the people in the stands with them though the twirling of The Terrible Towel. It is more than a towel to wipe their seats clean or a muffler against the cold and the rain. It is a tradition that has domesticated their passion in the service of the team. So even though the Steelers will not be in the Super Bowl we, whether we are fans or not, need to remember these images of the towel…and realize that this powerful symbol of support would not be as significant if Jesus had not been the first to pick up the towel. You see life is an echo. Love is an echo of a prior love. Words and actions and stories become echoes of a message sent out that comes back to dance in our head with emotional images. Friends, what we sow, we reap. What we give, we get. What we see in others, exists in us. Remember this law of life. Whatever we put into life always comes back. So give goodness. Can You Hear The Echo Of God’s Love?
Scripture: One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
Psalms 145:4 (NRSV)
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.
Galatians 6:7 (NRSV)
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.
John 13:1-5 (NRSV)
Message: God’s love echoes through history like the reverberating rumble of thunder across a majestic mountain range. And though history does not repeat itself exactly it does indeed echo. However, unlike the diminishing thunder, the echo of God’s love continues loud and strong for those who will listen. It does not fall off the cliff. And the stories of Bible echo as well. The story of Jesus washing of feet of the disciples is a perfect example. From those who welcome the love of God there emerges an echo of love that rebounds back to its source in forms of affection, praise, and gratitude. Now not all denominations practice the washing of feet but it really is a dramatic reenactment of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. And now that Pope Francis has decreed that women will be included in the rite, it for me has become a witness that the echoes of love are not limited. The shock waves bounce from one human heart to another in a way that does not grow dim and fade away. We are not forced to relive a Greek myth but have free will to add to the love in our hearts and our voices.
Friends, achieving true greatness begins with a servant’s heart. Greatness is found in a life of service. While the disciples argued about who was greatest, Jesus choose the time of the Lord’s Supper in the upper room as a time to teach them and us a powerful lesson. When division comes as an uninvited guest to dinner Jesus intervenes. There is something in the washing of another feet that should help us learn to share. It is a time when we learn to reverberate in a love for each other. It is a time when we examine our attitudes towards one another and discover the grace that abounds when we pick up the towel as an echo of God’s love.
Pray that God’s love echoes in our ears. Pray the sound waves of God’s love be absorbed by our hearts. Pray we grow closer to God’s heart as we listen for the echo of his cleansing forgiveness. Pray that the source of our love continues undiminished with a response that continues like a breath of fresh air. Pray we show love for our fellow man. Pray we witness to His Lordship when we serve others. Pray we look for ways to help. Pray we have a mindset for ministry. Pray we pick up the towel and be part of the work and love that goes on and on forever as more than an echo of the past.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 