Confession - Good for the Fellowship (5 of 4)

Okay; I know 5 of 4 isn't really possible, but I felt I had to add one more thing to this discussion.

The Church of God is one of the few church communities that still practices foot washing. It is a wonderful object lesson in service and humility. But it goes far beyond that. At left is Gilbert W. Stafford, Director of the D. Min. program at Anderson University School of Theology. His writings have helped inform some of my thinking on today's subject.

Read John 13:1-10.

Peter was ashamed to have his Lord and Master wash his dirty feet. According to Stafford, this was a practice performed by the lowest slave in the household (usually a woman and a foreigner), and Jewish slaves were not required to wash anyone’s feet—it was beneath the dignity of even a slave, if she were Jewish. [1]

Notice that after Peter relents and asks that his head and hands also be washed, Jesus tells him that’s not necessary. He’s already clean. Just his feet need washed. In our world of taking a shower every morning and wearing socks and shoes, even though we drive almost everywhere we go, it’s hard for us to relate to a society that bathes weekly at best, where people suffer from chronically dirty feet.

Jesus is teaching his disciples another lesson—one removed from servanthood and humility. As we walk through our day-to-day lives, we can pick up dirt, too. How many times has your mother cried out, “Wipe your feet!”? We also need to wipe our feet spiritually—hence foot washing. Sometimes this is a hard pill to swallow for those of us raised in the holiness tradition, but even we need to get rid of the dirt on our feet that we pick up every day. This dirt is composed of attitudes, temptations, and small acts of disobedience; it may be the riches, worries and pleasures—from the parable of the farmer—that, over time, choke the very life out of us. The foot washing of confession and repentance is necessary for our ongoing vital relationship with Christ. [2]

We don’t need re-converted; we don’t need re-baptized; we just need to wash our feet, and stay clean before our God. That’s what daily confession and repentance is all about.

So, how has confession and repentance shown itself vital to your daily walk with Christ?

[1] Gilbert W. Stafford, Theology for Disciples (Anderson, IN: Warner, 1996), 576f.

[2] Ibid., 584; Stafford doesn’t come right out and equate foot washing with daily confession and repentance, but compares daily foot washing with the need to maintain one’s “ongoing vital relationship” with Christ.