Serving

Ducks and Eagles

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment 
  
Ducks and Eagles
 Way up in the sky
  Eagle soars all alone
 Far from the mud below
 Flying high in the blue
 He thinks it is true
 That he’s the best bird in the show
  
 While down at the farm
  Ducky waddles along
 With his tribe by the edge of the stream
 Leading them on
 To the cool water’s edge
 Where their dirty feet 
 Can be washed clean
 
 Now that I your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, 
you should also wash one another’s feet            
John 13:14 NIV 

Ducks and Eagles by Peter Caligiuri
Copyright 2021 all rights reserved

Has He Washed Your Feet?

/ pastorpete51 / 4 Comments

Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” John 13:8 ESV

Peter was shocked that Jesus would kneel and wash his dirty feet. This was unheard of. How could Jesus their master and teacher be willing to wash their feet? But Jesus made it very clear that unless Peter allowed Him to wash his feet; he would not belong to him. The hardest part for some of us is that, like Peter, we don’t mind serving, but if we want to serve in the kingdom of God then He demands that we first humble ourselves and allow Him to wash our feet.

Some years ago I felt led to teach on this passage in a very practical way. Only my wife knew what was planned. So after I closed had finished the message that morning, II stepped out the side door and picked up the wash basins, warm water and towels which we had secretly hidden. “Now we have a chance to do this” I said as our small congregation sat in stunned silence. First I washed my wife’s feet, then she mine and then we split the church in two. The women went to her side and the men to mine. Nancy began washing the first woman’s feet, and then handed a towel to her and then the roles reversed. Now that woman washed the next in line. On the men’s side we did the same. One pair of feet at a time we discovered that doing the washing was pretty easy but allowing someone else to wash our feet was tough and humbling. Many tears flowed at our church that day. Relationships were deepened and in some cases restored. Jesus has promised us a blessing when we wash each other’s feet. But to be a foot washer we must admit that we first need Him to wash our feet. Has Jesus washed your feet? He is waiting with the basin and towel for your response today.

Pausing to Remember

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On September 10, 2001 Nancy and I flew home safely past the Statue of Liberty to land in Newark. Were returning from visiting family in California and I looked forward to getting back to our normal schedule.

The next morning I got up and went back to work. It was a beautiful sunny day and I was mowing the big lawn behind one house where I had worked for many years. When I noticed the owner’s wife walking down the hill from the house I was quite surprised as she rarely walked around the grounds.

So I turned off my big mower and went up to see what she needed. “Hi Radica. What can I do for you?” I asked as I got off the seat of the lawn tractor to greet her.

She looked blankly up at me as she responded, “An airplane flew into the World trade Center and the towers just fell down.”

“Are you sure?” I asked incredulously. “They’re so big. I can’t believe it.”

“That’s what they are saying on the news.” she answered softly. “I’ve got to get back to the house and see what is going on.”

At first I just went down tot he truck and turned on my radio to double check that she understood everything correctly because the idea that anything so big could fall over seemed unreal. But I was stunned with the reports I heard as I tuned into the local radio station. Everything she had said was true: and more. A few minutes later I meekly knocked on her door and asked if I could watch with her. It felt as if our life was about to end and that everything we had been so concerned about the previous hour didn’t matter at all. There we sat together listening as new and terrible reports came in of other planes being hijacked and burning buildings. Nothing made any sense but somehow I finally excused myself as she watched with tears running down her face and I put my tools away to go home to my family.

This is exactly where I was that day

How little did Nancy and I know when we woke that morning that we would be spared while others would never be able to go home. Now 19 years later as I am looking back at that day it still doesn’t seem real. It still doesn’t make sense. But I have learned that in a life often filled with terrible things that don’t make sense to always be thankful for every one of God’s smallest blessings and that as He gives us ability we should always be ready to serve in every way He gives.