Thank You

“So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other's feet. I've laid down a pattern for you. What I've done, you do.” – John 13:14-15, The Message

A small but mighty group from down the coastline closed our summer out. Poway Incarnational Lutheran Church brought a sense of heart and humor to the mission this week. To see more photos, click above!

Sometimes, if the Spirit moves, we perform a foot-washing to close out a week of service. It struck me last week, that the act is actually humbling on both sides: humbling to kneel down and wash another’s feet, and, humbling to expose your own feet to the person doing the washing. Once again, I am floored by the brilliant majesty of our Creator, especially in the paradoxical wisdom of our Savior. An act that is equally humbling, and in the right mindset and spirit, equally satisfying, for both persons involved could only be divined by God. Wow.

I’m not a numbers person. Ask any participant if I’m good at dividing large groups into 7 smaller ones whilst standing in front of that audience. Ha! I also am not someone who is typically bottom-line oriented, in that I’m not concerned about quantity, especially if the aspect of quality is forgotten. So it’s surprising to me that I find myself drawn to looking at the collection of full-group photos we have over the course of this Discover year, currently moved by the number of faces. But I guess I’m touched by the magnitude of God’s kingdom, in what it looks like to see huddled masses coming together in the name of Christ. While it is satisfying to know that over 7,000 hours of service throughout Los Angeles occurred collectively by all these wonderful folks, I find it is more joyful to recognize the humility that occurs when you observe the groups, altogether, as a collective. Much like foot-washing, we can feel insignificant when we imagine ourselves one in a crowd of many, one small actor in a play of many good works, and yet, when that crowd is woven together through faith and service and love, it feels like a celebration, like being part of a really huge family party.

I’ll close simply with those photos I’ve been looking at. My humble thanks to all of you who graced DOOR Hollywood with your enthusiastic joy, service, and compassion this summer. You have certainly washed our feet. We hope and pray, in line with the pattern Jesus laid out for us, that we did the same for you.

Matthew