The Fifth Sunday Of Easter - May 18, 2025

Summary

Mother Suzanne reflects on Jesus's new commandment from John 13, where after washing his disciples' feet, Jesus commands them to love one another as he has loved them—through radical, self-giving service. She illustrates this through a powerful story about a formerly incarcerated man named Ryan, who revealed that Grace Church is frequently discussed with gratitude among inmates because of how the congregation loves and serves "the least of these," embodying Jesus's command that the world will know we are His disciples by our love.

THE GOSPEL                                                                                                                                                           John 13:31-35

At the last supper, when Judas had gone out, Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.' I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." 

Artwork: Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet, by Ford Madox Brown (1821–1893)

Transcript

Mother Suzanne:

He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants. Let them praise the name of the Lord in the name of the one God, father, son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated. Well, today's gospel begins a few short verses, after Jesus has tied a towel around his waist and poured water into a basin and washed his disciples feet. One by one he washed their tired, dirty and dusty feet. And then one by one he dried each of them. Not exactly how many would choose to spend the last night of their life, but this is exactly how Jesus chose to spend his last night.

And what this generous and loving act did was it opened up space and an opportunity for Jesus to share what truly matters. Maybe just maybe these disciples would hear what he said differently and be inspired by what he commanded if he served them first. I've long believed that the spirit in which you do or say something and the way one approaches things in life really do matter. I think that Jesus also knew this. So how do you settle down a bunch of gangly, misfit disciples to teach and to tell them something that really matters? The most important teaching that you want to leave them with, that you want them to carry on and carry forward? Well, you get their attention. You do something so radical, so humbling, it takes them off guard. You wash their feet, you lower yourself and you serve them. You show them that what you're doing really does matter. Every word matters. Every second counts. There is no time for philosophizing, exegeting, postulating, or suggesting there is only time to do and say what really matters for lasting impact, for commanding something new. And on the last night of Jesus' life, this is well, we are met with a gospel text this morning that's quite short. Again, we are at the last supper, the last meal that Jesus will share with those who are closest to him.

The disciples still don't quite know what's going on. They don't understand that Jesus is going to die the next day, even though Jesus starts out with these words, I'm only with you a little bit longer. He tells them that, but they don't understand. And so he moves forward and just as a parent addresses their child about something serious, Jesus gets their attention by calling them to himself and firmly saying to them, little children, I give you a new commandment and it is this, just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. So perhaps the disciples say, okay, that seems reasonable. Jesus, you want us to love one another, to take care of one another, just like what you have done for us. We can do that for one another. That doesn't seem too hard.

But then Jesus, it's only part of what he wants them to carry forward. It is the last part of his teaching, which is the gut wrenchingly honest part, the part of the teaching that makes you step back and say, oh gosh, I may need a little help with this. And that part is when Jesus utters these words, if you do this, if you have love for one another, that is how the rest of the world will know you are mine. That is how you communicate to the world. You are my disciples. If you love one another, that's ridiculously simple to hear. But Jesus knows it's not easy to do so He command or recommend us to consider it as perhaps something to do. He commands us to love one another.

So where it hits home for me is Jesus cannot be any clearer in this moment. It isn't by our theological correctness, our moral purity or our impressive knowledge that everyone will know that we are His disciples. Jesus could care less about that. It is for Jesus, our loving acts, our acts of service and sacrifice our acts that point to the love of God for the world made known in Jesus Christ. This is what matters to him. This is how the world will know that we are followers of the way, followers of the one who humbly served, bowed and lowered himself and did something nobody else would do.

The world will know because we can't help but to love as this is how we first encountered God, his love known to us in His son Jesus. So how does that break down? Well, he requires a love far greater than just wanting the best for each other or feeling tenderness for one another or just showing kindness to one another. To love as Jesus has loved us, is to do this, to be utterly self-giving, to abide together no matter what and in whatever sense is called for to lay down our lives for one another. So radical is such love and so rare and so like Jesus that if we were to live in the ongoing practice of it, those who observe us, those who watch us, would notice and conclude that right or wrong, we are the disciples of Jesus Christ.

About a week ago, an unhoused man who hadn't been around grace in quite some time just showed up. When it happens, it's always an indication that they've been in jail for a while and they've recently been released. And for many their first stop out of jail, guess where they come to grace. And this is exactly the story of Ryan. I was surprised to see him as he and I have not always seen eye to eye. And we have had words and at times mean mother, Suzanne has come out. However, during this visit, Ryan was completely sober and he began to share with me about what life had been like for him in recent days.

And then he went a step further and shared with me what it was like for him while he was in jail. And he was in jail for six months long time. And my ears perked up and I looked at him when he said that this church, grace is a frequent topic of conversation in the jail for many inmates. I looked at him and I said, what? I said, really? And he said, oh yeah, your church is named all the time. He then went on to explain how once the inmates are so of them, expressed deep gratitude for grace, how grace was the only place that cared, that fed, that treated them like a human. And how when together in the holding tank with nothing else to talk about, they spoke of grace and how it was this church that kept them alive.

This, because Ryan was the first person who's ever shared this with me. So I asked him, was this the first time that he had heard Grace spoken about while in jail? Because unfortunately he's been there quite a bit. And he quickly said, no. Every time I'm there, I am with someone who has also been taken care of by grace. So when Ryan shared this, it truly kind of was a strange moment for me. I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry, to think about grace being spoken about so fervently in jail, or should I thank God for that?

I will tell you I was taken aback. But then he went one step further. He then said, the real reason why I came to see you mother Suzanne Am was to say thank you on behalf of all of us who've messed up, who've made bad decisions, who've ended up in a place we didn't want to be. Thank you. Thank you. I am not sure if most priests and pastors would want their church to be known in this way, but I do believe this is exactly what Jesus has asked us to do, to serve and to love without exception, those who come our way. Not only are we a church that feeds, we are a church that serves and loves the least so much. So when those are gathered in jail, the least of these grace comes to their minds and hearts and they're thankful. Amen.