Text – John 13:1-6, 12-17

Those of you who have access to the Discovery Channel may be familiar with a program where the host, Mike Rowe, is constantly putting his hands into places that are often unusual, occasionally dangerous, but always dirty. That’s all because Mike Rowe is the host of the show, “Dirty Jobs.” These jobs range from road kill-removal specialist, to bat biologist, to sludge scrapper in a sewage pumping stations. The premise, the whole plot of this TV series, is to explore those jobs across this country that many people find downright disgusting, dirty and the last job for which they’d apply. Each week Mike Rowe puts himself into the role of apprentice to introduce the viewers to a group of hardworking men and women who overcome fear, danger and sometimes stench to accomplish their daily tasks. Working right along side the professionals Mike takes on the duties of these dirty jobs, catching rattlesnakes, removing bees, serving slop to pigs, or picking up five day old road-kill and transporting it to a crematorium, it’s all part of an honest day’s work. The upcoming episode, which airs this Monday, entitled “Dairy Cow Midwife” will uncover the full range of the life of a dairy cow, from conception to delivery, milk production and more. Even though people may laugh or squirm at what these jobs entail, at the end of each episode viewers are left with a new appreciation for the hardworking people, seeing exactly what it takes to tackle these tough, dirty jobs. Mike has this observation about all those dirty jobs: “It’s surprising how many people come home from relatively “clean” jobs at the end of the day feeling bitter and miserable. Whereas the people I meet, by and large, seem really content with their lives, and happy with their dirty jobs.” (Discovery.com)

So, today, I want us to focus our attention on jobs that some may consider dirty jobs, some may consider jobs that they could never do, but these are jobs that other people love to do, that other people are proud to do, that other people are called to do. Some of these include are the jobs of civil servants, such as police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians. There are many other forms of civil servants, but we’ll be thinking specifically today about those three occupations. Later in the service we will be recognizing our own community’s civil servants.

All three of these occupations I just mentioned fall outside the realm of what we call day jobs, that job where you work from 8 to 4, or 9 to 5, Monday through Friday and then enjoy having the weekend off. Twenty four hours of the day, seven days of the week, 365 days of the year, there are police, firefighters and EMTs on duty, working to protect, to serve and to rescue you, working to make you feel safe and secure whether you are at your day job, or whether you are enjoying your weekend off.

As we consider these civil servants today, I could quote great numbers of statistics about how they work long and irregular hours, putting themselves in danger to protect you. I could tell you that every year, fires and other emergencies take thousands of lives and destroy property worth billions of dollars, and firefighters put their own lives on the line to control these fires. I could tell you that police work can be dangerous and stressful as these civil servants encounter criminals, and deal with any number of threatening situations. I could remind you that at any given time our very lives may depend on the quick reaction and competent care of emergency medical technicians who respond to automobile accidents, heart attacks, falls and even gunshot wounds. I could even tell you about the training that is necessary to be able to do one of these jobs. I could readily acknowledge you that in the event of an accident, of a fire, or of a natural disaster, it is often the physical presence of a firefighter, a police officer, or an EMT that gives you assurance, that brings you calm in the storm. But what I want us to think about today is not only how we should respond to the “dirty” job that these civil servants perform each day, but how we should respond to the great example of service that we have been given to follow.

As we think about these sometimes unpleasant jobs, let’s look at another dirty job that was performed, not only willingly, but also with love and compassion. In John’s gospel that we read earlier, we are taken back to that night of the Last Supper with Christ, that final meal before the horrific events of arrest, beatings, and eventually crucifixion. Jesus and the twelve have gathered to celebrate this meal. Now you may recall that meal fellowship was an important part of the Jewish culture of first century Palestine. And this too was a special meal: a gathering of Jesus and his faithful followers. But as it was also customary in that day not to travel by comfortable, quick and even air-conditioned automobiles, but rather people walked around in the hot climate over the dry and dusty trails on foot wearing simple sandals that let all that dirt and dust gather on one’s feet. Not just dust that could be wiped off, but that dust and dirt combined with sweaty feet, with tired, sore, callused feet. It was also the custom that when one entered another’s home to wash the dust from one’s feet. In most cases this was the responsibility of the host, to show hospitality by helping to clean the dirt of the day from their guest’s feet. But as any good host would tell you, it was their responsibility to insure that the foot washing was done, but not necessarily to do it! The foot-washing job was relegated to one of the servants, probably the lowest of the servants. Because after all, this was the dirtiest job there was and no one wanted to volunteer to do it, so the least of the servants got stuck with this job.

So can you image the scene at this meal with Jesus? Thirteen adult men who wandered about the land, always on foot, always in the dirt and heat, always in open shoes which gathered up that dirt and grime and ground it in-between toes, caked it on the ankles, collected it under the toenails. So, of course as this group of men gathered to eat someone would wash those feet. But who would it be? If we remember our gospels, not too many days before this meal, we read of two of the disciples questioning Jesus as to who was the greater of them, of who would be the ones to sit in the places of honor in Christ’ kingdom. We also could hear in that text the resentment that must have been felt by the rest of the disciples at this jockeying for position, at this “sucking up to the boss” activity. So, here we have twelve men, no one wanting to claim the position of the lowest of the group, no one wanting to lower themselves to be the one to wash the others’ feet.

But Jesus, in his love for His followers, and in His complete obedience to His Master, rises from the table, removes His outer garment and picks up the basin of water and begins to wash the disciples feet, drying them with a towel He has wrapped around Himself. Jesus humbles Himself so that the others may be cleansed, so they may know what it is to be a servant, so they may understand what it is they are to do. While the disciples were still mulling over who was the greatest one among them, Jesus, who was the greatest one, lowered Himself to the role of servant to wash the feet of the twelve, the dusty, dirty, callused, and worn feet. Jesus was willing to take each foot into his hands and wash it with water and wipe it dry. His only momentary hesitation was when Peter resisted – when Peter realized the magnitude of the lowly task that Jesus was doing. Jesus wasn’t just washing feet; He was washing away dirty sins!

Now, have you ever tried to wash somebody’s feet at the end of a workday? Have you ever sat down before someone and removed his or her shoes after a hard day’s work? Not only taking off their shoes, but also their socks. Have you ever put your face right down there by that dirty, stinky, sweaty foot so that you could wash between the toes? It’s not as much fun as you’d imagine! It takes a lot of love to care for dirty feet!

The text from John’s gospel is often read during Holy Week. During that week before Easter some churches have a foot-washing service, generally on Maundy Thursday. So they tell everybody, to come on Thursday evening for a foot-washing service. But you know what most people do? Can you imagine what you would do before you went to that service? Yes, admit it, you don’t want anybody messing around with your own dirty feet. So before you go to the service you wash your feet, you spend extra time scrubbing your toenails, checking for any new sprouting corn, or crusty callous! Just to have somebody messing with your feet is embarrassing. And it’s too personal, too intimate. It makes us feel too vulnerable. So before you go to a foot-washing service, you spend time at home washing your feet, making sure they are impeccably clean. But that misses the point! It is only dirty feet that need washed.

And, everybody has dirty feet. Let’s take a moment right now and prove it. Everyone, please reach down and take off our shoes and socks and then check out your neighbor’s feet and let your neighbor check out yours. Why all the funny faces and the hesitation? If we actually did that it would quickly end this service wouldn’t it? Even thinking about that probably made many of you squirm. It’s frightening to think about because we all have dirty feet! Jesus came into a world of dirty feet, He came to clean dirty feet, and that includes your feet. But He also asks if you understand what He has done. He says to the disciples, and to you, “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right because that is what I am. If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash each other’s feet. I did this as an example so that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). Jesus washed feet to set an example for us to follow. An example that tells us that we are not greater than anyone else; that we are not to consider ourselves better than others, but rather we should be willing to lower ourselves to one of those dirty jobs that we don’t mind watching someone else do, but a dirty job we’d rather not do ourselves.

But there are those among us who take on the task of washing feet. Those civil servants I mentioned earlier – like police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians – are washing dirty feet everyday. Because we generally only see them when we are most vulnerable, caught when we have been wronged or have wronged, either biblically or culturally, whether because of theft, driving too fast, or involved in an accident and most vulnerable due to our injuries. We need someone to be there to wash our feet. Someone who doesn’t care how dirty they are or how much they stink. We need someone who is not repulsed by our dirty, even bloody, feet and bodies. These civil servants are there willing to ease the pain, to remove our dirty shoes and socks and get right to their task without weighing the cost. You may not think that police officers, or firefighters, or emergency medical technicians are washing feet, but in many ways they are. Police are called to protect the rich and the poor alike, to arrest the lawbreaker and protect the innocent victim. And I doubt you’ve ever heard a firefighter say, “Those people who live in that burning house are beneath me socially, economically, so I don’t need to help them. I’m too good for that.” No self-respecting EMT I know ever refused to treat someone because of who he or she was or how he or she lived. As hard as it is sometimes for us to understand, at the scene of an accident, the one who caused the accident is given the same medical care as those in the car that was crashed into. To be a civil servant is not to take on a task where you will daily receive public acclaim and recognition. In fact, often those who are willing to get close to our dirty feet are overlooked or taken for granted. In many instances, civil servants are volunteers who receive no compensation for their work. Just because they are not paid though, doesn’t mean they are worthless. It just means they are priceless!

So, the next time you see a police officer, a firefighter, or an EMT, make a point of saying thank you! Let them know that you appreciate the work they do – even if you’ve never been a direct recipient of that work! Being a servant is not something to be looked down upon, but rather to be seen as the ultimate obedience to godly commands. As Christians we are called to follow the example of Christ – who even though He had equal status with God, humbled himself in complete obedience, performing even the most menial tasks with love and compassion, setting an example for each of us to follow.

Friends, I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that our feet stink. Our feet are dirty. No matter how well we practice personal hygiene, we all have dirty feet. But we’re all called to wash dirty feet and more. And if you’re going to wash feet, you’re going to have to humble yourself and do some rather uncomfortable and unpleasant things. You’re going to get involved in some situations that are not very nice, and not up for public recognition. But the good news is there is great reward in being foot washers. Foot washers are blessed for their actions. Foot washers perform humble acts of service to those who may not expect it, and in most cases to those who may never be able to repay the act. It’s a dirty job, but it’s not all that difficult to wash feet if you have the heart for it, if you’re willing to kneel down, if you’re willing to get your hands wet and dirty. You can wash feet if you’re willing to be a servant, not a superhero! Jesus said, “Do as I have done for you.” My question to you now is, for you to ponder as you leave this place: how do respond to Jesus’ command? Are you willing today to be a foot washer, to be a servant for the Lord?

Let’s pray. Precious Teacher and Lord, we have seen your example and yet we find it difficult to follow. Let us be open to the art of foot washing in our daily lives. Open our eyes to recognize all those among us who are foot washers. Let us not be ashamed to lower ourselves so that we may lift Your name on high. In all we do may we do it in Your name to further the work of Your kingdom. Amen.