March 28, Maundy Thursday (John 13:1–17, 31b–35)
How might the church’s history have been different if foot washing had caught on more widely?
I’ve often wondered if love is somehow less authentic if it is maintained by routine. Stated differently, if one must work for it, plan for it, and schedule it, is love or the demonstration thereof less powerful, less genuine, or simply less real than it would be otherwise?
I’ll admit that this wonder is born of conversations about romantic love and the maintenance of romantic relationships. Do the flowers you send your partner mean as much if they result from the calendar reminder you set? Will they be received with as much joy if your partner knows that your assistant reminds you to order chocolates for them every fourth Friday of the month?
I don’t know if it matters or whether it should, but I do know that love, whether romantic or filial, takes work. As a deacon at my former church would say, “Love is an action word,” and it requires maintenance and precision. More than a feeling, love is a practice. And in offering us this ritual of washing one another’s feet, Jesus leaves a practice of love for us to maintain.
