This service was created as a part of a Lent series though it could be used alone. For the rest of the series go to "Having the Identity of a Servant: Series Homepage".
Can you think of a situation in which explaining what to do wasn’t effective, so you needed to show the person how to do it? Jesus reverses this pattern: He starts by showing, then spends some time explaining. In the gospel of John, much of his final time of teaching the disciples has to do with love—his love for them, his hope that they will continue to love him, and his command that they love each other. But he begins all his teaching with a vivid demonstration of love: He washes his disciples’ feet. This act is set in the middle of John’s account of Judas’ betrayal. Jesus’ love is not dependent on his disciples’ behavior. It is offered in advance of and with full knowledge of all their coming cowardice, denials, and betrayals. And this act ends with a clear application: Show this same humble, servant-like love to each other.
Call to Worship: John 13:1
A Reading for Two Voices from Psalm 116 [with sung congregational refrain]
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
Sung Refrain: “I Love the Lord: He Heard My Cry” Watts [Refrain only]
The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
Sung Refrain
You, Lord, have delivered me from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
Sung Refrain
What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will sacrifice a thank offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
—Psalm 116: 1–6, 8–9, 12–13, 15–18
Song: “I Love the Lord” Watts
Greeting
God has heard our cries and sent his servant Son, our Savior,
whose final hours among his friends we commemorate tonight.
We will once again be witnesses
to the gifts Jesus gave his disciples before he left them:
his modeled servanthood
and his precious body and blood.
In the retelling and reenacting of these familiar words and deeds,
we will join the disciples in receiving Jesus’ gifts to the church.
Now receive this greeting from our Lord:
“Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled
and do not be afraid.”
—John 14:27
Call to Confession: John 13:2, 21–27, 30
Prayer of Confession
Like Judas, we have felt the influence of evil on our lives.
We have opened ourselves to Satan’s manipulations.
We have been instruments of betrayal for our Lord.
O Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
have mercy upon us.
—Bethany Besteman, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.
Song: “O Christ, the Lamb of God” German Traditional
Assurance of Pardon: John 17:1–3
Declaration of God’s Invitation and Promises
Jesus, to whom the Father granted authority over all people, came among us and used that authority on our behalf to ensure our eternal salvation. Now, along with his disciples, we hear that first invitation to the table of grace:
Scripture Reading: Matthew 26:26–28
Preparing the Bread and Cup: “As He Gathered at His Table” (st. 1, 3–4, 7) Richardson
Prayer for Illumination
Like the disciples
reclining at the table in the upper room,
we too have been fed.
Now, in the growing darkness,
our Lord gets up from the table.
He has things to teach us
before his final suffering.
Give us, O God, ears to hear,
eyes to see, and hearts to receive. Amen.
—Bethany Besteman, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.
Scripture Reading: John 13:3–17
Sermon: “The Sign of Service”
Hymn of Response: “As In That Upper Room You Left Your Seat” (st. 1) Dudley-Smith
alt.: “Great God, Your Love Has Called Us” Wren
Invitation to Foot Washing
Like Peter, we too may be tempted
to pull away from this uncomfortable space
and declare:
“No, you shall never wash my feet.”
But Jesus reminds us,
“Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
Let us therefore approach the basin in humility,
receiving from each other
the cleansing waters
as from the Lord.
—Bethany Besteman, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.
Foot Washing
[One option is to invite representatives of the congregation who have been asked ahead of time to come forward and have their feet washed by elders and/or the pastor. If time and other logistics allow, you might choose instead to invite all who wish to participate to come forward. In this case, consider having several foot-washing stations at different locations in the sanctuary.]
Prayer
Lord Jesus, may these waters be to us
reminders of the waters of baptism,
through which you’ve claimed us
as your covenant people,
and also of your cleansing blood,
which washed away our sin.
Refresh our hearts and minds in the truth
of your self-sacrificial love,
symbolized for us here
in the basin, towel, and water. Amen.
—Bethany Besteman, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.
[During the foot washing, a song may be sung or instrumental music played. The suggested song can be sung congregationally, but is especially powerful as a solo sung a cappella.]
Song: “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Calling” Iona
alt.: “Ubi Caritas et amor / Live in Charity” Taizé
Response
You are clean!
Thanks be to God!
Do you understand what I have done for you?
Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet,
you also should wash one another’s feet.
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.
We have been given a new command: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
And so we show we are our Lord’s disciples, if we love one another.
—adapted from John 13:10, 12–15, 34–35
Sending
People of God, hear this charge:
My command is this:
Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this:
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
This is my command: Love each other.
—John 15:12–13, 17
Sending Song: “God, the Father of Your People” Mulder and Newton
Blessing/Benediction
May the God of love, who showed us love,
strengthen us in our love for others.
May Christ, who shared his life,
grant us grace that we might share ours.
And may the Holy Spirit dwelling in us
empower us to be Christ’s ambassadors
wherever we go and to whomever we meet.
Amen.
—Source unknown
| Series Homepage | Previous Service | Next Service |