Someone Else’s Dirt

December 4, 2019 Georgia Tanner

“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. John 13:14-15

This I must remember. I must tattoo it onto the palms of my hands: ‘Dirty became the new holy when Jesus died covered in his own blood and your sin.’ This is my paraphrase of Andy Stanley in Irresistible.

I need to spend less time trying to keep my hands clean of wrongdoing and more time with my sleeves rolled up, reaching out to wash feet and carry another’s heavier burden.

There is no other religion that follows a crucified God. There is no natural inclination to wash the dirty feet of others. Washing, not because we are better or cleaner, but because we are servants. Not exactly the best-paid job in the classifieds.

We follow a Holy God who sent his own son to kneel at the dirty feet of sinners. The thing God did when He sent Jesus to walk among us is so revolutionary and outrageous that we cannot comprehend it. And even for just a moment if we do, we really, truth be told, don’t want to have too much to do with it. Because it requires us to lay down our self-righteousness and get our hands dirty. With someone else’s dirt.

It is hard, isn’t it? It smacks against our ideas about justice. And righteousness.

I watched a young long-haired gay activist roll his sleeves up and march into a homeless camp in one of our large American cities to get his hands dirty with someone else’s dirt. Actually, he marched in wearing a hazmat suit (and encouraging others to join him) because the mess he was cleaning up was so toxic. And it humbled me.

I am sure he is hated in all sorts of righteous sounding ways. Long-haired. Gay. Activist. Conservative. Trump-supporter. Something for everyone to hate. Right?

But there he was; seeing the dirt and saying, “Hey, we can make this better!” He didn’t just point to the problem. He didn’t look for someone else to condemn. He said loudly, “I am going to get my hands dirty. You may not like me. You may not like my views. But I am going to kneel down and serve these people. I am going to get my hands dirty.”

‘Dirty became the new holy when Jesus died covered in his own blood and your sin.’

It’s a whole different way of approaching holiness, isn’t it?

Question: Has God called you to serve in a way that is uncomfortable for you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgiMeGcXGjo

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