Worship Bunch Format: Have the Lesson Outside
Gather for Soul Reports (5 min)
• Youth will gather in a circle and sing “Sanctuary” and offer soul reports about how their week was, and any praises or concerns
Communion (5-8 min) – done first this week before the hands are gross
• Youth will sing “Let Us Break Bread Together” and gather at the table for a real communion meal. After the adult prepares the group for communion with words and prayer the youth will have a slice of bread, glass of juice and have a “Meal of Remembrance” until everyone finishes.
• Youth will be reminded that while they are eating the conversation needs to be about Christ: bible stories, things they know or learned about Jesus, or questions they are curious about – a weekly reminder will be given that communion is about remembering Jesus, and the words of the institution.
Application
• Today: Comfort, Service, Growth- have the kids take of their shoes and run freely through the dirty pea-gravel – explain what it was like to live at that time with simple sandals, dirt roads, and constant walking. By getting their feet dirty they are just make a dent in the filth that would have been on the feet of the disciples, which is why only the slaves washed people’s feet – it was a gross job. Once they have a decent coating of dust on their feet have them sit and tell them that they are going to wash each others feet and give them time to throw a bit of a fit. Then ask them to listen to the scripture.
Introduction of the Scripture
• Today: Read the scripture John 13:1-10 Talk about why the disciples were upset, why Jesus might have done it, and what lessons there are in this story.
• Then have them take turns washing a foot of 2 other people, while the washing is going on they can talk about when we are servants, what jobs we would rather not have to do, and how they are going apply this story to their lives. Have each person think of one way in the next week that they can “wash a foot or two” in their lives. It is also important that they hear the rewards of service: the joy in the faces of those that they help, the amazing feeling of knowing that they made a difference, and (my personal addiction) having someone ask why they are being kind and getting to answer because Jesus loved me first.
Closing (5 min)
• This should be a time to summarize and review the message and application with a short conversation, closing prayer, and end with the song “Bind Us Together”
• If worship isn’t finished yet, youth will quietly return to the sanctuary for the end of the service.
Personal Thoughts
This is one of my favorite passages because it shows the importance of being a servant in the mind of Jesus. I personally believe that Jesus was very intentional about choosing this as the last lesson that he offered to the Disciples. I believe that he was saying goodbye before his death with the crucial lesson of being willing to serve and the demand for humility, because while he could have left them that night with a motivational speech, or advice about what was to come, he didn’t. It comes just before the Last Supper as a series of final lesson and then an ambiguous explanation and farewell. The youth know that if I ever have a lesson that involves washing feet that the time has come for me to tell them goodbye, because I know there is no greater lesson for them and for me than to serve them, to make them feel uncomfortable about a shift in roles, and to remind them of the utter humility and servanthood that belongs in our faith. I know that all the kids are going to whine about having to touch feet, and I think that is the point. What part of pride and comfort are they willing to let go of for their faith? It isn’t easy to serve in the homeless shelters or the nursing homes because it makes us uncomfortable, and at times it is just plain gross – that is one of the ways to know you are on the right track, if you aren’t uncomfortable, then you aren’t expanding your faith understandings.
I know that my connection to this story is out of my personal addiction to mission projects, and that is selfish on my part but I know that too. I hear this story and I think about Peter’s confusion and remember the homeless person that didn’t understand why I cared, the orphan child in Mexico that only spoke enough English to tell me “God bless you,” the family that couldn’t stop crying when we showed up to clean the debris up in their house from the tornado, and the friend who never expected me to drop everything and sit with them for a night when they were hurting. Love and service often look exactly the same, and if you aren’t willing to wash a few feet then it is a lot harder to know the pure joy of being a loving servant.
