15-May-22 (John 13:31-35)

I remember being really excited as I stood in line waiting for a ride at the fair. It was one of my favorite rides called the "Tilt-A-Whirl". As I stood in line with my sister and brother, we noticed some folks getting in line ahead of us.
"Hey! No fair! They're cutting in line!", I said, hoping it was loud enough for the guy running the ride to notice. If he did, he didn't do anything about it. I was a bit mad at them for making us wait longer. I wondered what they would do if I cut in line ahead of them.
Then I thought about it. What would it look like if everybody was cutting in line?
Everyone would be running to get ahead of the others. there would be fights. Probably no one would actually get to go on the ride.
Now, what would it look like if people were looking out for each other? What would it look like if even some folks were helping others?
I'm not sure how it would look for people standing in line for a ride, but the other day at the grocery store, I saw someone with a lot of stuff in their cart let someone with just a few items get in ahead of them so they could get through faster.
I know what it looked like for Jesus. One day after a long time of walking, the disciples sat down together to eat. Usually there was a servant that would come and wash people's feet. We don't normally do that these days because we wear socks and shoes, but when you wore sandals on a dusty road like the disciples did, your feet got pretty dirty.
Instead of a servant, though, Jesus himself got down and washed the disciples feet. Then Jesus said, "Look, I've done something for you that usually only servants do. I want you to help each other out, even when it means acting like a servant. I want you to love each other the same way I love you. If you want to follow me; if you want people to know you follow me, you'll love each other."

Let's pray about that.
God, we thank you that Jesus came, not to order us around, but to show us how to love each other. Help us to love each other and serve each other as we're supposed to do. When people ask about it, help us to say, "It's because I'm trying to do what Jesus did."
Amen.