7 Letters, Guide: Renunciation (Conclusion)
Take Communion (2 minutes)
Leader Note: Begin this time by taking communion together, whether as a full meal or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, have someone read through John’s account of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet (John 13v1–17) and take communion together.
Read This Overview Aloud (3 minutes)
On the night before Jesus was killed, he shared a final meal with his disciples. In these last moments, he didn’t tell one last parable, he enacted one. Through a simple, symbolic act, Jesus summed up his life’s message, revealing to us God’s posture toward humanity. And, while this act dealt with power, it didn’t do so in a way anyone expected. As his apprentices, we are to take this same posture towards one another.
“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God…” This was John’s build up to the moment: Jesus knew he had all power and authority, he knew his source and his destiny. At this point, as the reader, we might expect Jesus to stand up and give a rousing speech or lift a sword to the heavens, shout some war cry, or set some covert plan in place to take down Rome—but this isn’t what Jesus does in response to his certainty and strength. Instead, we read that Jesus rose from the meal, only to remove his coat, wrap a towel around his waist, and then kneel before each disciple, washing their feet each in turn.
The “Maundy” in Maundy Thursday comes from the Latin word maundatum, meaning command, and references the statement Jesus makes moments after he washes his disciples’ feet, when he seems to explain what he was doing: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Tonight, we will reenact Jesus’ symbolic gesture together by washing each other’s feet, as a way of remembering God’s love for us and embodying the love he calls us to have for one another.
Do This Practice Tonight (35 minutes)
Tonight, we will be symbolically washing each others’ feet to remember God’s love for us and our call to love each other. Below you will find some helpful details to keep in mind.
Supplies: Let’s make sure we have the following items.
Some sort of pitcher or large cup or bowl filled with warm water
Some sort of bucket or bin in which to catch the poured out water
A few towels with which to dry feet (and perhaps one on the ground below the bucket or bin)
Process: As the Community Leader, I will be “washing” the feet of each person in your Community. (Leader note: If your Community has co-Leaders, they can split the washing and then wash each other’s feet. If not, select someone who will wash the Leader’s feet at the end.) When you’re ready and everyone understands the order, here’s how it works:
To maintain an atmosphere of worship, let’s all remain quietly reflective throughout as we play some sort of worship or instrumental music. (Leader note: Here is a playlist that you are welcome to use.)
The person whose feet are being washed will sit in a chair with their feet in the bin or bucket.
I will “wash” their feet by simply pouring the warm water from the pitcher over their feet.
I will then take a towel and dry the person’s feet.
We’ll repeat steps 2 – 4 until every person has had their feet washed.
Leader note: Close your time in prayer thanking Jesus for your Community, and for the way he modeled serving one another well.
Renunciation Reflection Conclusion
We’re going to transition now into time reflecting on the season of Lent and our Practices of Renunciation as we prepare for Easter and the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.
We began this Lenten season asking God what good gift he wants to give us, and to show us what we might be using as a substitute for that gift. Or, put another way, all the ways we grasp for ourselves what God wants to freely give us. As we’ve walked over these last six weeks or so, we’ve likely had a spectrum of emotions, thoughts, and experiences—from frustration to fulfillment and everything in-between. As we look ahead to the conclusion of Lent on Resurrection Sunday, we want to consider all that God has done in this season of turning away from lesser appetites so we can turn toward all that Jesus has for us, and to consider what we want to carry forward into the rest of our year. With that in mind, let’s take the next ten minutes or so to talk through these questions:
Did anything surprise you about your experience with Renunciation during this season of Lent?
In your Practices of Renunciation and Reclaiming, how have you experienced God freely giving you what you’ve been trying to take for yourself?
What is one thing you want to carry forward beyond Easter and into your normal practice of life with Jesus?
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead (5 minutes)
Our Practice for the week ahead is simple: we will finish out our Lenten renunciation through the rest of the week, celebrating its completion on Easter Sunday!
End in Prayer (5 minutes)
Leader note: Close your time together in prayer, asking God to continue growing your Community through the Practice of Renunciation.