John 13:1-35

Maundy Thursday - Year B

John 13:1-35

Once Jesus began washing feet, did he complete the circle? Were Judas’ feet washed as a sign of being loved “to the end”? Presumably so. No one is left out of being loved. Neither before, during, or after any act is one denied love.

Missed communication is par for the course. Not only does Peter get confused, but the rest of the disciples can’t decode the symbols and conversation between Jesus and Judas. There is even a mini-communion time between the two of them before their parting.

Note the brief four-word sentence after this communion variant — “And it was night.”

Night is the beginning of a day’s cycle — and it was night and it was morning, the n-th day.

Night is chaos over the deep, a pre-creation opportunity.

Night is where the church often is. Within the United Methodist Church we are in our 40th year of discriminatory legislation blocking the freedom of G*D to gift and call whom G*D desires for “set-aside” ministry. Perhaps it would be best to discontinue offering regular communion until official discrimination ends. To continue is to tacitly support discrimination with the excuse that it is meaningful to us — forgetting all the folks who cannot participate in offering communion.

The church has betrayed Jesus. And it is night. May General Conference 2012 raise a bit of light by moving away from discriminatory legislation. This would sign we were serious about loving one another as we have been loved by G*D through Jesus.