Washing feet

On the night before the cross, in an upper room crowded with tired, dusty disciples, Jesus does something unthinkable. He gets up from the meal, takes off His outer garment, ties a servant’s towel around His waist, and starts washing feet.

John slows the camera right down.
Every movement is completely intentional.
Every single gesture is a beautiful sermon.
And every step quietly whispers the meaning of Advent.

This morning, we watch the King of Glory reenact the Christmas story with a basin and a towel.

“Jesus rose from supper” revealing the God that moved toward us

Jesus was reclining at the table—the position of comfort, of honour, and of fellowship. Then He stood up. It is that movement that changes everything.

At Christmas, God also “rose.”

He stepped down into our world—into the cold, into the chaos, into the brokenness.

God always moves toward us before we move toward Him.

Imagine a parent hearing a child crying in the middle of the night. The parent does not sit there waiting for the child to solve their own problem.

No - Love moves. Love gets up.

That is Advent—God getting up from heaven's table to enter our dark room.

Heartbeat of advent – God is with you… God is with you…

“He laid aside His garments and wrapped a towel around his waist — reminding us that the King set aside His glory to serve us

Jesus takes off His outer robe—the symbol of status.

At Christmas, the Son of God laid aside the visible splendour of heaven.
He traded the adoration of angels for the cries of a newborn.
He traded the throne for a feeding trough.

This is not a loss of deity but a choice of humility.

Jesus’ first act of love was not a miracle—it was surrender.
He let go of glory so we could grasp grace.

If you have ever seen a firefighter shed his own safety to pull someone from danger, you glimpse a tiny understanding of this picture.

Strength lays itself down so the weak may live.
Jesus did this first at Bethlehem.

But he did more…

“He took a towel and girded Himself” — Reminding us that God dressed like a servant

In that culture, only the lowest household slave wore the towel.

This is the heart of Christmas:
The infinite God wraps Himself in finite flesh.
The Creator becomes one of the created.
The King wears the clothes of a servant.

The manger was God’s first towel.
It told the truth about who Jesus came to be—Servant, Saviour, Shepherd.

Consider a CEO spending a day undercover with the lowest paid staff—the secret billionaire not for a TV show, but to understand, to love, to lift. Now magnify that downward movement a thousand times. Christ did not pretend to be a servant—He became one.

For us…

At Christmas,
the Son of God laid aside
the visible splendour of heaven—
not His glory,
but the shining display of it.

He stepped out of endless light
into lamplight and shadow,
from the thunder of angel-song
to the thin cry of a newborn child.

He traded the worship of seraphim
for the rough hands of a carpenter,
the warmth of a throne
for the cold wood of a feeding trough.

The One who flung stars into space
rested beneath them.
The Word that spoke all things into being
learned to speak in syllables.

This was no loss of deity,
no weakening of divine power.
It was strength restrained,
majesty veiled,
love choosing the long way down.

He did not come down by force,
but by faithfulness.
Not by demand,
but by surrender.

The King arrived quietly,
wrapped not in royal robes
but in humility,
not crowned with gold
but clothed in flesh.

He came not to impress the world,
but to redeem it.
Not to be admired from a distance,
but to be held,
to be touched,
to be known.

And this is good news for us.

Because the God who comes so near
is not afraid of our pain,
our questions,
our weariness,
or our tears.

He enters our nights,
our waiting,
our broken places—
not to stand above them,
but to stand with us in them.

And because He is with us,
there is peace
that settles anxious hearts,
hope
that holds us through the dark,
joy
that rises even in small beginnings,
and love
that will not let us go.

This is the mystery of Christmas:
the Almighty chooses lowliness,
the Holy One chooses nearness,
and heaven’s greatest glory
is revealed
in the humility of love.

Heartbeat of Advent – God is with us… God is with us…

 

“He poured water into a basin and washed the disciples’ feet— a reminded that He came prepared to cleanse the undeserving.

 

Jesus does not ask someone else to bring water.
He provides it Himself.
He prepares every step.

This movement foreshadows His mission:
He came to cleanse.
He came to forgive.
He came to make all things new.

The water in the basin points to the blood He would pour out on the cross.

Jesus did not come to be admired—He came to save.

Like a doctor who shows up already carrying the medicine, Jesus came with everything humanity needed.

Bethlehem the beginning of his healing mission.

But look who he came to redeem.

He washes Peter—who would deny Him.
He washes Judas—who would betray Him.
He washes the ten—who would abandon Him.

Christ’s birth is not God rewarding the faithful.
Christ’s birth is God rescuing the broken.

Jesus did not come because we were lovable.
He came because He is love.

Heartbeat of advent – God is with you – God is with you…

 

Finally…

 

“He wiped them with the towel” — reminding us that He bears our uncleanness Himself

The towel wrapped around Him becomes dirty.
He absorbs their filth.

This is the deepest Christmas truth:
The child wrapped in swaddling clothes will one day be wrapped in our sin and brokenness.
He takes what is ours so He can give us what is His.

Advent always points to Calvary.

Picture a parent wiping a child’s muddy face with their own clean shirt. The dirt transfers. The mess is absorbed.

That is what Jesus does on the cross—He becomes what we were so we can become what He is.

What burden, shame, or guilt do you need to let Jesus carry for you this season?

Heartbeat of Advent..., God is with you… God is with you…

Heartbeat of the gospel – you are forgiven… forgiven…

The manger points to the towel.
The cradle foreshadows the cross.
And the King who was born came not to be served but to serve—and to save.

This Advent, may we remember:
Our King kneels.
Our God serves.
Our Savior stoops to lift us up.

And remember the heartbeat of advent – God is with you… God is with you… God is with you.

And remember the heartbeat of the Gospel – forgiven… forgiven…

And may you respond to the call to join him in making all things new…  all things new…

As we imitate the servant king… 

In Jesus name… Amen.

Have a great Christmas!

May the God who laid aside heaven’s splendour
and chose the humility of a manger
go with you into every place you will walk this week.

May Christ, who came not in power but in love,
be near to you in your joy and in your sorrow,
steady in your waiting,
gentle in your weakness,
faithful in whatever you face.

And because God is with you,
may His peace guard your heart,
His hope light your way,
His joy strengthen your spirit,
and His love shape the way you live and serve.

Go in the grace of the Servant-King—
the One who came down for us
and now walks with us always.
Amen.