Pleasure to Serve - a Maundy Thursday Reflection

A favorite restaurant of mine is Chik-Fil-A.  There is something about that restaurant that always seems to stand out to me – their customer service.  The thing that really set their customer service apart to me was how the person at the drive through window will always say, “It’s my pleasure to serve you!”  The first time I heard them say that it kind of caught me off guard.  I thought, “It’s really a pleasure for you to serve me a chicken sandwich and some fries?”  But it’s true…there really is pleasure in service.

Maundy Thursday is all about service.  We see that it truly is the Lord’s pleasure to serve as He washes the feet of His disciples – the job of a slave.   At Jesus' time, the common practice was to have the household slaves wash guests' feet as they entered the house.  Since most people wore sandals, and the roads were dirty, dusty and hot, the cool water and gentle washing would be a relieving and refreshing welcome to your guest.  A pitcher, basin and towel at the door were marks of hospitality.  Of course, it was also a menial task - even demeaning.  The feet of a traveler would be dirty, sweaty and smelly.  Foot washing was a sign of hospitality and love but it was not done among peers but done by children and slaves.  John is the only one who tells of this demonstration of love and servanthood but Matthew records a similar message to His disciples when Jesus said:  Whoever wants to be first must be your slave - just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

In fact, Jesus whole earthly mission was one of service as He says in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”  Paul echoes those words in Philippians 2:5-8, where he says, “Have this mind among yourselves which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Jesus served us with His very own body as He was our once and for all sacrifice for sin on the cross.  And on Maundy Thursday we see the Lord continuing to serve us with His body and blood through the Lord’s Supper.

I love Martin Luther’s quote about the Lord’s Supper.  He said, “If we were handing out gold coins at the altar, the balcony would collapse under the weight of those who would be waiting in line.”  He also goes on to say, “Blind people would swim across rivers to get such treasure!  But the Lord’s Supper is a far greater treasure that moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal. Here we have the body and blood of our ascended and glorified brother!  The body and blood hidden under the bread and wine serves no other purpose than to rescue us poor sinners from the guilt, punishment, and rule of sin.”

What an amazing treasure the Lord serves us with!  At the Lord’s Table, Jesus serves us what the Lutheran Confessions call a visible Gospel. The Lord attaches His words of promise to the eating and drinking of bread and wine.  God’s promise, “given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins,” fills our ears and moves our hearts to faith.  His grace touches our lips.  We, quite literally, “taste and see that the LORD is good.”  Even our sense of smell is permeated with His divine assurance.

Not only is Christ’s body and blood placed in our mouths, but so is our forgiveness.  After a week of struggling with sin, there is no more intimate way that God could assure us that what was done on Calvary is ours!   When our Lord Jesus, by the hand of His undershepherd, gives you His body and blood, there can be no mistake who Jesus is addressing with forgiveness.   Christ is, in effect, saying to you, “I mean YOU when I say ‘given and poured out for you for the forgiveness of sins.’ How can you tell?  I, Jesus Christ, place My body and blood into your mouth. You are a beloved child of the heavenly Father because of what I have done here.”

Forgiveness, grace, mercy, love – these are all blessings that we are indeed served in the Lord’s Supper and through the Divine Service.  From the beginning to the end of worship we are being served by God.  How amazing is that!?!?  That’s why we gather in worship – to be served by God with the blessings that He gives to us.

As the Lord serves us and blesses us with His gifts, we are then equipped to serve each other and everyone else we come in contact with.  It effects our entire lives and every role and responsibility we have.  What a pleasure it is to serve others…whether it be through our vocation, or through our roles as husbands and wives, mothers or fathers, children, friends, co-workers…with the gifts that God has equipped us with!

Do we fail in this service to one another?  Absolutely!  Our sinful nature says to serve only one person – ourselves!  We fail in our service to both God and one another.  But the Good News is that when we fail – Christ is still there to serve us with exactly what we need – His full and free forgiveness.

Chick-Fil-A has it right.  It is a pleasure to serve.  And the reason it is a pleasure to serve is because of the One who continues to serve us with all that we need for both body and soul for all eternity!