the full extent of HIS love...

 "having loved HIS own who were in the world, HE now showed them the full extent of HIS love." -john 13:1b

who can stand in the path of such a relentless love? who can deny the power of such a powerful king? 

this past weekend we continued in our series called "redeFIND" (it's a series that's teaching us all to rethink how we see this life of following in the way of JESUS). we've been staggered at the community's response to the call to true discipleship and the life of following in the way. after the sermon (which you can hear here) as a response time this weekend we set up eight stations for holding the ancient practice of foot washing based on the example of christ in how he loved those who were broken and dirty in this world. 

it was  amazing to see our community respond to the practice, with over 350 people in the auditorium that morning we knelt and washed the feet of many and they in turn washed others in the community. thru tears, many people humbled themselves to have their feet washed, or to wash those of others in our community. i don't choke up very easily and often find myself hardened and skeptical even in the response times that i help create, but this morning was like few before it. our community found the love of christ in one another. i think many, some for the first time, found the love of christ in a powerfully practical way. 

collectively we found a KING who would step out of HIS heavenly home, come to a broken and hostile world, walk and love broken and hostile men, willingly submit himself to the passion and shame of humanity, willingly stoop to wash the feet of his closest confidents who would only hours later end up betraying and leaving him, walk willingly to the single greatest act of human brutality, loosen his muscles and relax his wrists so a spike could be driven thru them, hang bleed and die on a tree in front of mocking and jeering throngs, and submit finally to death. HE came to show the full extent of HIS love... that we might love...