Would you wipe my feet?

I have had a strange few weeks, but I have been really grateful the people around me, my friends and my family.

I was sitting in church this morning and listening to a talk which was combined with Mothering Sunday and the story of Mary washing Jesus' feet with perfume.

How strange this concept now would be.

I struggle thinking of this scene. Jesus at this point was "collecting" a following, this was one of the reasons why Jesus knew of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, as we only see earlier in the book that he raised Lazarus from the dead. This family would obviously have been thankful and would have felt that they owed something to Jesus.

A few things stand out for me: First of all we read in John 12:1-8 that Lazarus, the man who was saved by Jesus is actually reclining at the table relaxing with Jesus disciples. Secondly, it was these women that asked, witnessed and then thanked Jesus for the kindness of raising Lazarus, this would have formed a greater boned, a greater understanding and a greater love towards Jesus.

It is amazing that this looks at the one to one relationship, it must have been strong for Mary to feel that she could exhibit that closeness through her actions. Would you comfortably wash someones feet? In your saved funeral perfume, that would help "cleanse" your body? something that would cost a years salary, as Judas kindly points out, would you after such a giving bend down and wipe someones feet?

I only struggle with this because this is such a loving gesture that is coupled quite happily with trust that it makes me question if 1: Would I do this for someone? 2: would someone do this for me?

This clearly would have been a BIG thing for them to do so how often do we just think about the little things that could cheer someones day up? Sometimes for me it is the smallest moments of interaction that shows that I have been in someones thoughts, or even at that very moment that they are concentrating on just being so welcoming around others.

Have you ever seen that person at a party, or even in a crowd, that when they are there, it is a "HERE I AM" type of person? or How often do you start telling the person in front of you a story about something that has happened to you, to then hear the person to jump in the middle of your conversation and go " Yes, I know exactly what you are talking about, this one time with me" Your friend has a story that relates to yours and the topic of your event suddenly gets dropped and is now focused on the event of your friends! We have all been in that scenario, we have all probably been that friend. I know I do it, I do it all the time! I hate when I catch myself doing it too! Does it bother you as much as it bothers me?

Of course it does, we are a society where we are now finding it more and more uncomfortable to talk to others and to relate to them. We are brought up to find mutual ground, to find some connective with the person in front of us to put us to ease in this on going distant techno - relationships world.

Facebook, however great it is, is not helping us truly step forward to the oncoming years for Evangelism. Lets have a look at the stories in the Bible: every one of key significance was a gathering. When Jesus appeared to the disciples on the beach, where they sat around a fire and ate fish, what would be the relevance of that now? Jesus signed on to Facebook, where he put twelve of his friends under chat and said 'hi guys I am back!'? Or that he created a social event called 'fish supper at the sea'?

I know this is just an extreme way of looking at it, but I always found that the beauty of Jesus and the twelve disciples was the fact that they sat and spoke to one another, they had that personal relationship, and it was this relationship that inspired others to follow. I can just imagine the disciples going off to tell the world of their friend, and the love that is in their eyes for that relationship.

I know I have told this story before but fell over at home once (it was horrible): I had gotten up really well and was planning on going into the kitchen to get a drink. But my legs twitched and I buckled over, tried to support myself with my arms, which also twitched and then headbutted the floor. Laying there with my arms trapped underneath me, not being able to move, I saw out of the corner of my eye my phone on the arm of the chair. That will be the point of my rescue. If I lay here long enough I can rest, pray to the Lord for recovery, and he will bring me peace in that time, and then when ready I could try to get my phone and call for help. Although the next thing to happen, happened with no contact at all, no technology. My brother randomly walks around to the back door, lets himself in, which from this point of view must have been a very strange thing as he see me laying locked on the floor. He grabs under my arms and by my belt, flings me up in the air to standing, calls me a fat so-and-so and then says 'sorry, I was just down the road working and I needed the loo' at which he runs up stairs to the toilet. He then comes down, shouts bye and off he went back to work.

No questioning-no worry. He had that relationship with me that he didn't call first to check that it was ok, he just knew he could let himself into my house and go to the toilet.

The more and more I thought about this, the more I realised that not only was God present right there in that moment, but that it wasn't the technology that helped. It was Him. I have been told over and over that Facebook has allowed relationships to regrow by connecting people over distances, but isn't this techno relationship a poor substitute for their actual company? A picture of your sisters newborn the same as holding them for the first time? If i had my phone it would have probably been my brother that I had rung, but the feeling between us wouldn't have been the same-the nature of phones being what they are, it would have been punctuated with small talk, but our relationship is so much deeper than that.

I was very lucky and blessed that day because of the specific relationship I have with my brother. Was that relationship created through us being facebook friends? Or because we shared a bedroom and played together for most of the childhood, we lived, played, ate and laughed together? The same way Jesus did with his disciples and the life that they had with each other.

I am not saying cut the technology out either, I am well aware that this technology is here to aid us. If it means people can read the bible on the move, or connect with long lost relatives from around the world at a cheaper more accessible way. Then great.

In that social interaction choose who you want to be with them. Choose how you want to treat this person that is in front of you. Encourage them.

Encouragement of doing something right . This is the best way to attack and fight back against the attack of accusation and temptation, especially in the time of Lent for those who took it, but also in life in general, where we get so much just thrown in our direction. Christian or not, how often do you see a smile come on to people's faces when you encourage them and say something nice to them. You often here that if you say good morning or smile at someone first thing in the morning that they continue to smile or are polite to others throughout the day. Spreading the love. At what cost was it to you that you encouraged someone, saying something nice doesn't cost you a thing, and you never know that you saying a word of encouragement might tip the internal war and fight that the person is going through.

Jesus would have been a wonderful guest, fully present and 100% into that one person, the individual in front of him. He would have asked him the question " Tell me more" and as Jesus would, He would have seen him, like he saw him up the tree.

How often have you allowed someone to talk about something you have enquired about, they often feel happy and will have a smile on there face. Tell me more.

God is interested in all of us, all of us on an individual level, we too should be this interested in others, be open to all because God is in all of us and He loves us all. Show the world this and ask the question and make a statement. Tell me more.
So finally, encourage your friends, show them love, be willing to wipe their feet, and instead of being a person who keeps the conversation on to themselves, try to be a "There you are" person and ask a simple question when talking with a friend....."Tell me more!" I still stand by my statement from last year and say that these three words could change the world.