Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Aldeer General Forum Foot Washin'

My mother in law is a good woman, she is 84 years old, she has worked hard her whole life, she expects a lot of herself and expects a lot of others. She raised a good woman in Mrs. Irishguy and I try my best to be the best husband I can for her and the best son in law I can be to "Mom." She and I have fun picking at each other because that's what son in laws and mother in laws do to each other. She is a Pentecostal woman, from Sand Mountain. She always wears her hair in a "Glory Bun" and you will never see her in a pair of pants. She does not suffer fools lightly and she'll throw out a cuss word every now and then but never says a word about me drinkin' around her.

She usually comes by the house on Sundays after she goes to church over in Leeds, even though she lives in Gadsden, and she eats lunch with us. She sometimes stays for dinner and spends the night in the guest room. We always send her home with a care package of several meals of nicely packaged left overs because she lives alone. [She loves my cooking... ] She's just a good ol' gal whom I respect immensely.

So yesterday we eat lunch [She calls it dinner. ] and I'm taking a break from remodeling the laundry room and am having a beer. She walks over close to me and kind of quietly says in my ear, "I need you to do me a favor." So at this point I'm thinking she want's me to get something out of her car, or mow her lawn, or something like that. [She walks with a cane and doesn't get around too good.] I'm like, "Sure, what is it?" She says, "I need to wash your feet."

So I'm kind of speechless for a second...

"Are you sure?"
"Yep I'm sure. The Lord spoke to me and told me to do it."
"Well, what do you want me to do?"
"I want you to sit right there in your chair."

With that she goes out to her car and brings back this big bowl [Undoubtedly made specifically for this purpose. ] Gges to the restroom, puts in oil and warm water and comes back with the bowl and a towel.

"Let me get you a place to sit."
"No. I'm going to sit right down here on the floor."

Now this lady has a hard time even walking, but she got right down there and put my foot in the bowl of water and began to delicately wash it off and then did the same to the next one. Then she carefully dried them off and then kissed each one on the top, got up and put the bowl away...

Now I was raised in a Pentecostal church where I went with my grandparents because my parents weren't saved when I was a little kid. My parents were later saved and we became members of a Presbyterian church. When I got married I became a member and heavily involved in the Assemblies of God and so even though I attend a more mainstream Evangelical church now at Church of the Highlands, I am still familiar with speaking in tongues, foot washin' and being moved by the Holy Spirit. I do believe in the Holy Spirit and I believe that he physically moves in people. That said, I have never had my feet washed before.

Well... When that dear little, frail, old lady got down on the floor and washed my feet I most certainly felt the Holy Spirit move on me and I still feel him today. It has been a while since I have felt the Holy Spirit move like that, and I certainly believe that is what God intended when he moved on her to do what she did.

He has a plan for us my friends...

What campus do you attend, Irish?

Crazy how the Spirit can speak to us through the simplest and most humble acts. All it takes is someone to be obedient.

We always go to early service over on Grants Mill. That's the closest campus to us.

After she did it she said, "Thanks for being obedient."

Irish,
I had mine done once and you are not kidding. What an amazing experience it was.
I went into a Wednesday night service as I usually did as a high school kid, just because that is what we did in our small town. Plus you get away from homework, and etc.
As long as the person washing is (like your MIL) doing it with a Christ like intent, it can truly be one of the most incredible things.
I hope that others will get to experience this incredible act of humility.

When I'm back up in Birmingham I'll have to come over and say hi before or after service. My fianc�'s uncle is the campus pastor there, so I normally attend Grant's Mill as well.

That's a beautiful story.
But I don't go for foot washing. The New Testament church didn't do it.
But to each his own. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

So Jesus himself performing it doesn't count?

So Jesus himself performing it doesn't count?[/quote]

^^^Immediately where my mind went.

Being raised in a conservative movement, "footwashing" services were common to me. The men would go to one area, and the ladies would go to another. Washing someone's feet was one thing, but letting go of pride to have another person wash my feet was super humbling.

It's definitely not the most aseptic practice in today's antibacterial world. As time progressed, I remember seeing the "saints" put a few drops of bleach in their water basins. HA!

That's a great story Irish and it had to be a very humbling experience. Thanks for sharing.

Nothing wrong with foot washing as long as it's not elevated to a sacramental status. Baptism and the Lord's Supper are the only sacraments of the Church. AC870 was right about it not being observed by the NT church.

Please explain John 13:1-17 to me then.

This is much better way to say it. I don't want to offend anyone.

No need to explain it. I'm sure you understand the scripture just fine. Where we are probably missing one another is the term "sacrament."

I understand the sacrament part but I originally understood someone to say it didn't occur in the NT. I take it as a beautiful expression of humbling yourself in the sight of The Lord and not the hedonistic annual event that occurs in my neighborhood that blasphemously uses the same terminology.

My understanding of foot washing is Jesus did it to demonstrate servanthood to the apostles. The New Testament church is firmly established on the Day of Pentecost and afterwards. They met on the first day of the week, the day of the resurrection, and they observed Lord's Supper and new believers were baptized. Foot washing does occur in the New Testament but no mention of it following the death and resurrection. The New Testament church is established in Acts and beyond.

We are of the same mind. I always just thought of foot washing to be humbling yourself to be a servant no matter what your station in life may be.

The one in Union Town?!

We went to one of the (if most the most) poorest city in KY a few years ago. There were three churches that joined hands and provided clothes, shoes and a backpack of hygiene products to children for school.

It was a week long in the middle of the summer. Man it was hot!. We had lines with hundreds of people. I will never forget this lady washing feet of this 10-14 year old girl and asked do you know why we are washing your feet? The young girl responded because my feet are dirty and you probably dont want these feet in them there new shoes.

Washing feet was they way we could talk and show what Christ is all about. I will NEVER forget those days so long as I live.

Well... I was hoping this wouldn't turn into an Aldeer Pharicetal argument on the technicalities of the New Testament. Oh well...

I'm not one of the religions experts here on Aldeer, but I know what I personally experienced. It is a humbling experience for both the washer and the washee. I can testify to that.

I'm for anything that is designed by God to make us more humble and closer to him. That's all I need to know about the practice.

I'm not sure where anyone in this thread ever claimed it was a "Sacrament." However it was a special moment shared between my mother in law, myself and the Holy Spirit that I will never forget. Of that I have no doubt.

Thanks for the kind comments. God bless y'all.

I was raised in the Presbyterian and Episcopal Churches. We recognize several other sacraments. Matrimony is one of them. I would guess that the way your particular denomination defines "sacraments" is the key, I would have no argument with the way you believe. I follow the definition found in the Book of Common Prayer. "... a sacrament as "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace given unto us, ordained by Christ himself, as a means whereby we receive the same, and a pledge to assure us thereof."