THE SACRAMENT OF SERVANTHOOD

On the night that He was betrayed Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and give it to His disciples, saying, "Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." Likewise, after supper, He took the cup and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them saying, "drink this, all of you, for this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins; do this, as often as you drink it, in rememberance of Me."

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke report this event that took place at the meal on the night before Jesus was crucified. And as Jesus instructed His disciples to do, we have continued to remember it across the centuries since. It has been given the rightful status of a holy sacrement by the church; and is for us a means of grace, vital to a healthy Christian life.

The Gospel of John also reports about the meal, but he fails to mention this particular event. What John does report though is some very important things Jesus said and did that should be given more status than they now enjoy in the church and in our personal Christian lives.

John reports that the Word became the flesh of a servant with a towel wrapped around himself and washedthe feet of His disciples. This was not a temporary role-play for effect, but rather a revelation of who Jesus is - servant. The living Presence of Christ is as much in servanthood as it is in the wine and bread of communion. In fact servanthood is the wine poured out and the broken bread offered through our own flesh as we become "living sacrifices" through whom the living Presence of Christ reaches out to the world.

Luke, in his account of this meal, recalls a dispute that arose among the disciples that evening about who among them was considered the greatest. In that setting and context such a dispute sounds so silly and childish, yet in more subtle and "sophisticated" ways, that same dispute still exists among Jesus' disciples. Jesus says to them, and us, "Who is greatest , the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves." The Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:5 says, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." And Christ Jesus said it first when He finished washing His disciples' feet, "I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you."

Thus, on the night that He was betrayed, our Lord instituted another Holy Sacrament and likewise told us to do it in remembrance of Him. It too is a means of grace that is vital to a healthy Christian life - the Sacrament of Servanthood.