Artist Reflection: You, Too, Must
by Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity
Inspired by John 13:1-17, 31b-35 | Digital painting with collage

“‘You will never wash my feet.’ ‘If I don’t wash your feet, what share will you have with me?’” (John 13:8)

The first time my dad took me to visit her in the hospital, I walked in to find a slouched figure sunken below a bundle of blankets. Short brown hairs collected in clumps along her shoulders and pillowcase. A cotton beanie grasped the edges of her yellowing, swollen face. I averted my eyes at the sight, tricked by cancer’s devouring disguise. Pale walls drained the room of energy; even the blue curtains in the window drooped lethargically against the wall. As we came close, my mother’s shrunken torso grew, her familiar, honey-rich voice filled like liquid in my ears.

“Take off your shoes. Let me rub your feet.” I paused. Death pressed in on us like an unrelenting fog. I was scared, unsure of how to play daughter to a
mother whose life was slowly slipping away. 

“Let me rub your feet.” Reluctantly, I climbed up onto the hospital bed. Reaching through the blanketed layers, she removed my shoes, the sweat from my middle school basketball practice still lingering on my skin. Without hesitation, she peeled off my socks and gently massaged away the anxieties building within the room.

In the face of the cancer that would soon take her, my mother was determined to hold us close. In the fading and fullness of life, she savored moments of service to others. Her gentleness continues to startle and soothe me. “You, too, must wash each other’s feet.” (John 13:14)
—Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity

Daily Devotion: Light

Read: John 12:34-36

Reflection Questions: Who or what serves as a nightlight in your life—helping you see where you are, helping to guideyour path?

Prayer: God of light, if I am walking, I want to walk toward the dawn. I want to walk into the sun. I want to walk closer to you. There are many long shadows that can distract and deter. Help guide my feet. Be my light. Gratefully I pray. Amen.

—Prayer by Rev. Sarah Are | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org

Activities for Children

JOHN 13:1-17, 31B-35

Engage: Ask, “Who are some of your favorite people that you know? … How have you kept in touch with them this past year when we had to stay home so much?  What do you do to show them you love them?” 

Explain: Tonight we remember the Last Supper. Jesus knew things were about to get really hard for all of them, and that he was about to die. And so the last thing he did was have dinner with everyone. Not only that, he washed their feet! That was usually a job for servants, but he wanted to do something really nice for them as they were about to face some hard times. Jesus wanted them to have a big meal together to remember that they were all connected through him, even when he was gone. That’s why he gave them the commandments to remember him when they eat and drink and to wash each other’s feet. Jesus knew that even though he wouldn’t be around forever, his followers could still be held together in his love.

Pray: Dear God, thank you for holding all of us together even when we’re apart. Help me to show the people I love how much they mean to me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.