The Sacraments and Servanthood

Understanding Servanthood
Today’s Focus: The Sacraments and Servanthood
Scripture: Luke 22:15-20; Ephesians 5:21-33; John 13:5-17

Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Isn’t it amazing that when we look at the sacraments that we rarely think about them being about servanthood. Let’s name these sacraments and then discuss them separately.
1. Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper)
2. Marriage
3. Feet Washing

Holy Communion (Luke 22:15-20)
Jesus serves the disciples bread and wine and we know that the bread is symbolic of His body that is broken for us and the Word of God to nourish our souls. The wine is symbolic of the blood that is shed for the remission of sin so we may be cleansed from sin. The point is Jesus is serving the sons of God at the table of the Lord. So when we sit at the table and fellowship with the Lord, He serves us and this is the heart of a servant to think of others and serve them before themselves.

Marriage (Ephesians 5:21-33)
The concept of servanthood the heart of the sacrament of marriage. It is not about lustful emotions and feelings and satisfying one another’s fleshly desires. Marriage is about communicating grace to one another. This is why Ephesians 5:21 says submitting yourselves ONE TO ANOTHER IN THE FEAR OF GOD. How about this scripture:

Ephesians 5:24,25: Therefore as the church is subject (submission and service) unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it;

So both the wife and husband serve one another and in serving one another there is a communication of grace between the both of them.

Washing Feet (John 13:5-17)
Now this sacrament has almost left the Body of Christ and rarely do we see people wash feet. Many people view feet washing as “messy” and many will not do it because they do not believe that they should get down and wash someone’s feet. However, the Lord, God in the flesh, girded himself with a towel and kneeled down and washed his disciple’s feet. This is probably the best example in the entire Bible of servanthood but yet it is the least practiced. Think about it, the Lord who is the greatest over all is in the most humble and servile state and serving the sons of God and if He, God Almighty will do it, then you better believe if we are partakers of his divine nature, we should do the same. Want to prove it?

John 13:14: If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. FOR I HAVE GIVEN YOU AN EXAMPLE, THAT YE SHOULD DO AS I HAVE DONE TO YOU. VERILY VERILY I SAY UNTO YOU, THE SERVANT IS NOT GREATER THAN HIS LORD; NEITHER HE THAT IS SENT GREATER THAN HE THAT SENT HIM.

Case closed on this issue! These are the words of the Lord and notice right after telling them that they are to do it, He explains the purpose to explain the relationship between a servant and his lord or master and how we must learn to be servants if we desire to lead.

So even in the sacraments there is the heart and concept of servanthood

Peace, Love and Grace from the Father,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.