December 13: Servant of All
♫ Music:
Day 14 - Saturday, December 13
Title: Servant of All
Scripture #1: Isaiah 49:5–7 (NKJV)
“And now the Lord says, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel is gathered to Him (For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, And My God shall be My strength). Indeed He says, 'It is too small a thing that You should be my Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth." Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, their Holy One, to Him whom man despises, to Him whom the nation abhors, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel; and He has chosen You.”
Scripture #2: John 13:13–16 (NKJV)
“You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.”
Scripture #3: Mark 10:45 (NKJV)
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Poetry & Poet:
“Washing Feet”
by Robert Fawcett
Being thorough, I remove a holey sock
to view a diabetic man’s filthy feet.
I use the time to complete our talk
of what drove him to live on the street
as I wonder how any of this can help.
While he tells me more of his medical past,
I run warm water into a stainless bowl.
I immerse both his feet and begin to ask
myself what good it does for this poor soul
to allow himself to undergo this ablution.
Silently I sluice the water between his toes
and soap the crusty callous at his heel.
I marvel at his arch and notice how closely
it fits my palm. I know he can feel
this proximity too. He shuts his eyes.
Months of useless layers peel away,
revealing layers useless weeks ago.
Removing the tough brown hide of yesterday
yields clean pink skin, but we both know
this ritual will be useless days from now.
Still, this moment may withstand time’s test,
teaching us each lessons unknown before.
I learn the medicine of selflessness.
He learns what medicine is really for–
the hope that basin, soap and touch can bear.
Servant of All
Like a shroud draping the room, Brown’s artwork lays upon every spectator the horror of Jesus’ humiliation. The disciples lean in, aghast, incredulity etched on their faces.
Stooped over the water basin at Peter’s feet, “sluic[ing] the water between his toes,“ Jesus’ strength glows in the light illuminating the ripples of his arms, sinews in his neck, and love’s determination in his countenance. Failing to comprehend this abasement, the disciples could not have imagined the more horrific one Jesus would soon endure.
In a world that prizes power, Jesus taught servanthood. He said that’s why He came–to serve, even to the point of laying down His life. Since He, our Teacher and Lord, demonstrated humility, this is what we ought to do. He said that we love and worship Him best by walking in the way He modeled for us.
“From swaddling clothes to the washing of feet, see the Son of God bending low for you and me,” sing Jonathan and Emily Martin. “From infant birth to His death on a tree, see the Son of Man in His great humility. Jesus, servant of all.”
“For this reason,” the chorus echoes, “God has given him the Name that’s above every name.” The Martins sing that the great exaltation Jesus received from the Father was because of “His great humility.”
We often don’t get our why questions answered. But not so here! We are given two reasons that we would be wise to take note of:
Jesus’ reason for coming was to serve others, even to the point of death.
God’s reason for exalting Jesus was because He humbled himself as a servant, even to death on a cross.
Learning “the medicine of selflessness” is messy business, as Fawcett graphicly describes in his poem. It can not only feel uncomfortable and embarrassing but wholly useless in the face of humanity’s staggering and unrelenting needs. Jesus knew His disciples would have dirty feet once again, even before the night was done. Yet by His example, He was showing them what He wanted of them. “Do as I have done…”
Today if our service to our fellow human beings feels messy, feeble or useless, may we rest in the hope that “still, this moment may withstand time’s test, teaching us each lessons unknown before.” May those we serve feel the touch of heaven’s hope. And may our Teacher and Lord begin seeing His own beautiful reflection in our acts of humble love.
Prayer:
Dear Lord Jesus, we look to you for help in humbly serving one another as you taught and selflessly demonstrated. With whatever time remains, may we gladly claim any opportunity to enrich others. For soon enough, on the other side, there will be glory and honor for those who are in Christ. Until that day, we trust in your care for us that keeps our foot from slipping and preserves us from all harm.
Amen.
Kay Vinci, M.Div.
Writer and editor
About the Artwork:
Christ Washing Peter’s Feet
Ford Madox Brown
1876
Oil on canvas
1168 x 1333 mm
Tate Modern
London, England
Public Domain
In artist Ford Madox Brown’s painting, Jesus washes the feet of His disciples to demonstrate a willingness to completely humble Himself in service of others. Washing the feet of guests in that time and culture was usually done by slaves or people of low status. With this act, Jesus emphasizes the importance of humility and service by stating that a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. As Christ’s followers, we are called to emulate His example of serving one another in humility and love.
About the Artist:
Ford Madox Brown (1821–1893) was an English painter of moral and historical subjects, notable for his distinctively graphic and often Hogarthian version of the Pre-Raphaelite style. Christ Washing Peter’s Feet illustrates the biblical story of Christ washing His disciples’ feet at the Last Supper. The painting features an unusually low viewpoint and compressed compositional space, making viewers feel as if they too are reclining at the Last Supper and privy to this intimate moment. At the time, critics objected to the picture’s coarseness, as it originally depicted Jesus only semi-clad. This caused an outcry when it was first exhibited and it remained unsold for several years until Brown reworked Christ in robes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Madox_Brown
About the Music #1: “Jesus, the Servant of All” from the album Tell Me the Story
Lyrics #1:
All of God
Poured into a baby
That He might be
A servant to all.
He set aside
Unending glory
That we might be
Lifted from our fall.
All of God
Poured into a baby
To use His power
For the powerless.
He came to find
The lost, to heal the broken
To sympathize
With all our weaknesses.
From swaddling clothes
To the washing of feet
See the Son of God
Bending low for you and me
From infant birth.
To His death on a tree
See the Son of Man
In His great humility
Jesus, the servant of all
Son of God
Heart full of mercy
Has been made
In the likeness of our flesh.
Christ became
A man of sorrows
He died that we
Could rise up from the grave.
From swaddling clothes
To the washing of feet
See the Son of God
Bending low for you and me.
From infant birth
To His death on a tree
See the Son of Man
In His great humility
Jesus, the servant of all.
The servant of all.
Jesus is Lord
For this reason
God has given.
Him a name that's above all names.
Jesus is Lord
For this reason
God has given
Him a name that's above all names
Jesus is Lord
For this reason
God has given
Him a name that's above all names.
Jesus is Lord
For this reason
God has given
Him a name that's above all names.
From swaddling clothes
To the washing of feet
See the Son of God
Bending low for you and me.
From infant birth
To His death on a tree
See the Son of Man
In His great humility.
Jesus, the servant of all.
Jesus, the servant of all.
About the Composer #1: Jonathan Martin
For over ten years, Jonathan and Emily Martin have traveled the United States, singing their songs and leading worship at churches and various events. Their songs have been featured on the Gospel Coalition website, Worship Leader Magazine, and other places. Jonathan and Emily met in 2005 at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, married in 2010, and started their ministry together after they graduated. During their first few years of ministry, they wrote songs and traveled with a group of their friends under the name Mosaic. Mosaic was a collection of various artists and songwriters who banded together to write Scripture-saturated songs. The group released three full-length projects and traveled in music ministry together for over three years.
https://jonathanandemilymartin.com/our-story
About the Music #2: “My Help”
Lyrics #2:
I will lift up my eyes to the hills,
From whence cometh my help.
My help cometh from the Lord,
The Lord which made heaven and earth.
He said He will not suffer thy foot.
Thy foot to be removed.
The Lord which keepeth thee,
He will not slumber nor sleep.
Oh, the Lord is thy keeper.
The Lord is thy shade.
Upon thy right hand,
No, the sun shall not smite thee by day
Nor the moon by night.
For He shall preserve thy soul,
Even forever more.
My help, my help, my help,
All of my help cometh from the Lord.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills.
From whence cometh my help
My help cometh from the Lord,
The Lord which made heaven and earth.
He said He will not suffer thy foot.
Thy food to be moved.
The Lord which keepeth me.
He will not slumber nor sleep.
Oh, the Lord is thy keeper.
The Lord is thy shade.
Upon thy right hand
No, the sun shall not smite thee by day,
Nor the moon by night.
He shall preserve thy soul.
Even forever more.
My help, my help, my help,
All of my help cometh from the Lord.
Oh, the Lord is thy keeper.
The Lord is thy shade.
Upon thy right hand
No, the sun shall not smite thee by day,
Nor the moon by night.
He shall preserve thy soul.
Even forever more.
My help, my help, my help,
All of my help cometh from the Lord.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills.
He is my strength.
For all my help cometh from the Lord
I will lift up my eyes to the hills.
He is my strength.
All my help cometh from the Lord.
My help, my help, my help.
All my help cometh from the Lord.
My help, my help, my help.
All my help cometh from the Lord.
My help, my help, my help.
All my help cometh from the Lord.
All my help cometh from the Lord.
About the Composers #2: Original lyrics by Jackie Gouche-Farris. Arrangement by Steffany Gretzinger, Michael and Hannah Graham, and Daniel Martin
Jackie Gouche-Farris (1963-2024) was an American singer, minister of music, songwriter, and author known for her decades-long influence in gospel and worship music. A classically trained pianist and vocalist, she performed as a background singer with some of the most prominent artists in the music industry, including Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, and Patti LaBelle. Her work as a worship leader spanned over three decades at Bible Enrichment Fellowship in Inglewood, California, where she served as minister of music. She also authored several books, including her autobiography How Would I Know? and True Worshippers, a treatise on praise and worship, reflecting her life in ministry and faith.
Steffany Gretzinger is a part of the Bethel Music family as a worship leader and a singer-songwriter. She has authored songs such as “Pieces,” “You Know Me,” “Letting Go,” “Be Still,” “Steady Heart,” “We Dance,” and many more. Gretzinger grew up in a musical home and has been involved in worship ministry since she was a child. She is featured on many albums, including Have it All, You Make Me Brave, Tides, For the Sake of the World, The Loft Sessions, and Be Lifted High. Steffany lives in Redding, California, with her husband, Stephen, and daughter, Wonder Grace, and ministers in the United States and internationally.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steffany_Gretzinger
Daniel Martin is an award-winning music producer, songwriter, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist from Southern California. Formerly a writer for Perfect Storm Music Group/Sony ATV, he now operates an independent music production company in Nashville, Tennessee. He's had the opportunity to share the room with iconic industry creatives such as Grammy Award–winning producer Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins and Mike Elizondo. Since opening his first studio in 2009, Daniel has produced, hosted, and recorded world-class artists such as multiplatinum recording artist Fetty Wap, Grammy Award–winning bassist Victor Wooten, American Idol finalist Jessica Muse, The Voice finalist Molly Stevens, legendary guitar maker Paul Reed Smith (PRS), rising star Brennley Brown, Kali Arcaris, Kelsey Bridges, and Westward Sons, just to name a few.
https://www.dmproducer.com/
About the Performers #2: Steffany Gretzinger and the Jesus Image Choir
The Jesus Image Choir is part of the Jesus Image Church, located in Orlando, Florida. Jesus Image is reaching the nations with Jesus Image Church, Jesus School, and Jesus Image events. Millions have joined them from around the world to be a part of their live-streamed meetings and worship services.
https://jesusimage.tv/
About the Poetry & Poet:
Dr. Robert Fawcett is a semi-retired psychiatrist who enjoys the literary and musical arts. Besides his book Limericks and Poems from County Emmet, he has published poetry in Walloon Writer's Review, Vol. 1. His book Calming the Bipolar Storm: a Guide for Patients and Their Families was released in 2021.
About the Devotion Author:
Kay Vinci, M.Div.
Writer and editor
Over the years, Kay has enjoyed writing for both adults and children. She has written for a variety of publications, including magazines and journals, and has also written a self-published children’s story. Kay graduated in 2011 with her M.Div. from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI. She enjoyed being part of the teaching team of her local church and developed a children's summer day camp curriculum. Retired now, she lives in Costa Mesa, California, near her children and grandson.