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I had a quiet
house to myself one recent night, an unusual treat in a place that
normally has kids in it. I picked out a book from a favorite series,
The Chronicles of Narnia. I sat down by a warm fire. The night was
nearly perfect. Only one thing could make the evening better.
I turned on the
tap in the bathroom. I filled the tub with hot water, and the bathroom
with mist. This is one Northerner who never gave up good, steaming
baths when he came south. Thawing from the bitter cold is not a
problem here-except in the frigid cold inflicted by Texan A.C. units.
Although I don't use baths for warmth, they are still one of the best
possible cures I know for tension. A soak gets the world out of my
pores and out of my soul.
A cleansing can
be had, John says, if we confess our sins.
We are like
grapevines, which God the Father "cleans" or prunes-the original word
means both in John 15:2. A shortened vine will send its strength to
fruit instead of on itself. Like a boy, I think I sometimes still
recoil from that kind of wash, but start playing once I'm in the
water.
Christ washes
us by the water of the word, says Paul (the Apostle). We really will
be presented to God the Son one day without stain, wrinkle, or
blemish.
In the meantime,
we are to wash each other's feet. We know that foot washing was part
of hospitality in Biblical times. See I Timothy 5:10 for that. But I
see Jesus in a towel on His last night with his disciples, before his
crucifixion. I wonder if there's more to washing feet than being a
good host. Cleansing in the Bible is nearly always tied to
forgiveness.
© S. A. Miller, June 2003
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