Did St. Peter Moisturize?

Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday. This is what I think of as the beginning of the whole Easter thing. The service points to the servanthood of Christ and reminds we Christians that we are called to servanthood as well. The service ends with the stripping and washing of the altar followed by the congregation exiting the church all in complete silence.

For myself, it's one of the most powerful services the Episcopal church has.

On the night of Christ's betrayal, he gathered with his followers for a final meal. Following the custom of the day, the guests feet were to be washed. This would have been the job of a slave. Jesus took it upon himself. That's huge!

Peter's reaction adds to the complexity of the message . At first he refuses to let Jesus near his feet. (How scandalous for a rabbi to wash his disciples' feet!) Jesus tells Peter that if he wants to be in on the whole Jesus movement he needs to have his feet washed. Peter, missing the point, asks to have his hands and face washed as well. Jesus, demonstrating more patience then I'll ever have, explains that Peter's feet will do just fine.

As we remember this final, meaning-filled evening of Christ's life. We have the opportunity to wash one another's feet. Now, I'm fine washing, but when it comes to having my feet washed there's an entire boatload of issues that come up. Among them are my discomfort with putting others into a position of servitude and the condition of my feet. The former is just some psychological baggage I have to work through.

The latter brings me to my only recurring springtime tradition. Beginning Palm Sunday I start my annual moisturizing ritual. Because of the low quality carpet installed in our apartment my feet get dry, cracked, and generally gross. A post-shower application of Burt's Bees Foot Creme every morning takes care of the worst of the "eww" by showtime.

I don't think this counts as a Lenten discipline.