A Spiritual Word: Service

“So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example; that you also should do as I have done to you.” John 13:14-15
Jesus serves his disciples by washing their feet in John 13. This is my favorite chapter in the Bible because Jesus demonstrates the boundless nature of God’s love and asks us to do the same. We should serve one another. At Zuziwe’s celebration, the female relatives astound me with the extent of their service.
I roll over in my sleeping bag; I open my eyes enough to see a woman taking a bath in a basin. A while later, I rustle in my sleep again while another woman bathes in my room. I am a very heavy sleeper, barely conscious when I first wake up, and my eyesight is poor without glasses or contacts, so I am in no way negatively impacted by these experiences. Finally, after seeing so many people moving, I decide I should get ready for the day. After cleaning myself up, I glance at my cell phone clock; the time is barely after 6. How and why is everyone already up?
I look out the door of my host family’s home on Gogo’s (grandma on my host dad’s side) property to see everyone hard at work on the day of Zuziwe’s ceremony. By everyone, I mean my host family, Gogo, Gogo’s children and grandchildren (most of who live on the same property as Gogo), other distant relatives, and close family friends. In the kitchen, which is its own building, women prepare bath water on the stove, wash dishes, and prepare tea. Outside, young men and a woman, under the direction of male relatives, set up the second tent. Women also prepare food in the kitchen of my host family’s house. Countless tasks keep devoted servants busy all morning, from cooking and cleaning to decorating the tents.
Slie is the personification of a servant. Slie is Zuziwe’s (Zu’s) older cousin. The week before Zu’s celebration, Slie stayed at our home, preparing for Zu’s celebration. She sewed 200 seat covers, sewed beads on shoes and skirts, helped around the house, and braided extensions into family members’ hair. She baked the delectable muffins and scones for the celebration day. On celebration day, Slie kept everything together. When I did not
know what to do, or what was going on, I asked Slie. Slie was in charge of decorating the tent and all the behind the scenes work. She, literally, is the keeper of the keys. The cost of Slie’s service: priceless. Literally, the cost of Slie’s service: nothing. She serves because she is family. Slie is my hero.
Family members work from sunrise to the beginning of the celebration at noon. Yet, they do not stop working then. When I return from the celebration ceremony, the women are hard at work in the kitchen. The women seem not to stop.
My celebration point of reference for the day is a typical American wedding: over 100 guests (about 400 in this case), a ceremony, a meal reception, and dancing. Okay, so maybe the amount of animal hides and outfits differ a bit. Yet, I had anticipated that the front tables in each tent would be occupied by the ceremony party and close family members, not random guests, as it turns out. Rather, family members ensure the meal runs smoothly by running food and washing dishes. At first the role of their family members confuses me. At American weddings that I’ve attended, extended family members participate in all facets of the celebration and people are hired to prepare the celebratory spaces, provide music, and cater the food and drink. Once the ceremony starts, it seems that the family members are mostly hands off as far as running the event. Yet, at this Zulu ceremony, the family members provide the hands. This is not to say that one way of carrying out ceremonies is correct. Personally, if a ceremony is ever held in my honor, I would want my family to participate in the event. Yet, the female relatives at this ceremony work with such diligence and care that I am in awe. They give of themselves for a successful celebration in honor of Zuziwe.
In John 13, Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and tells his disciples to do likewise. At Zuziwe’s celebration, the women symbolically wash the feet of Zuziwe and all who enjoy the festivities. These women demonstrate the selfless nature of service.

Lord, May we serve as you serve us. Help us to remember how you selflessly gave your life for each of our lives. May we give of our selves as you teach us in order to give glory to you. Amen