What a Footwashing!!

     It happened in a rural community prior to electricity being installed in the homes.  Very few families had cars so they either rode in a wagon or walked to church each Sunday.  Following church the pastor of the Freewell Baptist Church always went home with a family for lunch and spent the afternoon with them. 
     This particular day the preacher was spending the afternoon with a family who had three boys and two girls.  Sunday afternoon, during this era, was spent leisurely relaxing.  Occasionally, a game of shoreshoes or washers might be played.  This was to be a special day for the members of the Freewell Baptist Church; they were going to have a footwashing at church that night.  You see, unlike most Baptist churches, who only have two church ordinances (baptism and communion), the Freewell Baptists have a third ordinance-- footwashing.  During the observance of the ordiance they would wash one another's feet.
     In anticipation of the upcoming event, the pastor took a pan of water to the back steps and proceeded to wash his foot.  While he washed his foot, one of the boys slipped the preacher's sock, carried it into the kitchen and put some suet into the sock.  He replaced the sock for the preacher without the preacher being aware of what had happened.
     Fast forward to the observance of the footwashing ordinance.  The preacher is seated in front of the congregation and removes his shoe and sock.  The newly washed foot is as black as the ace of spades.  There was an audiable gasp followed by an outburst of laughter.  Laughter is obviously uncommon during such a solemn occassion, but sometimes laughter can not be controlled, even in such a solemn situation.
     Everything that the preacher could possibly do to present himself in a pleasing manner, he did.  Yet in the moment of presentation, his appearance was totally unacceptable.  There is a day of judgement in which every person must appear before God.  I will not go  into a discussion of the various judgements, but just the fact that we all shall be judged.  Only those who have their name written in the Book of Life will be acceptable at the judgement.
     All attempts to make yourself presentable before God will leave a person as embarassed as the preacher at the footwashing.  Only this embarrasement will result in an eternity in hell.
     The old song says it best, "What can wash away my sin; nothing but the blood of Jesus, What can make me whole again, nothing but the blood of Jesus."