Coming Clean

Our fridge/freezer packed up on New Year’s day.  I plummeted into denial even though the fridge/freezer interior-temperature stayed constantly at “room temp”.  Very soon  the urgent unpacking of the defrosted foods became rather essential.   Then the OVERALL cleaning of both fridge and freezer.  Yesterday the spanking brand-new fridge/freezer arrived.  I took the opportunity to clean the fridge-occupied corner of our  kitchen THOROUGHLY before the strong delivery men pushed the beautiful, working, new appliance in the place of the old. 
Great!
It’s impossible not to think of how radical the Christian new birth is:  how radical and revolutionary the cleansing and the forgiveness.  Jesus was on a mission to save us from the worst predicament, i.e., God’s condemnation of those who are so fond of, who are attached to darkness. Those who are – without this life that is in Jesus – walking dead men, walking dead people.   Jesus came from heaven and it is called Christmas-love.
Of course, it is not as if we do not need our feet to be washed between our great salvation from condemnation in Jesus and that wonderous moment when we see Him again.  Sin and temptation are daily realities for Christians.  And God communicated to us (in His Word by His Spirit) what we are to do about it.  It’s all there for the reading, implementing and changing.

Here’s one of our absolute favourite master-painting  in one of  London’s treasure houses of art. Of course the original true story is not of Ford Maddox Brown’s imagination but from the history-rooted John 13.
Don’t you also just love the expression on Peter’s face!?
Jesus, our role-model.

Ford Madox Brown. Jesus Washing Peter's Feet. 1852-56. retouched several times up to 1892. Oil on canvas 46 x 52 l/4 in. Tate Britain Gallery, London.