WASHING
THE FEET OF THE HOMELESS

Topics: Caring; Compassion; Godliness; Homelessness; Humility; Love; Missions; Outreach; Poor People; Social Justice; Submission; Witnessing

References: Proverbs 29:7; Matthew 5:16; 10:42; Mark 10:43–44; John 13:1–17; Galatians 2:10; Ephesians 6:7; James 2:14–17

On Friday nights, volunteers from Bridgetown Ministries help the homeless people gathered under the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon. In addition to providing hot meals, shaves, and haircuts, some of the volunteers wash the homeless people’s feet. Tom Krattenmaker, a writer for USA Today, was stunned when he saw that, calling it “one of the most audacious acts of compassion and humility I have ever witnessed.”

This group of society’s outcasts had their bare feet immersed in warm water, scrubbed, dried, powdered, and placed in clean socks. One man reported with a smile, “I can’t find the words to describe how good that felt.”

Krattenmaker later wrote, “Washing someone’s feet is an act best performed while kneeling. Given the washer’s position, and the unpleasant appearance and odor of a homeless person’s feet, it’s hard to imagine an act more humbling.”

The leader of Bridgetown Ministries prepares volunteers for this ministry by saying, “When you go out there tonight, I want you to look for Jesus. You might see him in the eyes of a drunk person, a homeless person … we’re just out there to love on people.”

—Tom Krattenmaker, “A Witness to What Faith Can Be,” USA Today (December 18, 2006)