Global GospelSample

Learning at the Basin

BY NILS CLAUSON

I recently traveled with some colleagues to Ethiopia to visit our sister denomination and long-time partner, the Evangelical Covenant Church of South Sudan and Ethiopia (ECCSSE). We were warmly welcomed with elaborate and exuberant celebrations—singing, dancing, and heartfelt joy. The greeting began even before we reached the church as members came out in the sweltering heat to run alongside our vehicle, escorting us to the church. It continued as we made our way through a greeting line that seemed to include every person in the congregation.

One part of this welcome stood out as especially meaningful. At each of the many churches we visited across the countryside, the greeting culminated in the same tradition: as the music continued with fervor, we guests were seated in places of honor. Then the deaconesses approached with basins, removed our shoes, and washed our feet.

It was beautiful, humbling—and admittedly a little uncomfortable. Having someone so close to your feet is an intimate act that can feel awkward. I also found myself restless, eager to move beyond the ceremony to go out and see the ECCSSE’s remarkable community development work: empowering widows to grow food and feed their families, training peacemakers in conflict zones, and opening doors to education for children. Every foot-wash felt like time taken from witnessing this vital work.

I also wrestled with the optics: a white man seated in a place of honor while Black women knelt in service felt at odds with my convictions around humility and mission. Was I perpetuating models of paternalism? Shouldn’t I be the one washing their feet?

But as I reflected, I came to see that the women of the ECCSSE were not merely offering hospitality—they were offering Christ. They were being Christ to me. Their act echoed John 13, where Jesus washes his disciples’ feet and calls them to do likewise in love. My understanding of this ceremony shifted as I realized I was in the seat of the learner, the disciple.

When Jesus gives the Great Commission in Matthew 28, it’s easy for us in the Western church to assume we are the ones called to make disciples. On that trip to Ethiopia, I was reminded that those in this region received the gospel and the Great Commission many generations before my ancestors—and it was I who was being discipled by my sisters and brothers of the ECCSSE.

Reflection Question

In what ways do you need to slow down and receive before rushing ahead to do? How might this shift shape your participation in God’s mission?

Prayer

God, the call you have given to make disciples is truly a great commission. Remind us that Jesus first calls us to be followers, leaners, and disciples ourselves.