“No slave is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him,” are the words of the Master who has just stooped to the ground to wash the feet of his disciples as a slave would do. Just before this, Jesus says, “If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.”
In other words, if we are not greater than the master, then we are not above stooping down to wash one another’s feet. As Jesus is wont to do, he inverts our definitions of what greatness means. If we want to be great, then this is exactly what we must do for one another.
What are the acts of service that we can do for one another today? Reaching out to an old friend, speaking honestly in the face of uncomfortable situations, putting that “I” in front of the phrase “love you” are just a few things that we can do to be of service.