I was confused. I thought today was Global Hand-washing Day. It was actually yesterday, Thursday, October 15.
This is the second annual observance of October 15 as Global Hand-washing Day. It’s aimed at promoting a culture of hand-washing with soap in countries around the world, especially those vulnerable to disease for a variety of reasons.
Many organizations have lined up to support this day, and I think it’s a great idea. The spread of infection can be greatly reduced if people, especially children, remember to keep their hands clean.
Of course, I see a moral lesson here too.
In the Old Testament, including the psalms, references to ritual hand-washing abound. “Who shall ascend to the hill of the LORD? They who have clean hands and a pure heart.”
While in the middle east, you might have noticed the spigots around many a mosque – provided so that the faithful can wash their feet.
When pilgrims ascended to the hill of the LORD, they had to be ritually clean.
What does that mean for us in our worship today?
While certainly we cannot suggest that only saints –no sinners—step through the church door, this metaphor and these Scriptures remind us that while there is a putative sense in which we are “clean” not only through the Word spoken to us, as Jesus said, or via a vicarious layer of righteousness through Jesus’ life and death – clearly, the purpose of our faith and relationship to God through Christ is to help us keep our hands clean and our hearts pure.
That is to say, who we are and what we do should be informed by our faith.
I would like to think more about the “and soap” part of the instruction, but I guess that will have to wait. I just remember affirming in front of my mother when I was a kid, that I had indeed washed my hands before coming to the supper table. Another question inevitable followed as the sun rises in the east: “With soap?”
We need to use soap. (It’s made in part of lye, right? A burning acid, right? And stuff that doesn’t make it burn so bad.) Some soaps include an abrasive, soap, like the LAVA brand my mom used to make us use.
Well, that’s all for now.
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