Apron Yourself

Date: September 30, 2025

When preparing to do the work, we must be outfitted for the task at hand. When my grandmother passed away I was given one of her aprons. I was always in the kitchen with Mama Annie and she would always make sure I had an apron on. Her aprons were used to wipe hands, ease burns and wipe tears, it was used to clean up messes and protect pretty dresses. An apron said that the wearer was ready to work. My grandmother was of the mindset that you weren’t fit to work in her kitchen until you’d “aproned yourself”.

In John 13, Jesus takes off his robe and puts on an apron. He kneels and begins to wash his disciples' feet. While their feet were dirty from their day's journey, Jesus was more focused on the spiritual aspect of foot-washing, than hygiene. He later explained that just as he served them, he was establishing a pattern of how his disciples should serve one another. After the foot-washing Jesus took off his apron, put his robe back on and resumed his seat at the table.

There are three points to consider:

• We are all servants. There is no rank in service, the call to serve is one that all Christians should answer. Many hands make light work.

• We must be willing to do the dirty work. Washing feet is a dirty job. I cringe at the thought because I don’t like feet, but serving doesn’t take our preferences into account. Jesus could have taken a cloth, dipped it in a basin and had them pass it around, but he knelt down, the king of kings bowed before his own creation and took the time to wash and dry their feet. Surely we can be intentional, sincere and patient with those we serve and those we serve with.

• Serving doesn’t take anything away from us, it adds to us. When we serve another, God is pleased and the kingdom is advanced. When we serve our community, a need has been met. Jesus set the pattern for us to follow and being followers of Christ, it’s our duty and privilege to follow him in ALL things.

I want to share what I call the A.P.R.O.N. acronym: 

A - is for ATTITUDE~ 1 Peter 3:8 ~We must serve with the right attitude. 

P - is for PATIENCE~ Romans 8:24-25 ~ Be gentle with others and yourself. 

R - is for RESPONSIBILITY~ Galatians 6:4-5 ~ Take ownership of your service. 

O - is for OPPORTUNITIES~ Ephesians 3:7 ~ Embrace opportunities to serve and don’t sidestep the “dirty work”.

N - is for NEEDS~ Proverbs 30:8 ~ Meet the needs of others and see God work on your behalf.

Virtue’s “Put Your War Clothes On” is a reminder to get up and prepare ourselves, as the darkest hour is just before the day.