Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday begins the Three Days (or Triduum), remembering the new commandment that Christ gave us in word and deed as he taught us how to love one another, washing our feet as a servant. We also celebrate the Lord’s Supper, remembering the meal Christ shared with his disciples before his death.

Historically, this was the traditional day in which those who had undergone a period of public penance under church discipline would be restored to full communion.

A new commandment

An excerpt from the Companion to the Book of Common Worship (Geneva Press, 2003, 113-116, 131-132)

The name is taken from the first words sung at the ceremony of the washing of the feet, “I give you a new commandment” (John 13:34); also from the commandment of Christ that we should imitate his loving humility in the washing of the feet (John 13:14-17). The term mandatum (maundy), therefore, was applied to the rite of the footwashing on this day.

The opening service of the Triduum is not inherently mournful. The penitential acts of Maundy Thursday have celebratory aspects as well: restoration through the bold declaration of pardon; the act of footwashing connoting humility and intimacy; the celebration of the Lord’s Supper embodying the mystery of Christ’s enduring redemptive presence. Maundy Thursday’s acts provide the paradox of a celebratively somber and solemnly celebrative service.

Footwashing. A powerful symbolic response to the Word, representing the way of humility and servanthood to which we are called by Christ, is the act of footwashing, practiced within the church since at least the fifth century. The practice of footwashing in first-century Palestine may have been as common as when today a host helps guests take off their coats, a waiter seats diners, or a driver holds the taxi door open for passengers. Hospitality underlies all such welcoming gestures. …

What is startling if not jolting about the footwashing story in John is not the act of footwashing, but the identity of the servant who washed others’ feet — Jesus, God-with-us, the least likely person. Following the footwashing, Jesus took on himself the humiliation of the cross, the ultimate symbol of his selfless love for others. …

In the priesthood of all believers (not hierarchies of power), all members of the body of Christ can “kneel” before each other and wash one another’s feet as did our Lord and Savior himself — neighbor to neighbor, perhaps even stranger to stranger. More important, as the priesthood of all believers, our corporate kneeling before others for the earthly task of footwashing symbolizes our servanthood within and beyond the body of Christ.

The Lord’s Supper. Though on this night we remember and celebrate the final supper Jesus shared with his disciples in the context of Passover, we are neither celebrating a Seder (“order of service”), nor reenacting the Last Supper, but sharing with our risen Lord a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. …

The term “last supper” suggests that it was only one of many meals shared by Jesus and his disciples, and not the meal. The Eucharist is rooted not only in the Last Supper but also in Jesus’ eating with sinners, and in his feeding the crowd with the loaves and fishes, and it foreshadows the meals after his resurrection. All together they constitute the multiple meanings of the Lord’s Supper. To reduce the Lord’s Supper to the Last Supper is to cut off the Sacrament from its eschatological significance (that is, as it relates to the unfolding of God’s purpose and in the ultimate destiny of humankind and the world).

Stripping of the Church. The final act of this service is the evocative stripping of the worship space. This is most effectively done in absolute silence, and in an unhurried, orderly fashion. Designate several people to extinguish the candles, strip the Lord’s table of all cloths and vessels, and remove all textile hangings, candles and candelabra, flowers, and so forth, carrying all the items out of the room. The stark, bare, unadorned church now reflects Jesus’ abandonment during the night in Gethsemane. The visual aspect of the transformed worship space gives people a dramatic depiction of Christ’s desolation. The church remains bare until the Easter Vigil when the process is reversed and the worship space is “dressed” again.

Ordinarily, neither a blessing is given nor a postlude played on this night, as the services for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (the Great Vigil of Easter) are actually one unified ritual. … The church remains in semidarkness, and all depart in silence, thus making the transition from the eucharistic celebration to Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Symbolically, Christ, stripped of his power and glory, is now in the hands of his captors.

The Lectionary Passages for Thursday, April 1, 2021 (Maundy Thursday)

Below are NRSV translations of the lessons from the Old Testament (Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14), Psalms (Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19), the Letters (1 Corinthians 11:23-26), and the Gospels (John 13:1-17, 31b-35) Please make any comments concerning the passages you want. Together, let's discuss the Word of God.

Exodus 12:1-14

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications.

Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?

I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord,

I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones.

O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds.

I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,

in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord!

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Looking into the lectionary and resources for Holy Week

SUBSCRIBE \ ABOUT \ DONATE \ CONTACT We are grateful to pastor John Wurster for providing these guest lectionary reflections for Holy Week. Maundy Thursday April 1, 2021 John 13:1-17 Time in this pandemic year has been weird and indefinite. Days run together, and weeks pile up amorphously. In contrast, Maundy Thursday is a distinctive day of decision-making. Maundy Thursday is the point in the gospel story when all the cards are on the table and the stakes are high. The air is filled with tough questions that demand a response: Stay or go? Fight or flee? Commit or deny? Love or betray? It is a day of high, gripping drama. The future for Jesus and his band of followers looks difficult, ominous. The hardest part of the road is still ahead. It’s not possible to turn back. In telling the story of this momentous day, John keeps before us all that Jesus knows. Jesus knows that his hour has come. Jesus knows the end is near. Jesus knows that one of his own followers will betray him. Jesus knows that one of his own followers will deny even being with him. Jesus knows that suffering and death lie before him. Jesus knows there is not much time left.  The hours that remain have to be used carefully. Nothing can be wasted. There are not many opportunities that remain. Jesus knows tomorrow he will die. Jesus knows this is the last time that they will all be together. They have shared many things. They have known days of joy and possibility. They have glimpsed the glory of God through Jesus’ words and his deeds. He has taught them and prayed for them and loved them. Jesus knows that he will love them to the end. In spite of the betrayals and the denials that he knows are soon coming, Jesus will love them to the end. Jesus knows that that end is near. So, what does he do in these final moments? As the time slips away and his death draws closer, what is the last act for Jesus with this small band of followers? He takes a towel and fills a basin and kneels before them to wash their feet. Jesus knows that his hour has come. He knows that soon he will be arrested and tried and beaten and executed. But in the face of all those things, when he could flee or hide or organize resistance, Jesus takes a towel and fills a basin and washes his disciples’ feet. Leaving them – leaving us – with this unmistakable sign of what it means to be human and how it is we are to live as God’s people in this world.  There are any number of things that Jesus could do in those final moments, but Jesus knows that this humble act is what matters most. Jesus knows that he must teach this last lesson. Jesus knows that we must learn it. “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord — and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:12-17). Unlike Jesus, none of us knows when the hour will come for us. There is time left. We don’t know how much, but there is time left. Time to live, time to love, time to learn, time to worship, time to speak words that matter, time to acts in ways that count, time to respond to the One who will not stop loving us, time to serve others even as we have been served by Jesus Christ.  If we know these things, we are blessed if we do them. Good Friday April 2, 2021 John 18:1-19:42 The Passion of Jesus as told in John’s Gospel presents a host of characters playing seemingly small roles as the narrative sweeps them up into the grand story of salvation.  Judas’ intimate knowledge about Jesus makes him a well-suited betrayer. Judas knows enough about Jesus to lead the soldiers to the place in the garden where he could be found that night.  Loyalty or love energizes Peter to defend Jesus with a sword as he is arrested, but a few paragraphs later Peter won’t even admit to knowing who Jesus is.  Annas and Caiaphas, the religious leaders, identify Jesus as one whose teaching has broken norms that must be protected.  Pilate, the political leader, seeks to find a space between multiple constituencies, while preserving order. His perfunctory examination of Jesus takes a dramatic turn as Pilate gives voice to the deepest of questions: What is truth? While Pilate finds Jesus innocent, the crowd instead insists on the release of the guilty bandit Barabbas. When the mob is still not satisfied, Pilate eventually gives way to expedience, the desire for order taking priority over everything else, including justice, righteousness and truth. It’s the way empires are sustained.  Through it all, Jesus remains in control, committed to the path set before him. He willingly gives himself up in the garden. He heals the soldier struck by Peter’s sword. He stands resolutely before Annas and Caiaphas, confidently responding to allegations. He defiantly engages an increasingly exasperated Pilate. When Pilate decides that sacrificing one person is a worthy exchange for a few moments of quiet, Jesus carries his own cross to Golgotha. As he is lifted up, more characters present themselves. Bearing witness near the cross are his mother, his mother’s sister and Mary Magdalene. They look on with measures of sorrow and compassion. The beloved disciple is also there, standing beside Jesus’ mother. From the cross, still directing the action, Jesus graciously connects these two as a new family. Jesus then speaks necessary words of Scripture, “I am thirsty,” before bringing his life to an end with a final direction: “It is finished.”   Joseph of Arimathea arrives to care for the body of Jesus. While he is described as a “secret disciple,” Joseph steps forward for this task when the more notable disciples have all slipped away in shame or fear. Joseph is accompanied by Nicodemus — whom we last saw in John 3, speaking with Jesus in the night. The death of Jesus pulls Joseph and Nicodemus from the hidden margins of faith for the holy work of preparing his body for burial and laying it in the fresh tomb. We can ponder the reactions, responses, and motivations of the characters in these chapters from John’s Gospel, even as we measure our own lives since last Good Friday. We can notice the active betrayal, the fierce faith, the persistent denial, the wavering authorities, the quiet witness and the tender care that swirl in this story as Jesus nonetheless moves forward with his life’s purpose. As we hear these familiar words in this unfamiliar time, the text invites us to consider what we have done and what we have left undone, individually and collectively, in a year marked by all sorts of struggle, challenge and heartbreak. How has our faith been formed, strengthened, weakened? What’s been betrayed, denied, lost? Has anything been gained? What’s been kept secret, hidden? Amid our own reflections and confessions, as we again find our place within the Passion, Jesus is undeterred, continuing to move in our midst with bountiful mercy and boundless love, carrying us through the sorrow of Good Friday, while keeping before us the hope of Easter.  JOHN WURSTER is pastor of St. Philip Presbyterian Church in Houston. A prayer for Holy Week Jesus of Gethsemane, You have washed our feet; now empower us to wash the feet of those we do not understand. You have fed us with spiritual food; now strengthen us to feed those we cannot love on our own. You allowed yourself to be crucified; now enable us to go with you. Read the full prayer by Jay Blossom Hymn God, In Our Church's Teaching (free hymn after violence in Atlanta) Faith formation Family lesson and activity for Maundy Thursday Litany for Good Friday, based on the Seven Last Words of Christ  ‌  ‌  ‌  ‌

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