Maundy Thursday
April 9, 2020
With nightfall our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we “gather,” as it may be, with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. At the heart of the Maundy Thursday liturgy is Jesus’ commandment to love one another. As Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, we are called to follow his example as we humbly care for one another, especially the poor, the marginalized, the sick, and the unloved. At the Lord’s Table we remember Jesus’ sacrifice of his life, even as we are called to offer ourselves in love for the life of the world.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
1 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. 2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 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. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered, "You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand." 8 Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet." Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me." 9 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" 10 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." 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, "Not all of you are clean." 12 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? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
31 Jesus said, "Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 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.' 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
Sermon
On this Holy night Jesus not only instituted the Sacrament of Holy Communion but he also gave us the great commandment - to love one another. We have been invited to love one another, as Christ loved us, and in practicing such unconditional love, we are blessed to be the very presence of God in this world. We are reminded that we are the heart, the arms, the voice, and the hands of God, - that we are “re-membered” into the very body of Christ.
“In the night in which he was betrayed” Jesus modeled this incredible “servanthood love” to us by taking off his outer robe, picking up a towel, wrapping it around his waist, pouring water into a basin, kneeling on the ground, and humbly washing the feet of his disciples.
In the past few weeks, we have seen this love, this humble and sacrificial love, lived out in the many ways people and communities have responded to the COVID 19 Pandemic.
Each of us has been asked to “sacrifice” our public life for the sake of others, for the sake of slowing down the virus. And many have been faithful, - doing nothing, so nothing bad will happen!
And we all need to give thanks for the many nurses, doctors, and hospital workers that are literally putting their own health, even their own lives, on the line. Serving, often with very limited supplies, even the crucial supplies that protect them. For all the first responders who humbly serve when disaster strikes, we give thanks to God.
And let us not forget the ones who serve in more humble ways, yet in ways that are just as important. I am reminded of the people who have faithfully shown up for work at grocery stores, food pantries, retail stores, restaurants, convenience stores, gas stations, and pharmacies; - to ensure that we have the essentials for life. And let us not forget the farm workers who are still harvesting food, the factory workers who are still producing supplies, the processing centers that are keeping things going, maintenance workers who keep it all running, and the people who deliver all these things to the places where they are needed. I am also thankful for the ones who “suit up” to clean up, making sure any germs left behind on surfaces are removed daily, that things are made as sanitary as possible, and that all the refuse is safely disposed. All these people are taking risks for our sake. This list could go on and on, essential government workers, childcare workers caring for the children of those who must work, mental health care workers, and all the cashiers that bravely do their job, exchanging the instruments of commerce in very uncertain conditions.
In all these people, all those whose job demands they stay at work in the midst of this pandemic, those making professional wages and especially those making minimum wages; - we are blessed to see the great commandment of Christ literally fleshed out among us, ”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."
We are living in a difficult time, a moment in history that will not be forgotten, an experience that will appear in future history books; and I believe this “pandemic event” will shape the future going forward. Things “will change” when all this is over. And the changes proposed, the changes enacted, the changes that are coming; will either be rooted - in fear - or in love. Let us hope and pray that the sacrificial love that we are experiencing, the sacrificial love that we have witnessed, the sacrificial love in which we all are participating; Let us hope that this great love will be the sole inspiration for the all the changes that will shape tomorrow.
God is in our midst, practicing love, and in this love all things will be made new. Let us cling to this promise, the promise of love, the promise in which we abide when we choose to love one another, as Christ loved us. Amen.
Mark 14:22-25
22 While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
How I miss sharing this meal with you. This meal where we share in God’s grace, this meal where we are healed, this meal where we are united in God’s love, this meal where we are re-membered into the body of Christ, this meal where we experience our faith, this meal where “we taste and see” that the Lord is good.
Yet in this season we have been called to a fast, we have been called to sacrifice this meal, for the healing of the world. In the Gospel of Mark Jesus concludes the story of the Last Supper with these words spoken by Jesus, with words that really jump out for me tonight, “Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” One day our Communion fast will end, and I look forward to that day, that day when we will share again the bread and the wine, anew, here in this place.
Let us pray as our savior taught us …. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever and ever, Amen.
Tonight, our Lenten observance has come to an end. We begin “the three days,” the heart of the passion of Christ, the journey to the cross, the grave, and finally the resurrection. Christ be with us as we make the journey.