Maundy Thursday Guided Reflection - 2022
- bordenmscott
- Apr 14, 2022
- 5 min read
The Meaning Of Maundy Thursday
In place of an in-person Maundy Thursday service this year I am offering this opportunity for some guided reflection and worship through the Overflow. You can use some or all of the written prayers and reflections, music, and other content to set the stage for Easter Weekend.
Thursday of Holy Week (or Easter Week if you want the less liturgical wording) is the day we recall the Last Supper. Jesus' final meal with His disciples served as an important moment to starting preparing them for what was to come and reveal all that Jesus' sacrifice would mean. I preached a full message dedicated to the practice of communion a couple of weeks ago that you can access here if you want to dig deeper into the significance of bread and wine which were given new meaning by Jesus that night.
But something else happened that evening as recorded in John's Gospel which we don't frequently recall or practice the way we do communion. That night Jesus made a point of washing His disciples' feet. This was scandalous to the disciples - the master and teacher shouldn't wash the feet of his students and followers! But Jesus wanted them to change the way they thought about who deserved what and recognize that He had chosen to serve and sacrifice for them. Followers of Jesus are called to put others first and not be concerned with what we think we deserve.
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. (John 13:15-17)
You can watch a short video about the foot-washing aspect of the Last Supper here:
The "Maundy" of Maundy Thursday means (through a round-about series of translations) "commandment." The commandment in question is found in John 13:34-35: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
As some of the last teaching Jesus did before His arrest and crucification, we should recognize the particular importance of these teachings and what they mean for us. Jesus calls on us to be humble, to serve others, to love others the way Jesus loves us (with tremendous patience and grace). These qualities show that we are His disciples.
Maundy Thursday Devotional
This collection of music, prayer, and scripture present an opportunity to reflect and worship:
Setting The Stage
John 13:3-17
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
When I do a Maundy Thursday service like to draw on prayers and music that go far back into church history, or which are similar in their style. The hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy" has a simplicity and feel that I think goes well with this. This version is lovely, you just have to overlook the Christmas decor.
Matthew 26:36-45
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners.
Just As I Am performed by a virtual choir
This closing prayer comes from the Didache, a very early Christian document used as a sort of manual for Christian worship and practice:
We thank You, Father, for Your holy name which You caused to dwell in our hearts, and for the knowledge and faith and immortality, which You made known to us through Jesus Your Servant; to You be the glory forever.
You, Master almighty, created all things for Your name's sake; You gave food and drink to men for enjoyment, that they might give thanks to You; but to us You freely gave spiritual food and drink and life eternal through Your Servant.
Before all things we thank You that You are mighty; to You be the glory forever. Remember, Lord, Your Church, to deliver it from all evil and to make it perfect in Your love, and gather it from the four winds, sanctified for Your kingdom which You have prepared for it; for Yours is the power and the glory forever.
Let grace come, and let this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David! If anyone is holy, let him come; if anyone is not so, let him repent. Maranatha. Amen.
And a final hymn from one of my favourite worship bands:
Comments