Devotional 4-1-10

Maundy Thursday

Lectionary Readings: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116: 1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31-35.

“What you must solemnly realize is that every time you eat this bread and every time you drink this cup, you reenact in your words and actions, the death of the Master. You will be drawn back to this meal again and again until the Master returns. You must never let familiarity breed contempt.” 1 Corinthians 11:26 (The Message)

Today is Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday. Congregations everywhere will be gathering to share in a communion meal as a remembrance of the Last Supper Jesus shared with his disciples. The meal in Jesus’ day was a Passover meal which the Jewish community continue to share to commemorate the “passing over of the angel of death” and the escape of the Jewish community from the bondage of the Egyptian pharaoh. The Exodus lectionary reading for today relates part of that story. All who participate in the traditional Passover celebration use the same, centuries old, sequence of words and actions to commemorate an act of God’s grace.

Many of the words used in communion services today will also be the same ones we’ve heard over and over. Sometimes we say them without really considering their meaning. We can become so superficial with our worship that our senses are dulled and our minds wander. But Paul in his writing to the church at Corinth urges us to participate as if it was a first-time, special occasion. That will be a challenge for those of us who have “grown-up” in the church with communion a frequent event. Perhaps, looking at the communion service with a new emphasis on the meaning of the words that are spoken will allow us to focus on the depth of Christ’s love for us and the magnificent sacrifice that is commemorated.

During the Passover meal, Jesus told the disciples that the bread was his broken body and the wine—his blood shed for our sins. Jesus also asked the disciples to consider a radical behavior change: to love one another. The words are deceptively simple, but the actions required are definitely radical and life changing. We have the benefit of knowing the actual events that take place between this day and Easter morning. The disciples had no way of deciphering what Jesus meant at their Passover meal. They could understand the words of the commandment “Love one another”, but probably not the depth of effort that it takes to live by these words. The ultimate act of God’s grace in the sacrificial death of Jesus for our sins makes it possible for us to begin to understand that God is Love and the best way to be thankful for the love that God lavishes on us is to love one another.

“What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!”

Dear Lord, As we receive communion today, help us participate as if it were a new and very special occasion. Clear our minds so that we can pay close attention to the words and the messages that the words convey. As we pray, may we be empty vessels that await the sustenance of a life-giving meal. May we give our attention to the spiritual and everlasting rather than the earthly and fleeting. Help us to love as you first loved us. Amen.

Chyrl Budd