Exodus 12:1-4, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Maundy Thursday
April 21, 2011
Each year on Maundy Thursday, we read these same texts. We read about the Passover, as it has been remembered and relived for over three thousand years. It is the Jews’ story of their independence from slavery and of God’s mighty acts of salvation for an entire people.
We read the Words of Institution for Holy Communion as passed on to the Apostle Paul, and shared by him with the congregation in Corinth
In John’s telling of Jesus’ story, the last meal Jesus shares with the disciples isn’t Passover. In John’s Gospel, Jesus is the Lamb of God, crucified at the same time as the Passover lambs are being slaughtered. The main message in the gospel passage we read is that we should love one another so much that we are willing to be servants to one another. God’s mighty act is the servanthood of the Son, to the very giving of his life for us.
We resist this servanthood, both in the serving and in the being served. We substitute hand washing for foot washing because we don’t want others to see our feet – especially in a congregation where most of our feet have trod thousands of miles, and show it.
We can’t imagine ourselves being served in such a way, even if we wouldn’t mind doing the serving. Put rather bluntly, we know we could – and do – love others to the point of servanthood, but we can’t let ourselves be loved and served in the same way. Our independence, and yes, our pride, gets in the way. For most of us, it’s much easier to serve than to be served.
And yet, each week, we come to worship and to receive the body and blood of Jesus. We remember each week how Jesus has served us by giving us his very flesh and blood. We kneel, if we are able to do so, at Jesus’ feet to receive his gift of life, love, and forgiveness. We taste the bread and the wine; we swallow it and let it fill our bodies; as we digest it, it spreads to our very fingertips and toe tips.
If we are paying attention as we sip the wine, we can feel it tingle and excite every cell in our bodies. That’s how the love of Jesus feels; it excites every cell in our bodies. Can we take that same excitement and share it with others? Can we take that same love and share it with others?
Can we receive that same love as easily? “Yes,” is our automatic answer. But, let’s think about that. Too often, we believe we must earn love and forgiveness. Our societal system of checks and balances teaches us that unless we do something, we don’t get anything in return. If we’re not good enough, Jesus won’t love us. We are taught by society that some sins are too big to be forgiven. If we don’t confess and stop our sinful behavior, we deserve punishment, and Jesus can’t love us.
Too often we believe we don’t need to be served. We are not willing to receive the love and ministry of others. We prefer our independence, our self-reliance; we prefer to be in control. It’s hard for us to give up control and let ourselves be served.
But there’s no place for such thinking on this day/night, especially. Jesus lived and died and was raised so that we might know how much God loves and forgives us. So, come to the table and eat and drink and be joyful. Your sins, my sins, all sins are forgiven in the meal we have come to share. Eat heartily, drink deep, feel the tingle of Jesus’ Holy Spirit course through your body. Receive the body and blood of Jesus and rejoice in his love.
Please pray with me: Lord Jesus, we come as we are. Sinful, prideful, not always loving, not always believing, not always willing to serve, not always willing to receive. Forgive us, love us, receive us, just as we are. Amen
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