Maundy Thursday “Lest
We Forget”
HISTORY so often REPEATS itself!!
AND … this is a good thing.
Because
… EVEN while we pride ourselves about being GROUNDED in the present … it is through REPEATING
history that we stay connected to our roots.
THINK ABOUT IT:
We HONOR our ~
·
Traditions
·
Heritage
·
EVERYTHING that makes us
WHO WE ARE …
EVERY TIME we:
·
Re-enact
·
Imitate
·
DO the same thing that
our parents / grandparents
/ Great Aunt Sally DID …
o
serving the same dishes
on the same holidays
OR opening
Xmas gifts on EVE / morning
Where we
vacation
Who
typically makes decisions
EVERY time we REPEAT our OWN
history … we honor WHAT we have LEARNED from our ANCESTORS … of family AND of
faith.
OT lesson for tonight
ESTABLISHES the HISTORY for a particular group of people ~ God’s chosen people
/ Israelites
STORY of the 1st
Passover
STORY of God’s VERY EXPLICIT
instructions to the Israelites.
WE know the HISTORY:
·
Israelites have been
held in slavery in Egypt from time of Joseph
DESPITE all of Moses’ efforts
…
DESPITE the plagues sent by God …
Pharaoh will NOT free the Israelites.
Final Act: Through Moses, God says: PREPARE
·
1st month of
the year
·
BEGIN preparations on 10th
day of month
·
THIS is a FAMILY
CELEBRATION
·
Obtain 1 lamb for EACH
household …
o
IF household is small …
share with neighbor
·
Lamb MUST BE WITHOUT
BLEMISH / perfect
·
Slaughter lamb on 14th
day of the month
·
SMEAR blood of lamb on
lintel over door
·
roast the meat … MUST BE
ROASTED
o
eat meat with unleavened
bread / bitter herbs
·
eat the meal IN HASTE
o
sandals on
o
cloak ready
o
walking staff in hand
·
BURN any meat that is
NOT consumed
WHY?
Because THE Lord will pass through Egypt AND DESTROY the 1st
born of all
Egyptians
OT lesson … describes what
will become ~ as set out by the Torah ~ the Day of Remembrance …
Celebrated forever as FEAST of PASSOVER
MOST important celebration in
ancient Israel
MOST important celebration in
modern Jewish life
EVERY year ~ as Jewish
families gather together … they
·
Celebrate the Feast of
Passover
·
Remember struggles of ancestors
of faith … through
o
Special foods
·
Worship God FOR His gift
of SALVATION … through
o
Special prayers …
o
BARUCH ATA ADONOI
ALLAHENU …
o
Blessed are
You, O Lord, our God …
JESUS ~ also was a Jew
BORN into a Jewish family
WITH His family … and later ~
with His closest friends
·
Jesus HONORED His family
& faith heritage
·
Jesus celebrated the
FEAST of PASSOVER
The last meal that Jesus was
to eat on earth was SHARED with His disciples and friends …
·
Celebration FOR HIM of
Feast of Passover
·
Celebration FOR US TODAY
of the LORD’S SUPPER ~
(Confirmands: Lord’s Supper VS Holy Communion
VS
Last Supper)
As Christians today … we
gather together to:
·
Celebrate the SACRAMENT
of HOLY COMMUNION
·
Remember the sacrifice
made BY Christ WITH His own life
·
Worship God FOR His gift
of SALVATION
JOHN’S GOSPEL LESSON for
Maundy Thursday … NOT TYPICAL text for celebrating the Last Supper
SIMILARITIES:
·
Jesus HAS gathered with
His disciples
·
SHARE a meal together
DIFFERENCES:
·
NOT Feast of Passover …
BUT shortly before the celebration …
o
HOWEVER … it IS close to
the end of Jesus’ life
·
Jesus KNOWS that God has
given Him COMPLETE AUTHORITY on how to structure this time together
·
Evening involves ACT of SERVICE … AND A NEW COMMANDMENT
WONDERFUL DRAMA between JESUS and PETER
·
Jesus takes bowl / water
/ towel
·
Performs ritual of
foot-washing …
o
Ritual ALWAYS reserved
for servant of the home
·
Interaction with Peter …
“You haven’t got a clue what this is TRULY ABOUT” (Jesus)
BY EXAMPLE
~ Jesus sets out WHAT it means to be:
·
Willing to serve another
·
Thinking of others
before ourselves
·
Seeing EVERYONE as
related / family
·
Making sure that ALL are
well cared for
·
Elevating status of
SERVANT to status of CARE-GIVER
BY HIS ACTIONS … Jesus
embodies the life that Paul would up-lift to the early church in Philippi (Palm
Sunday text):
“Think
of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of Himself. He had equal status with God BUT didn’t
think so much of Himself that He had to cling to the advantages of that status
no matter what … He set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of
a slave, became HUMAN!. Having become
human, He stayed human. It was an
incredibly humbling process. He didn’t
claim special privileges. Instead He
lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death.” (The
Message, Philippians 2:5-8)
AND, then Jesus gave them a
new MANDATUM
… MANDATE … MAUNDY THURSDAY … COMMANDMENT …
“I
give you a new commandment: that you
love one another. Just as I have loved
you … you also should love one another.”
Jesus spells it out for
disciples … JUST IN CASE they MISSED
THE POINT … JUST IN CASE they FORGOT what JESUS ENTIRE LIFE was ALL ABOUT!!!
IN His LIFETIME: Jesus taught:
·
Feed the hungry
·
Give a drink of water to
all who thirst
·
Turn the other cheek
·
Walk that extra mile
·
Give your coat AND your
cloak
·
Take care of each other
… regardless of background / status
·
Love God with your
entire being
·
Love your neighbor
JESUS’ message ~ one of:
·
Love
·
Compassion
·
Mercy
·
Justice
·
Awareness
·
Open-ness AND
Availability
Firstlight by Sue Monk Kidd
Tells of time on train …
woman opposite crying … Sue looks out window … protecting her space around her.
DREAM: She and woman in boat …
REALIZATION: People with profound human needs and
suffering do not travel in a boat separate from mine. WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME BOAT … We will SINK TOGETHER or we will
FLOAT TOGETHER.
REALIZATION: We don’t have to FIX everyone’s problems …
WE SIMPLE MUST BE AVAILABLE AND PRESENT TO THEM WITH ALL
OUR HEART …
WE SIMPLY HAVE TO LOVE THEM WHERE they are and THROUGH
what they are experiencing … just as Jesus loves and accepts each and every one
of us.
STORY: Young man in homeless shelter with ALBUM of
BLESSINGS
Let us pray: Holy and gracious God … You gift us with blessings and
graces beyond belief ~ whether, by our own thinking, we deserve them or
not. Inspire us, O God, by the servant
life that Your Son lived … Free us, O God, to set aside our own over-active
sense of self … Empower us, O God, to boldly claim Your gift of salvation by
remaining available and loving with the least And the best of our brothers and
sisters. Amen.