Sermon Illustrations For Maundy Thursday (2023)
Illustration
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
You may not have heard of Amber Gralheer or Merri Kaye Bradley. They have something in common, though, besides being residents of Nebraska. Amber is a mother and soldier, who experienced severe bleeding after giving birth to her twins. She needed two units of blood to survive. Merri Kaye is a mother of two, who was involved in a serious car accident that required her to have multiple units of blood. Both Amber and Merri Kaye are alive today in part because of the blood others gave.
Blood matters. It always has. Forgiveness of sins is only available through the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). This was true for God’s people, the Israelites. At the first Passover, the blood of the lamb, put on the doorposts and lintel of the house was the sign that God would see and not strike down the firstborn. We remember what Robert Lowry wrote, “What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Bill T.
* * *
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
The Lord’s Supper gives Christians the opportunity to commemorate the Exodus and Passover in our own ways. In eating this meal, Christians can learn from Britain’s first female rabbi Jackie Tabick about the meaning of Passover. She wrote:
Symbolically, what the rabbis say is that at Passover, what we have to do is try to get rid of our hot air - our pride, our feeling that we are the most important people in the whole entire world and that everything should revolve round us.
Passover is good for your faith.
We live in an age of anxiety about our economic well-being but more so about our status in society — needing to prove to ourselves that we really are “somebody,” that we really can or have made a difference. British Philosopher Alain de Botton has contended that this is one of the major sources of unhappiness (Status Anxiety). We are essentially trapped and made passive by this fear.
Modern Jewish rabbi Yascov Cohen, in contrast, contends that the Passover and commemorating it sets us free. Concerning the festival, he writes:
This is true freedom: Our ability to shape reality. We have the power to initiate, create and change reality rather than only react and survive it. How can we all educate our children to true freedom? Teach them not to look at reality as defining their acts but to look at their acts as defining reality.
Along with our Jewish friends, celebrating Passover on this night can give us the courage to overcome our passivity with the courage God’s freeing work provides.
Mark E.
* * *
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
Are you one of those folks who are tempted to sneak a peek at the end of the book (or fast forward to the end of the movie) to see how it ends before you live through all the rest of the pages? Sometimes the tension can be so great you feel like you have to skip to the end because you can’t stand not knowing how it comes out anymore.
There had to have been an unbelievable tension the day before the first Passover for Moses and for the people of God. After slavery and oppression has beaten them down, after nine plagues and a life-or-death struggle with Pharaoh and their Egyptian overloads, it all came down to this last plague, and these last instructions. It’s time to prepare to leave Egypt, to clear out the cupboards, to make bread quickly without waiting for yeast to rise, to cook and eat the lamb, to sprinkle blood on the doorway, and to wait for the angel of death to pass over their households before walking to freedom.
And that’s when God opens the book to the last page. “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months.” These words make it clear that this is not the last Passover, that the people will not be slaughtered by Pharaoh’s troops (though it must have seemed like it when they saw the chariots chasing after them later in this saga), that they will really walk to freedom and eventually enter the Promised Land. By speaking of how they will celebrate Passover in future months in future years, they are sneaking a look at the ending of the story before they live it. They learn that there will be a future. That’s part of the promise of Passover. It’s also part of the promise of Maundy Thursday Communion. Despite all appearances there is a future.
Frank R.
* * *
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Martin Luther reminds us what the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is all about. He links it to forgiveness of sin:
To say that one takes and receives forgiveness of sins in this sacrament is not speaking incorrectly; for where Christ is, the forgiveness of sins is. (What Luther Says, p.808)
Famed modern French theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin makes clear that the sacrament puts us in relation to Christ and his creation, that experiencing Christ in the finite things of bread and wine opens us to experiencing him in all matter, in all the things of life:
Lord God, when I go up to your altar for communion, grant that I may derive from it a discernment of the infinite perspectives hidden beneath the smallness and closeness of the host in which you are concealed... I begin to understand: under the sacramental species you touch me first of all through the “accidents” of matter, of the material bread; but then, in consequence of this, you touch me also through the entire universe inasmuch as the entire universe, thanks to that primary influence, ebbs and flows over me. In a true sense, the arms and the heart which you open to me are nothing less than all the united powers of the world... (Hymn of the Universe, p.148)
And we should not let our shortcomings get in the way of celebrating these realities, for God has taken care of this matter. As Luther put it in a 1523 sermon:
The sacrament is instituted for the very purpose of giving us comfort and strength. Therefore, you should let nothing keep you from it. If you feel your weakness, blessed are you; for you must indeed feel your shortcomings. (What Luther Says, p.816)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
We are reminded of the Last Supper, the holy meal that Jesus shares with his friends, the transformation (however you believe that happens) of the ordinary bread and cup into the body and blood of Jesus. When I come to the table to offer the meal, to consecrate the elements, I begin with an invitation to everyone present. If Jesus could serve the meal to the one who betrayed him, to the one who denied him, and to the ones who would abandon him, who are we to limit access to the table of Jesus. I remind those gathered that this is not my table, that it is not the church’s table. It is Christ’s table and all are welcome, all are invited, all can partake of the love and grace of Jesus. We are not the hosts. Jesus is the host, and all are welcome into the embrace of Jesus, into the embrace of God. What a gift that is!
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Whether you wash feet as part of your Maundy Thursday service or symbolize the actions of Jesus in this passage from John in another way, you ought to focus on the tension is between glory the world recognizes and the true glory of Jesus in laying aside his garments, his identity, his selfhood, and taking on the pain and suffering of the world. Gerald F. Hawthorne, in his Word Biblical Commentary on Philippians, compare the actions of Jesus in the feetwashing in John 13, where Jesus lays aside his garments to perform the demeaning task of a slave in washing the feet of his disciples before taking his garments up again and sits at the head of the table as teacher and Lord. He does this with the self-negating action by the divine Jesus who does not count equality with God as something to be grasped, but laying aside his divine nature takes on the persona of a slave and is obedient, even unto death on a cross, resulting in his exaltation to the highest place, where every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord. In both passages,Jesus lays aside his divinity to become less than all to become more than all. What this makes clear is that we cannot rush past Passion Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday in an effort to get to the glory of Easter Sunday as soon as possible. We serve a risen Lord, but we also serve a crucified God. And while we look to glory for ourselves, we suffer and struggle in the here and now. (Note that these observations make up the bulk of both the Philippians passage in the Liturgy of the Passion and the John passage for Maundy Thursday.)
Frank R.
* * *
John 13:1-17, 31-35
The New York Daily News on June 9, 2020, ran a story by Theresa Braine detailing a powerful statement made by two ministers and some New York City police officers. Faith Wokoma and her husband, Soboma Wokoma, co-pastors of the Legacy Center Church in Cary, North Carolina led a “Unity Walk” in downtown New York. It was a walk to bring reconciliation between African Americans and police officers. At the conclusion of the walk, several white police officers and members of the community asked the two African American pastors to sit while they washed their feet. It was an act of humility and love.
In Jesus’ day, washing the feet of others was more practical. It was done by a servant to guests whose feet may have become dirty on the dusty roads of the city. Jesus, though, elevated that practical act. Jesus set an example for his disciples that washing feet was an act of humility and love. The challenge today is to wash one another’s feet. May our churches be filled with those who love and are willing to humbly serve.
Bill T.
You may not have heard of Amber Gralheer or Merri Kaye Bradley. They have something in common, though, besides being residents of Nebraska. Amber is a mother and soldier, who experienced severe bleeding after giving birth to her twins. She needed two units of blood to survive. Merri Kaye is a mother of two, who was involved in a serious car accident that required her to have multiple units of blood. Both Amber and Merri Kaye are alive today in part because of the blood others gave.
Blood matters. It always has. Forgiveness of sins is only available through the shedding of blood (Heb. 9:22). This was true for God’s people, the Israelites. At the first Passover, the blood of the lamb, put on the doorposts and lintel of the house was the sign that God would see and not strike down the firstborn. We remember what Robert Lowry wrote, “What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus; What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
Bill T.
* * *
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
The Lord’s Supper gives Christians the opportunity to commemorate the Exodus and Passover in our own ways. In eating this meal, Christians can learn from Britain’s first female rabbi Jackie Tabick about the meaning of Passover. She wrote:
Symbolically, what the rabbis say is that at Passover, what we have to do is try to get rid of our hot air - our pride, our feeling that we are the most important people in the whole entire world and that everything should revolve round us.
Passover is good for your faith.
We live in an age of anxiety about our economic well-being but more so about our status in society — needing to prove to ourselves that we really are “somebody,” that we really can or have made a difference. British Philosopher Alain de Botton has contended that this is one of the major sources of unhappiness (Status Anxiety). We are essentially trapped and made passive by this fear.
Modern Jewish rabbi Yascov Cohen, in contrast, contends that the Passover and commemorating it sets us free. Concerning the festival, he writes:
This is true freedom: Our ability to shape reality. We have the power to initiate, create and change reality rather than only react and survive it. How can we all educate our children to true freedom? Teach them not to look at reality as defining their acts but to look at their acts as defining reality.
Along with our Jewish friends, celebrating Passover on this night can give us the courage to overcome our passivity with the courage God’s freeing work provides.
Mark E.
* * *
Exodus 12:1-4 (5-10) 11-14
Are you one of those folks who are tempted to sneak a peek at the end of the book (or fast forward to the end of the movie) to see how it ends before you live through all the rest of the pages? Sometimes the tension can be so great you feel like you have to skip to the end because you can’t stand not knowing how it comes out anymore.
There had to have been an unbelievable tension the day before the first Passover for Moses and for the people of God. After slavery and oppression has beaten them down, after nine plagues and a life-or-death struggle with Pharaoh and their Egyptian overloads, it all came down to this last plague, and these last instructions. It’s time to prepare to leave Egypt, to clear out the cupboards, to make bread quickly without waiting for yeast to rise, to cook and eat the lamb, to sprinkle blood on the doorway, and to wait for the angel of death to pass over their households before walking to freedom.
And that’s when God opens the book to the last page. “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months.” These words make it clear that this is not the last Passover, that the people will not be slaughtered by Pharaoh’s troops (though it must have seemed like it when they saw the chariots chasing after them later in this saga), that they will really walk to freedom and eventually enter the Promised Land. By speaking of how they will celebrate Passover in future months in future years, they are sneaking a look at the ending of the story before they live it. They learn that there will be a future. That’s part of the promise of Passover. It’s also part of the promise of Maundy Thursday Communion. Despite all appearances there is a future.
Frank R.
* * *
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Martin Luther reminds us what the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is all about. He links it to forgiveness of sin:
To say that one takes and receives forgiveness of sins in this sacrament is not speaking incorrectly; for where Christ is, the forgiveness of sins is. (What Luther Says, p.808)
Famed modern French theologian Pierre Teilhard de Chardin makes clear that the sacrament puts us in relation to Christ and his creation, that experiencing Christ in the finite things of bread and wine opens us to experiencing him in all matter, in all the things of life:
Lord God, when I go up to your altar for communion, grant that I may derive from it a discernment of the infinite perspectives hidden beneath the smallness and closeness of the host in which you are concealed... I begin to understand: under the sacramental species you touch me first of all through the “accidents” of matter, of the material bread; but then, in consequence of this, you touch me also through the entire universe inasmuch as the entire universe, thanks to that primary influence, ebbs and flows over me. In a true sense, the arms and the heart which you open to me are nothing less than all the united powers of the world... (Hymn of the Universe, p.148)
And we should not let our shortcomings get in the way of celebrating these realities, for God has taken care of this matter. As Luther put it in a 1523 sermon:
The sacrament is instituted for the very purpose of giving us comfort and strength. Therefore, you should let nothing keep you from it. If you feel your weakness, blessed are you; for you must indeed feel your shortcomings. (What Luther Says, p.816)
Mark E.
* * *
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
We are reminded of the Last Supper, the holy meal that Jesus shares with his friends, the transformation (however you believe that happens) of the ordinary bread and cup into the body and blood of Jesus. When I come to the table to offer the meal, to consecrate the elements, I begin with an invitation to everyone present. If Jesus could serve the meal to the one who betrayed him, to the one who denied him, and to the ones who would abandon him, who are we to limit access to the table of Jesus. I remind those gathered that this is not my table, that it is not the church’s table. It is Christ’s table and all are welcome, all are invited, all can partake of the love and grace of Jesus. We are not the hosts. Jesus is the host, and all are welcome into the embrace of Jesus, into the embrace of God. What a gift that is!
Bonnie B.
* * *
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Whether you wash feet as part of your Maundy Thursday service or symbolize the actions of Jesus in this passage from John in another way, you ought to focus on the tension is between glory the world recognizes and the true glory of Jesus in laying aside his garments, his identity, his selfhood, and taking on the pain and suffering of the world. Gerald F. Hawthorne, in his Word Biblical Commentary on Philippians, compare the actions of Jesus in the feetwashing in John 13, where Jesus lays aside his garments to perform the demeaning task of a slave in washing the feet of his disciples before taking his garments up again and sits at the head of the table as teacher and Lord. He does this with the self-negating action by the divine Jesus who does not count equality with God as something to be grasped, but laying aside his divine nature takes on the persona of a slave and is obedient, even unto death on a cross, resulting in his exaltation to the highest place, where every tongue will confess Jesus is Lord. In both passages,Jesus lays aside his divinity to become less than all to become more than all. What this makes clear is that we cannot rush past Passion Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday in an effort to get to the glory of Easter Sunday as soon as possible. We serve a risen Lord, but we also serve a crucified God. And while we look to glory for ourselves, we suffer and struggle in the here and now. (Note that these observations make up the bulk of both the Philippians passage in the Liturgy of the Passion and the John passage for Maundy Thursday.)
Frank R.
* * *
John 13:1-17, 31-35
The New York Daily News on June 9, 2020, ran a story by Theresa Braine detailing a powerful statement made by two ministers and some New York City police officers. Faith Wokoma and her husband, Soboma Wokoma, co-pastors of the Legacy Center Church in Cary, North Carolina led a “Unity Walk” in downtown New York. It was a walk to bring reconciliation between African Americans and police officers. At the conclusion of the walk, several white police officers and members of the community asked the two African American pastors to sit while they washed their feet. It was an act of humility and love.
In Jesus’ day, washing the feet of others was more practical. It was done by a servant to guests whose feet may have become dirty on the dusty roads of the city. Jesus, though, elevated that practical act. Jesus set an example for his disciples that washing feet was an act of humility and love. The challenge today is to wash one another’s feet. May our churches be filled with those who love and are willing to humbly serve.
Bill T.
