Maundy Thursday
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
The title of this day, Maundy Thursday, would not apply to two or three of the churches observing this day, mainly because "Maundy" was connected to the footwashing ceremony that finds root in John 13:1-15; it would be appropriate for the Roman Catholic Church, which employs John 13 for all three years of the calendar and lectionary. Holy Thursday is more appropriate, if the gospels of Luke and Mark are read as the Gospel for the Day. The "foot-washing," which does not really occur in many churches, nevertheless, is one of the central themes of this day: Jesus gave his disciples a "new example" - to love and serve each other as he had served them by washing their feet. Holy Thursday also was known, in a very old calendar, as natalis calicis (Birthday of the Chalice), or the institution of the eucharistic meal. The Roman Catholic interpretation of Holy Thursday also sees it as the day when the priesthood was instituted. Some argue that this is the Priesthood of All Believers, not simply the ordained priesthood of the church, is affirmed. All churches agree that the last supper is remembered on this day, as well as the institution of the Lord's supper and the foot-washing service motif. Time was, after the 15th century, when a papal bull, in coena domini, which condemned all heretics, was read on Holy Thursday; this practice was completely stopped by the end of the 18th century. The practice would be unthinkable in this age of ecumenism. Holy Thursday celebrates the last supper, the institution of the holy communion, and the mandate given by Jesus to serve each other as he served us; Roman Catholics and some Episcopalians might also celebrate the institution of the priesthood on Holy Thursday. The last supper, as the institution of the sacrament of the altar/table, is the primary theological motif of the day.
The Prayer Of The Day
The contemporary collect for Holy Thursday in The Book Of Common Prayer picks up and highlights the institution of the eucharist and the reception of it by the people as Lent is drawing to a close: "Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 116:10-17 - The first part of the psalm (verses 1-8) is most appropriate for Easter; the selection chosen for Holy Thursday is also suitable for this occasion: "How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me. I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people." Verse 21 is a refrain that is repeated exactly in the next to the last verse of the psalm. Verses 13 and 14 give added significance to this choice: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his servants. O Lord, I am your servant and the child of your hand-maid; you have freed me from my bonds." The church has good reason to apply this text to the contemplation of the Passion and death of the Lord, especially to Maundy Thursday.
The Readings
Exodus 12:1-14 (E); 1-8, 11-14 (RC); 3:8 (C) - This is the account which tells of the instructions that God gave to Moses and Aaron about the Passover that he would use to soften Pharaoh's heart and bring about the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. After speaking about the sacrifice of lambs, putting the blood on the two doorposts and the lintel of the door of the house in which the lambs will be eaten, God says: "I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." The resemblance of the Passover to the institution of the Holy Communion on the night when Jesus was betrayed is obvious, which, of course, influenced the church to remember what happened on this special night: "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an ordinance for ever." Passover, for the Jews, even today, but the Lord's supper, the Eucharist, for Christians.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (RC, E, C) - The significance - beyond the obvious description of the institution of the Eucharist by the Lord - is that numerous congregations continue to have divisions and disunity among the members, which are similar to those that were occurring in the church at Corinth. On the other hand, few congregations, if any, are con-fronted with the problem of gluttony and drunkenness in the worship service or the confines of congregational property, though one might discover some overeating at congregational dinners or potluck suppers today!
Paul tells the Corinthian congregation how the Lord's supper is to be done and instructs them in the meaning of what they do: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Participation in holy communion proclaims Christ's death on the cross as an act that gains forgiveness of sins and reunion with God for all repentant sinners.
John 13:1-15 (RC, E) - John's account of the last supper portrays Jesus as the servant who is about to suffer; Christ washes the feet of the disciples so that they will understand that he came into the world as the servant who, alone, is able to deliver humanity from sin and death. To Peter's objection, "You shall never wash my feet," Jesus replies, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in me." Still not satisfied, Peter requests, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Again, Jesus instructs him, "He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over." The parallel to baptism in this statement may be more significant for most congregations than actual foot washing is today.
Mark 14:12-26 - See LPW, Series B - A homily based on the three lessons, with emphasis on the gospel - "Christ, Our Passover, Reconciles God To Us." - This is the night on which a feast is to be kept with joy and thanksgiving; indeed, Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Alleluia!
1. Passover - Then and Now: Then a lamb had to be sacrificed. Now the Lamb of God must be slain to effect the New Passover, the reconciliation of God and his people.
2. Passover - Then and Now: Then the blood saved the people of Israel from death. Now the blood of Christ makes people clean, washes them and removes their sin:
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
3. Passover - Then and Now: Then only the flesh was eaten; the blood was spilled on the doorway. Now the body and blood of the lamb must be consumed in this Passover meal. Participation in this meal completes the "washing" and renews the gifts received in baptism.
4. Passover - Then and Now: Then the Passover commemorates an event of the past to the Jews. Now the Eucharist proclaims that which is yet to come: "As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again."
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (L) - This reading was originally appointed for the First Sunday of Advent in various older lectionaries. It is more appropriate when the cross event is about to be scrutinized and celebrated by the faithful, because it talks about a new covenant that God will make with his people. Jeremiah was telling this to the exiles in Babylon, a covenant that will be engraved on the hearts of his people, rather than upon stone tablets as in the past. The reading, which declares, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people," predicts that all people will "know the Lord," and God's promise to "forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." The church has - almost from the beginning of the Christian era - interpreted this reading as finding its fulfillment in the passion and death of Jesus Christ. God did make that new covenant with his people - at and on the cross of Christ. The cross accomplishes what God intended, and it will last forever.
Hebrews 10:15-39 (L) - Four verses of this reading are used in Cycle/Year B of the three-year lectionary (10: 1 1-18). This reading picks up the "new covenant" theme, which has been established between God and his people "by the blood of Jesus." Faithful and repentant Christians may approach the "table of grace" and receive the body and blood of Jesus with perfect confidence, knowing that their presence is acceptable to the Lord and their final entrance into the everlasting kingdom of the Lord is assured. Those who "enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus" should know that this is as close as human beings can get to the Lord and the age to come in this life. They have been washed clean of their sins in baptism, and have been prepared to do the work of the Lord in the world until the final "Day" arrives. But those who go on sinning lose their claim on Christ and the kingdom. Instead of continuing to sin, Christians, in response to God's grace, need to extend to others the compassion and mercy given them by Christ.
Luke 22:7-20 (L); 22:14-30 (E), alternate - For the second time in five days, a portion of Luke 22 will be read in the worship of the churches. Luke parallels Mark in relating that the disciples will find a man with a water jar, who is to provide the "upper room" for his last meal with the disciples. Luke mentions the "cup" twice, at the beginning of the "renewed rite" connected to the Passover and after he had broken the bread and given it to the disciples. The second time is when he mentions the "new covenant in my blood." That the disciples were familiar with the established ritual for the Passover meal may be taken for granted, and Jesus followed it up to a point. He altered the end of it, using the first (third of the four cups of wine, perhaps) to lead into the new covenant in his death and resurrection, and the second to affirm this "new covenant in (his) blood." And the church has been faithful to his command to "do this in remembrance of me" ever since.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 22:7-20 (L); 22:14-30 (E) - A few years ago, it was my privilege to participate in a pre-Lenten congregational retreat that extended from the Last Sunday after the Epiphany into Ash Wednesday. It was rather a "standard" retreat until Ash Wednesday arrived. The congregation was invited to a supper that was planned according to the Seder. The pastor roasted the eggs and leg of lamb, other people supplied the matzoh, the bitter herbs, the four cups of wine, and the rest of the meal. It wasn't really a "kosher" Seder, but it gave the people some idea of what the Passover Seder is like - and what the last supper that Jesus had with the disciples could have been; the traditional readings were included, recalling the Passover and the Exodus events. When the meal was finished, the congregation moved into the nave of the church and the Ash Wednesday (evening) worship began. It culminated with the celebration of the eucharist - bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ, broken and shed for all people. They received the sacrament in "remembrance of (him)."
One thing was missing in the worship of that day; the imposition of ashes was omitted, because it was not part of the liturgical tradition of that congregation. It was suggested that they might want to, in future years, include the "ashes" so that people might move from death to life at the very beginning of Lent and follow that pattern to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. In this Holy Thursday liturgy, people who have been "marked with the cross of Christ forever" if they go to the Table of the Lord with "invisible" ashes on their foreheads hear that their sins are forgiven and that they may dare to hope for life beyond physical death. The sign of the cross - the new covenant - is renewed in the body and blood of Christ - bread and wine - and the precious words of the living Lord: "My body is given for you ... this cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood ... do this in remembrance of me."
The disciples probably thought this Passover "meal" would be like the others which they
experienced, celebrating God's liberation of them from bondage in Egypt and their 40-year
exodus to the Promised Land. It might have begun the same way, but it ended so differently:
a new passover in Jesus Christ's body and blood and a new covenant that would see them - and all believers - into the eternal life-beyond-death, the everlasting kingdom of God. And that's how it is for us on Holy Thursday.
The title of this day, Maundy Thursday, would not apply to two or three of the churches observing this day, mainly because "Maundy" was connected to the footwashing ceremony that finds root in John 13:1-15; it would be appropriate for the Roman Catholic Church, which employs John 13 for all three years of the calendar and lectionary. Holy Thursday is more appropriate, if the gospels of Luke and Mark are read as the Gospel for the Day. The "foot-washing," which does not really occur in many churches, nevertheless, is one of the central themes of this day: Jesus gave his disciples a "new example" - to love and serve each other as he had served them by washing their feet. Holy Thursday also was known, in a very old calendar, as natalis calicis (Birthday of the Chalice), or the institution of the eucharistic meal. The Roman Catholic interpretation of Holy Thursday also sees it as the day when the priesthood was instituted. Some argue that this is the Priesthood of All Believers, not simply the ordained priesthood of the church, is affirmed. All churches agree that the last supper is remembered on this day, as well as the institution of the Lord's supper and the foot-washing service motif. Time was, after the 15th century, when a papal bull, in coena domini, which condemned all heretics, was read on Holy Thursday; this practice was completely stopped by the end of the 18th century. The practice would be unthinkable in this age of ecumenism. Holy Thursday celebrates the last supper, the institution of the holy communion, and the mandate given by Jesus to serve each other as he served us; Roman Catholics and some Episcopalians might also celebrate the institution of the priesthood on Holy Thursday. The last supper, as the institution of the sacrament of the altar/table, is the primary theological motif of the day.
The Prayer Of The Day
The contemporary collect for Holy Thursday in The Book Of Common Prayer picks up and highlights the institution of the eucharist and the reception of it by the people as Lent is drawing to a close: "Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who lives with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 116:10-17 - The first part of the psalm (verses 1-8) is most appropriate for Easter; the selection chosen for Holy Thursday is also suitable for this occasion: "How shall I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me. I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people." Verse 21 is a refrain that is repeated exactly in the next to the last verse of the psalm. Verses 13 and 14 give added significance to this choice: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his servants. O Lord, I am your servant and the child of your hand-maid; you have freed me from my bonds." The church has good reason to apply this text to the contemplation of the Passion and death of the Lord, especially to Maundy Thursday.
The Readings
Exodus 12:1-14 (E); 1-8, 11-14 (RC); 3:8 (C) - This is the account which tells of the instructions that God gave to Moses and Aaron about the Passover that he would use to soften Pharaoh's heart and bring about the Exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. After speaking about the sacrifice of lambs, putting the blood on the two doorposts and the lintel of the door of the house in which the lambs will be eaten, God says: "I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt." The resemblance of the Passover to the institution of the Holy Communion on the night when Jesus was betrayed is obvious, which, of course, influenced the church to remember what happened on this special night: "This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as an ordinance for ever." Passover, for the Jews, even today, but the Lord's supper, the Eucharist, for Christians.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (RC, E, C) - The significance - beyond the obvious description of the institution of the Eucharist by the Lord - is that numerous congregations continue to have divisions and disunity among the members, which are similar to those that were occurring in the church at Corinth. On the other hand, few congregations, if any, are con-fronted with the problem of gluttony and drunkenness in the worship service or the confines of congregational property, though one might discover some overeating at congregational dinners or potluck suppers today!
Paul tells the Corinthian congregation how the Lord's supper is to be done and instructs them in the meaning of what they do: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." Participation in holy communion proclaims Christ's death on the cross as an act that gains forgiveness of sins and reunion with God for all repentant sinners.
John 13:1-15 (RC, E) - John's account of the last supper portrays Jesus as the servant who is about to suffer; Christ washes the feet of the disciples so that they will understand that he came into the world as the servant who, alone, is able to deliver humanity from sin and death. To Peter's objection, "You shall never wash my feet," Jesus replies, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in me." Still not satisfied, Peter requests, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Again, Jesus instructs him, "He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over." The parallel to baptism in this statement may be more significant for most congregations than actual foot washing is today.
Mark 14:12-26 - See LPW, Series B - A homily based on the three lessons, with emphasis on the gospel - "Christ, Our Passover, Reconciles God To Us." - This is the night on which a feast is to be kept with joy and thanksgiving; indeed, Christ, our Passover has been sacrificed for us. Alleluia!
1. Passover - Then and Now: Then a lamb had to be sacrificed. Now the Lamb of God must be slain to effect the New Passover, the reconciliation of God and his people.
2. Passover - Then and Now: Then the blood saved the people of Israel from death. Now the blood of Christ makes people clean, washes them and removes their sin:
There is a fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Immanuel's veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
3. Passover - Then and Now: Then only the flesh was eaten; the blood was spilled on the doorway. Now the body and blood of the lamb must be consumed in this Passover meal. Participation in this meal completes the "washing" and renews the gifts received in baptism.
4. Passover - Then and Now: Then the Passover commemorates an event of the past to the Jews. Now the Eucharist proclaims that which is yet to come: "As often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again."
Jeremiah 31:31-34 (L) - This reading was originally appointed for the First Sunday of Advent in various older lectionaries. It is more appropriate when the cross event is about to be scrutinized and celebrated by the faithful, because it talks about a new covenant that God will make with his people. Jeremiah was telling this to the exiles in Babylon, a covenant that will be engraved on the hearts of his people, rather than upon stone tablets as in the past. The reading, which declares, "I will be their God, and they shall be my people," predicts that all people will "know the Lord," and God's promise to "forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." The church has - almost from the beginning of the Christian era - interpreted this reading as finding its fulfillment in the passion and death of Jesus Christ. God did make that new covenant with his people - at and on the cross of Christ. The cross accomplishes what God intended, and it will last forever.
Hebrews 10:15-39 (L) - Four verses of this reading are used in Cycle/Year B of the three-year lectionary (10: 1 1-18). This reading picks up the "new covenant" theme, which has been established between God and his people "by the blood of Jesus." Faithful and repentant Christians may approach the "table of grace" and receive the body and blood of Jesus with perfect confidence, knowing that their presence is acceptable to the Lord and their final entrance into the everlasting kingdom of the Lord is assured. Those who "enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus" should know that this is as close as human beings can get to the Lord and the age to come in this life. They have been washed clean of their sins in baptism, and have been prepared to do the work of the Lord in the world until the final "Day" arrives. But those who go on sinning lose their claim on Christ and the kingdom. Instead of continuing to sin, Christians, in response to God's grace, need to extend to others the compassion and mercy given them by Christ.
Luke 22:7-20 (L); 22:14-30 (E), alternate - For the second time in five days, a portion of Luke 22 will be read in the worship of the churches. Luke parallels Mark in relating that the disciples will find a man with a water jar, who is to provide the "upper room" for his last meal with the disciples. Luke mentions the "cup" twice, at the beginning of the "renewed rite" connected to the Passover and after he had broken the bread and given it to the disciples. The second time is when he mentions the "new covenant in my blood." That the disciples were familiar with the established ritual for the Passover meal may be taken for granted, and Jesus followed it up to a point. He altered the end of it, using the first (third of the four cups of wine, perhaps) to lead into the new covenant in his death and resurrection, and the second to affirm this "new covenant in (his) blood." And the church has been faithful to his command to "do this in remembrance of me" ever since.
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
Luke 22:7-20 (L); 22:14-30 (E) - A few years ago, it was my privilege to participate in a pre-Lenten congregational retreat that extended from the Last Sunday after the Epiphany into Ash Wednesday. It was rather a "standard" retreat until Ash Wednesday arrived. The congregation was invited to a supper that was planned according to the Seder. The pastor roasted the eggs and leg of lamb, other people supplied the matzoh, the bitter herbs, the four cups of wine, and the rest of the meal. It wasn't really a "kosher" Seder, but it gave the people some idea of what the Passover Seder is like - and what the last supper that Jesus had with the disciples could have been; the traditional readings were included, recalling the Passover and the Exodus events. When the meal was finished, the congregation moved into the nave of the church and the Ash Wednesday (evening) worship began. It culminated with the celebration of the eucharist - bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ, broken and shed for all people. They received the sacrament in "remembrance of (him)."
One thing was missing in the worship of that day; the imposition of ashes was omitted, because it was not part of the liturgical tradition of that congregation. It was suggested that they might want to, in future years, include the "ashes" so that people might move from death to life at the very beginning of Lent and follow that pattern to Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. In this Holy Thursday liturgy, people who have been "marked with the cross of Christ forever" if they go to the Table of the Lord with "invisible" ashes on their foreheads hear that their sins are forgiven and that they may dare to hope for life beyond physical death. The sign of the cross - the new covenant - is renewed in the body and blood of Christ - bread and wine - and the precious words of the living Lord: "My body is given for you ... this cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood ... do this in remembrance of me."
The disciples probably thought this Passover "meal" would be like the others which they
experienced, celebrating God's liberation of them from bondage in Egypt and their 40-year
exodus to the Promised Land. It might have begun the same way, but it ended so differently:
a new passover in Jesus Christ's body and blood and a new covenant that would see them - and all believers - into the eternal life-beyond-death, the everlasting kingdom of God. And that's how it is for us on Holy Thursday.
