A Liturgy at Home for Maundy Thursday
April 9, 2020
By Rev. Kristen Yates
The Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci
A SPOKEN WORD & ARTWORK REFLECTION FOR MAUNDY THURSDAY
by Benjamin Thomas & Fr. William Eavenson
Rev. Kristen’s Sacred Space for Holy Week
Before You Begin
What to Expect: In this “Liturgy at Home,” you will find prayers, recorded Scripture readings, music, art, questions and reflections, and embodied practices to engage in alone or as a family.
How to Prepare: Before you begin the liturgy, find a comfortable space for yourself and your family to worship together. If you have a cross, icon, candles, or other sacred items, consider placing them in your view as you go throughout the liturgy. Also, gather all the items you need to engage the embodied actions of this liturgy.
Embodied Actions for this Service: Washing One Another’s Feet, Writing a Letter (if you are alone), Lighting and Extinguishing Candles, Sitting in Darkness
What You will Need: Basin/Bowl, Pitcher Filled with Water, and Towel; Candle(s), Personal Sacred Items For Your Space; Card and pens; and Additional Towel/Blanket to Cover Your Items at the end of the liturgy.
How to Engage the Liturgy: It is typical to do a Maundy Thursday liturgy in the evening, and some of the symbolism works better then, but you can choose to do this liturgy when you would like. Before you get started, you may want to determine who will read the introduction, section on foot washing, reflection questions, and various instructions. You can decide if you want to pray all together or have one person do that. It’s up to you how to participate! Also consider spending some time with the paintings included here, perhaps before you get started or during your reflection times. How is God speaking to you through them?
Introduction to Maundy Thursday
On Maundy Thursday, we remember Jesus’ final meal with his disciples and his time of prayer and agony in Gethsemane. A few days earlier Jesus had been welcomed with great joy and celebration into Jerusalem, but on this night, after an intimate meal with his disciples, he would be betrayed by one of his disciples. Crucifixion was on the horizon.
So while this evening was a sweet time of fellowship between Jesus and his closest disciples, it was also a time of sadness and confusion. Sadness, for Jesus was troubled in spirit that one of his own would betray him and by the cruel death that awaited Him. Confusion, because the disciples didn’t understand what Jesus meant when he talked of betrayal or going to a place where they could not follow.
Yet, through it all, Jesus loved his disciples well during this last evening, and he called them to emulate his love. This call is, in fact, where we get the name Maundy Thursday. Maundy is a shortened version of mandatum, the latin word for mandate or command.
Painting Above: “Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet” by Ford Maddox Brown
“ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ”
Liturgy
Light a Candle
Begin your time together by lighting a candle to represent Jesus, the Light of the world, and to remember his presence with you during this liturgy.
Call to Worship
Pray the following prayers:
“Blessed be our God now and for ever. Amen.
This is the night that Christ the Son of Man gathered with his disciples in the upper room.
This is the night that Christ our Lord and Master took a towel and washed the disciples’ feet, calling us to love one another as he has loved us.
This is the night that Christ our God gave us this holy feast, that we who eat this bread and drink this cup may here proclaim his perfect sacrifice.
This is the night that Christ the Lamb of God gave himself into the hands of those who would slay him.
Let us pray.”
“God of love,
as we prepare to remember the events of this poignant night,
open our eyes to see the beauty of Jesus’ self-giving love,
and by your Spirit work in our community a desire and commitment
to serve each other and our hurting world.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Entering God’s Presence
Take a moment to quiet your hearts and enter into God’s presence through the following song and through a period of silence. The words are included in the video below if you would also like to sing along.
Scripture Lessons
Listen to or read the Scripture readings, remembering that it was during the Last Supper that Jesus instituted the Eucharist and gave his disciples the mandate to love another. Pay attention to everything else going on during that evening - the intimacy, the emotions of sadness and confusion, and Jesus’ great love for his disciples. If you desire, you may listen to/read these passages a few times and approach this like a lectio divina.
Take some time to consider the following questions as you listen to or read the Scriptures, and observe what the Holy Spirit is impressing upon your heart.
1). What most stands out to you in these passages? Is there a word or phrase that grabs your attention or a particular section that stand out to you?
2). What emotions are evoked as you engaged these Scriptures? What may God be saying to you through these emotions?
3). Do you believe God has a specific word for you in these passages? How do these passages intersect with your life and your faith journey?
4) What might God’s invitation to you be as as you journey through these last days of Lent and then enter into the Season of Easter and beyond?
Or read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 here.
Or read John 13 here.
Time of Reflection
Take some time to reflect on the questions about the Scriptures from above either silently or out loud with your family. You may also want to take some time now to sit in silent contemplation of the the paintings found at the top of the liturgy: “The Last Supper” and “Jesus Washes Peter’s Feet”. Particularly take note of the disciples faces. How may God be speaking to you through these portrayals of the disciples in these paintings? Feel feel to write your thoughts down in a journal.
Embodied Action: Washing One Another’s Feet
Foot Washing in
Jesus’ Time
While footwashing may seem like a strange practice in 2020 America, it made perfect sense in ancient Israel when folks walked for miles on dusty roads in sandals. When people arrived at their destination, it was typical to have one’s feet washed. Sometimes, one of the lowest servants would do this for a guest and sometimes a disciple would do this for his rabbi out of reverence, but in general footwashing was considered a very lowly task - such a lowly task that a Hebrew slave could not be required to do it. Thus, in many cases in ancient Israel, a host would simply provide the water for guests and let them wash their own feet. So when Jesus, a rabbi, beloved leader, and Messiah, washed his disciples’ feet that night, it was a completely shocking thing for him to do.
Now take time to wash one another’s feet as a symbolic act that reminds you of God’s great love for the world and God’s call upon you to love others.
Take your bowl/basin, pitcher filled with water, and towel. Simply pour water over a person’s feet with the basin underneath. Then dry the person’s feet with the towel, and repeat with the next person, letting everyone have a chance to wash another person’s feet and to have his/her feet washed.
If you are alone on this Maundy Thursday, you can wash your feet as a reminder of what Christ has done for you, but then engage in another activity where you can serve another from afar, i.e., write a letter of thanksgiving and love.
Time of Reflection
Now that you have washed each other’s feet or written a card to a loved one, spend a few minutes in silence, reflecting on concrete ways that you can better serve your family, neighbors, friends, co-workers, church families, and others (maybe especially those in your life who you don’t like or who are particularly difficult for you). Feel free to discuss these ideas with your family or to jot these down in a journal.
Intercessory Prayer
At this time, you may lift up your own prayers and petitions to the Lord
Closing Prayer
Pray these closing prayers.
“O God of love, giver of concord, through your only Son you have given us a new commandment that we should love one another even as you have loved us, the unworthy and the wandering, and gave your beloved Son for our life and salvation. Lord, in our time of life on earth give us a mind forgetful of past ill-will, a pure conscience and sincere thoughts, and hearts to love one another; for the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.”
“Lord Jesus Christ, you stretched out your arms of love on the hard wood of the Cross that everyone might come within the reach of your saving embrace: So clothe us in your Spirit that we, reaching forth our hands in love, may bring those who do not know you to the knowledge and love of you; for the honor of your Name. Amen.”
Closing Actions and Song
Then the light was extinguished …..
It is very typical at the end of the traditional Maundy Thursday service, that a priest or deacon strips the the Communion Table of everything on it and removes the main cross from the worship space. And then the sanctuary goes dark, and we leave in silence. It is call for us to remember that the Light of the World entered into the agonies of prayer in Gethsemane and sufferings of the Cross, and was ultimately extinguished on Good Friday.
As you close this liturgy time, you can do something similar in your homes. It may feel a little out of place with everything else you have done in the service, but embrace that disorientation. Cover up your sacred space or items and keep them covered until Easter. Extinguish your candles, and if you are engaging this liturgy at night, turn off the lights in your house for a few minutes. (If you desire, you may leave out a cross if that will be helpful to your Good Friday meditations)
Then listen to the following worship song as you close out this devotional time and prepare your hearts for Good Friday.
Lyrics for “Go to Dark Gethsemane” by Page CXVI
Go to dark Gethsemane, Feel the tempter's power; Your Redeemer's conflict see, Watch with Him one hour,
Turn not from His griefs away; Turn not from His griefs, Learn of Jesus Christ to pray. Turn not from His griefs
See Him at the judgment hall, Beaten, bound, arraigned; O the wormwood and the gall! The pangs His soul sustained!!
Shun not suffering, and shame; Oh Shun not suffering! Learn of Christ to bear the cross. Shun not suffering
Calvary's mournful mountain climb; Adoring at His feet, Mark that miracle of time, God's sacrifice complete
"It is finished!" hear Him cry; Oh It is finished, done. Learn of Jesus Christ to die. It is finished, done
He wept, We wept ...
Depart in Peace
For more devotional resources, go to www.rhythmsoftheway.org/practices