Maundy Thursday

The Lord has washed their feet. He has announced that he will be betrayed. The last supper has occurred  He has stated His mandate. He now goes to the Garden to await the betrayal and finish what will end as an atonement for our Sins. He awaits those who will take Him.

The Stripped Altar

For us, two thousand years later, the Sacrament of the Altar has been shared. The Communion vessels have been taken away, the candles removed, the adornments at the Altar have been stripped and the lights dimmed. No one stands near the chancel. The Pastors have left. The sanctuary now empties as the congregation leaves.

The next day for Him brings the cross and Very God of Very God meeting Death.

For us, Tre Ore and Tenebrae.

This is Maunday Thursday. It is the day of the last supper and the institution of the Sacrament of the Altar. Webster's defines the origin of the word "maundy" as:

ME maunde, fr. OF mandé, fr. L mandatum command, order; fr. the words spoken by Jesus to his disciples after washing their feet at the Last Supper, “a new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another” (Jn 13:34 AV) — more at mandate

This is the command that we must take action to love and care for those around us. We are to minister to those around us. Not to be confused with our salvation by grace, but a commandment for His believers to be   engaged in service. We must show His love through us by loving those in need.

What comes to my mind in this moment is a saying I have heard many times before:

We are to be IN the world, not OF the world.

Our congregations are of those who share the same doctrinal convictions. We believe the same thing. Our church family is exceptional at taking care of those within the church itself. The care and concern that is shown over any issue of a church member is always obvious.

But the mandate is more than this. It is also evident in the way that as believers that we show our love to those around us. We work with those outside the church as well. It ranges from Food Pantry work to school operation. In all of these things the saving grace of Christ is taught. His love is shown.

He stooped down to wash the feet of His disciples. The Son of God demonstrating his mandate.

He then established a new covenant in His blood, by his own words. His body and His blood, given and shed for me... for you. For us, this is the ultimate comfort. It was by no coincidence that all of this occurs at Passover.

When we see that stripped Altar on Maundy Thursday, we must remember the symbolism of this ritual. 

Christ was stripped of His power and glory. He was taken into custody. He was abandoned and denied by those who were followers until they failed in fear of association. He would be beaten, his very skin stripped away by whip designed to tear away flesh. He would be crowned with more pain. He would watch as those who had welcomed Him into Jerusalem just a few days before would now choose a murderer over Him while calling for His death. He would carry his cross on an already raw back. 

When we see that stripped Altar we remember just what was given for our sins. Our sins prevail against our will every day. This is why we can never succeed against the measure of the Law. But it was His will to die for our sins, to be the Lamb of God. In doing so He became all we would ever need. He conquered death. He conquered the sentence of our sin.

Tomorrow, He will cry out:

"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani."

And it will be done. His sacrifice will be complete, but that will not be the end of the story. It will be the beginning.

Tomorrow, two-thousand years later, we will remember the crucifixion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, the tomb will be empty, the stone rolled away. Peter will run to the tomb and marvel.

This Sunday, we will shout:

HE HAS RISEN, HE HAS RISEN INDEED, HALLELUJAH!