Sermon = Maundy Thursday

 Sermon Maundy Thursday

 

On this Maundy Thursday, we gather together to commemorate the Last Supper, where Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples and gave them a new commandment – to love one another as he has loved them. He shows that love through humility by getting on his hands and knees to wash his disciples’ feet.

An act unheard of as Peter objects – you shall never wash my feet.

 

But Jesus is showing us what humility looks like. It is not words but actions. Jesus doesn’t just tell them about love and humility but examples that by washing their feet and soon will show the ultimate act of love and humility by not only dying on the cross but asking for forgiveness for those crucifying him.

 

As we reflect upon this significant moment in the life of Jesus, we are reminded of the deep love and sacrifice that he made for us.  Jesus’ ultimate act of love was to give himself up for us, to suffer and die on the cross so that we might have eternal life.  And yet, in the midst of this sacrifice, Jesus still found time to share a meal with his disciples, to break bread with them and to offer them the bread of life.

 

In this act of sharing food and drink, Jesus reminds us of our common humanity, of our need for sustenance and of our deep longing for community.  Jesus knew that this simple act of sharing a meal would help to build connections between his disciples, to strengthen their bonds of friendship and to prepare them for the challenges that lay ahead. But it is more than a meal as Jesus reinterprets the Passover feast to become a most sacred act of giving himself to us – this IS my body given for you – this IS my blood shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. The greatest act of sacrifice by our Lord on the cross coming to each and everyone of us personally in bread and wine, the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

And so, on this Maundy Thursday, we are called to remember Jesus’ love and sacrifice, to reflect upon our own relationships with others and to renew our commitment to love one another, just as Jesus has loved us. We are reminded that true love requires sacrifice, that it demands that we put the needs of others before our own, and that it often requires us to take risks, to step out of our comfort zones and to reach out to those who are different from us – to those who have hurt us – to those with whom we disagree. We are reminded that the journey of faith is not an easy one, that there will be times when we face struggles and challenges, when we feel lost or alone. But in those dark moments we cling to our Lord’s promises: That when I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will not be afraid for you are with me. That before his birth God declared he would be called Immanuel “God with us” – confirmed at his Ascension when he told his disciples – I am with you always till the end of the age – a promise that comes to us in our Baptism. It is affirmed each time we gather around the table of our Lord to receive his body and blood.

 

We cling to the hope that comes from Christ’s resurrection, knowing that he has overcome death and that he is with us always, even to the end of the age and strengthens us by giving to us the cost of our salvation – his body and blood. So let us renew our commitment to love one another as Jesus has commanded us to.

Let us share in the blessings of our faith community. Let us walk the path of faith, trusting in the promise of eternal life that Jesus has secured for us. May the love of Christ be with us always, and may we strive to reflect that love in all that we do.