What is Maundy Thursday?
There can be a misconception that Pastors have knowledge of everything: That there is no stone unturned in scripture, no tradition that isn’t practiced, and knowledge is flowing. While I wish that was the case, it is not. For me, I have to take quite a bit of time taking a step back, asking questions, reading, and studying.
In some regards it’s great because it forces me to continue to grow. In other regards..... Well lets just be honest, it would be amazing to have all the answers. That’s not life though. I have to take the time to learn.
This just recently happened with our church. If you haven’t heard during our promotion of Easter, we are having a Night of Worship during our Thursday Night service on Maundy Thursday.
If you are like me you understood the phrases Night of Worship and Thursday Night Service, and the term “Maundy” was one that was lost on you. The ironic thing is that I said that date from stage but didn’t even know what it meant.
Now - you have to hear my background. Even though I didn’t know what it was, I assumed that it came from Church traditions, but that’s not the world I grew up in. I have grown up in very large, non-traditional churches all of my life. So all of my knowledge and understanding of how Churches work and talk have been a little off from what many would experience. In a roundabout way I love this because now that I am getting older and living in a more traditional community, I am getting to discover and learn about these different traditions. It’s been a really fun exercise of knowledge growth.
So that’s what I did. I decided to look up what Maundy Thursday was and pull that into my lexicon.
What is Maundy Thursday?
It is also known as Holy Thursday. This is the Thursday before Good Friday and is based on remembering and celebrating the last supper that Jesus had with his disciples. Two major events happened at this last supper that are worth dwelling on. The first is that communion was established. The bread and the wine being a metaphor for Jesus' death on the cross. We celebrate that each and every Night of Worship that we have here at the Rock. For several years I set it up, Scott has done it, and this year our South Strand Campus Pastor Josh Phillips is going to speak about it. It’s always a special time during that night of worship.
The second thing that was done was Jesus washing his disciples feet. What a powerful imagery of what Jesus wants us to do! He came to serve, not be served. This was the ultimate example of this.
For those two reasons - we remember “Maundy Thursday”
When did this term come around?
It’s really known more as Holy Thursday now, however, the word study is interesting. Originally it came from the old French word “Mande” which then shifted to the Latin word “Mandatum” which then shifted to the word “Maundy.” What each of these words mean is “command.” That word is pulled from John 13:34 which says this, ““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” One website said the tradition to celebrate this was 393 A.D, but if I had to guess this was celebrated each year after
this. Maybe the term didn’t come around until then, but the celebration has been around since that moment.
Why does it matter?
Just like with everything that we see in scripture - we should look at what Jesus did, remember it, celebrate it, and then replicate it.
Communion was established to remember that Jesus was dying on the cross for each and every single one of us. That was an act of service. Jesus washing his disciples feet was an act of service as well. That job was reserved for the lowliest of servants.
Any time we can take a moment to remember the life and mission of Jesus, that’s something worth doing.
Which is why we want to celebrate and remember that today. Wherever you are this weekend, find time to take communion to remember Jesus’ sacrifice. Then look for an opportunity to serve. This is the biggest weekend of the year in churches, there is plenty of opportunity to help someone find what matters. It doesn’t matter if it’s greeting, serving in kids ministry, helping take out the trash, or giving your neighbor a ride to church. It’s his command to us to love one another. Take advantage of the opportunity and open all doors that come your way.
Clay Finklea
Lead This gen Pastor