Peace be with you my brothers and sisters;
today is an opportunity to experience and really grasp our covenant of service and love for all God’s children. The act Jesus used to exemplify this message was, like many of His parables, presented in a humble and gentle manner. By simply washing the feet of the Disciples His message and ministry was displayed with compassion, grace and love.
So the word “Maundy” comes to us as an Anglo-French word derived from the Latin “mandatum,” which means “commandment.” It refers to when Jesus, in the Upper Room during the Last Super, said to the disciples: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another”
Even while He was dealing with the actions that where leading to His eventual arrest and crucifixion His act of servitude, as He washes the Apostles feet, both opens the door to accepting our place in the relationship between our savior and all God’s children.
During this time of concern with exposure to medical threats and social spacing we can, in our home and with our loved ones, emulate this act and let the love shown to the Apostles be displayed and provide a continual example of the faith that provides us direction and strength in both good and bad times.
Our prayer is that the Holy Spirit fills us with the awareness of God’s love and presence in our everyday lives and we use that example of Maundy Thursday as a pattern for sharing humility, grace and love.
Peace and Chocolate
Rev John