Maundy Thursday

Creator God,we thank you for the nourishment
you give us.For bread and fruit of the vine.God of freedom,we thank you that you do not leave us in bondage,but act in power to liberate us from all oppression.We thank you that Christ,acting in courage and faith,has won for us the victory over sin and death.May the bread and winebe signs of your renewed covenant with us,and may we be ever faithful,until the coming of your final Peace. Amen.

The other day I mentioned to someone that we were having a Maundy Thursday service at church. You would have thought that I had bicycle tires for ears. But that is OK. It may very well be the way I prefer it to be. If every congregation of believers gathered for Maundy Thursday it would no doubt turn into something that it should not be. Too much creativity and competition can steal the message away from the original purpose. Maundy Thursday should remain in the shadow of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It is a day for remembrance and solitude. It is a service that should never be held around every corner. Maundy Thursday is something special that would lose its meaning if it ever made the headlines of the local newspapers. Let us all love one another, gather, and reflect on the small group of imperfect believers that Jesus referred to as friends.