Devotion - Maundy Thursday

There are some phrases which roll too easily off our tongues. The sayings (instructions) of Jesus have in too many instances become catch phrases, easily repeated without grasping what they are saying.

I thought of this as we were announcing the liturgy for this day. The traditional liturgy for Maundy Thursday includes the washing of feet. The service begins with confession and absolution, moves to washing of feet, then Holy Communion, and finally the stripping of the alter.

"In that order?" I was asked. "It seems you might want to do the dirty part later, so as to have clean hands for the Communion."

It is a liturgy which raises eyebrows. It is a service which always has at least one negative comment.

And yet, no one ever responds negatively to the lesson appointed for Maundy Thursday. Jesus says, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so also you are to love one another." Washing the disciples' feet is the way Jesus made real his love for them.

Sometimes we minimize the offense of the washing service by speaking of the historical necessities of feet washing. In Jesus' day even more were open toed shoes. Or, the walked everywhere and their feet were dusty. I don't know that it was all that different in Jesus' day than our own. Washing feet is dirty business. It is a lowly service. It is an act one does if you are serious about loving, as Christ has loved.

The objection is to the act; the words we accept without question. Either we don't understand the words, or we are fooling ourselves.

Love one another. As Christ has loved us, so also we are to love one another. It is a difficult thing to do. It is the "commandment" which gives Maundy Thursday its name.