Maundy Thursday

Today's Scriptures: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-15

Do you know what the "Maundy" in Maundy Thursday really means? It is about the foot washing that Jesus preformed at the last supper He had with His disciples. It comes from the Middle English maunde ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on Maundy Thursday, from Anglo-French mandet, from Latin mandatum command; from Jesus' words in John 13:34. I find it interesting that most mainline denominations (that includes us Presbyterians) seem to forget that point! Communion is obviously important, but the very title we give to the day focuses on something else entirely!

The it all too common in much that we do as Christians. We say one thing and do another! We say we want to follow God, but then we "do our own thing." God wants us to love Him, our neighbors, our enemies, and ourselves, yet we only want to love the lovable. Anyone can do that, the real test is in loving the unlovable.

God wants us to feed the hungry, cloth the naked and visit the sick and those in prison. We, if it fits our schedules and if the "deserve it" the we MIGHT do it. This is NOT what God wants. Jesus gave us the example to follow and we seem to have decided that it is only up to certain people to actually do it. That is SO wrong. It is ALL of our responsibility to do what God has shared with us to do.

Jesus gave himself completely for us. Isn't it reasonable for Him to expect us to give Him back ourselves and to do as he commanded? Love for God is a verb. It needs to be the same with us. Love one another. Love and don't do it because the people you love deserve it, do it because God told you to do it!