From: Ann K. Larson <alarson@one.net>
St. John Lutheran
Lawrenceburg, IN

MAUNDY THURSDAY:

In Jewish homes around the world tonight, a special ritual 
will be enacted--the Passover Seder (ask who/how many 
have participated?--not many, I suspect, in this congregation)  
I've had numerous opportunities to join Jewish friends in their 
own homes.  This ritual is a reminder of the Exodus from Egypt 
under Moses leadership.  Special foods remind the people of 
the burdens of slavery and the speed with which they escaped. There's some debate among scholars whether it was a Passover 
Seder that Jesus and his disciples ate in what we now call the 
Last Supper.  For one thing, Judaism still revolved around 
temple sacrifice at the time and the home-based seder probably didn't evolve until after the Temple was destroyed.  The 
Synoptic Gospels (Mt, Mk, and Luke) say that Jesus and his 
disciples were eating the Passover meal, but John puts this 
supper on the eve of Passover.

One of the rituals of the modern Seder is that the youngest 
child has the important task of asking a series of questions
--in order to move the story along.  One of those questions is 
"What makes this night different from every other night."

We could ask that question, too.  And we have a number of 
answers:

Meeting at night! It's strange for many of us to be in 
this sanctuary at night.  It looks different, doesn't it, 
when there's no light outside the stained glass windows.

Our Order of worship has some slight changes--like starting 
with the sermon to get it out of the way and let us move on to 
the real drama of liturgy.  The important thing is not what I 
say but what we all do. (True every week: "liturgy"="work of 
the people, but tonight especially obvious)  The sermon will 
end with a formal set of instructions.

Confession: special for this evening.  May not seem 
extraordinary but, if you've been observing and observant 
during Lent, you realize that in the Sunday liturgy, we 
have withheld the declaration of God's forgiveness--or 
absolution.  Tonight's confession culminates the whole 
season--six weeks worth of awareness of our sinfulness and 
our need of God's forgiving love.  To indicate the awesomeness 
of this moment, you will be invited to come forward to 
receive individual absolution.  At the same place where you 
had your sin and sorrow marked by ashes, you may receive 
assurance of God's forgiveness.  Then, as we confront the 
mystery of Christ's passion in tonight's liturgy and in the 
services of Good Friday (and Easter Vigil if you attend 
it somewhere) we will know that we are the forgiven sinners 
for whom Christ died.

MAUNDATUM: the night is also special because we remember that 
Jesus gave us a new commandmant (maundate).  Many churches 
enact this through Footwashing: "sacrament that almost was"
 (J's command, element)  For some churches, more important 
than communion.  Humility of serving--almost more humble to 
receive.

Communion: may seem the same as every Sunday, but tonight you 
can remember in a slightly different way "the night in which he 
was betrayed."  Listen to it as if you were hearing if for the 
first time. In retrospect, for disciples, the night would have 
been different anyway because it would be their last time 
together--but also things Jesus would say and do--footwashing,
different way of blessing and sharing bread and wine. 

Different: Stripping altar: remind us of humiliation of 
Jesus, stripped of clothes.  Prepare for emptiness of Good 
Friday.

The sermon is coming to an end but the work of th people in 
liturgy is about to begin.  Listen, watch, and enter into 
it.  Participate in the best news you will ever hear.