Dear Friends–

It’s Maundy Thursday, the beginning of the “Great Three Days” that stretch through to Easter.

It’s a special night in the church, when we’ll gather to remember Jesus’ last meal with his friends, the meal in which the rest of our life together finds its meaning. We’ll hear three linked stories: the story of the Passover, when God led the Hebrews out of slavery; the story of the Last Supper — a meal in memory of the Passover and in anticipation of a new kind of Exodus to a new kind of freedom; and the story of a Communion service in Corinth — a meal in memory of that last supper — that’s gone horribly wrong. We won’t wash any feet tonight, but we’ll remember Jesus’ new commandment (“mandatum,” in Latin) that we love one another. We’ll give thanks and celebrate “the memorial of our salvation.”

And then we’ll “strip the altar,” removing all the things that can be taken away, not least to remind us of what we cannot lose:  “I am convinced,” says St. Paul, “that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It’s a powerful evening, a bit of a roller coaster, taking us from the fullness of Communion and setting us on the road that leads to the emptiness of Good Friday and, finally, the emptiness of the tomb on Easter morning. I hope you can join us at 6 this evening.

Peace,
Mark.