"A Maundy Thursday Thought" by Lisa Shoemaker

Maundy Thursday. The Holy Week day that recognizes the night before Jesus’ gut-wrenching prayer in the garden, pleading with God that “if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me” (Matt. 26:39 NIV). The Christ is dining with his disciples, observing their remembrance of Passover as all good Jews were doing. Then, he does the unthinkable; he begins to wash the feet of these followers, demonstrating so tangibly the message of servanthood over power.

Notice how often in history that important announcements or significant events are linked with the gathering of folks around a table to enjoy a meal. Usually the meal itself is celebrating some special day, reinforcing comradery, shared joy, or reverence.  Because Jesus Christ chose to spend this last night with his beloved brethren around a table, I think we need to pay attention to the significance of this meal.

I don’t know about your families, but gathering around a table (or tables—we’ve grown to quite a number these days) to eat is the center of Jim’s and my families’ traditions. We eat together during special holidays, and we eat together . . . well, whenever we are together! Fixing food, pouring drinks, setting the tabletop, squeezing into tightly-spaced chairs around the table legs—these are behaviors present at all our family gatherings. After someone offers thanks for our food and family, the noise begins.  We just love being around each other to reconnect, to tell embarrassing stories on each other, or to offer toasts for brighter futures. I think Christ understood all too well the importance of eating together; he understood it so well that remembering this last meal has become one of the primary rites in the Church today.

Recently, our family gathered both to mourn and to celebrate the life of Jim’s brother-in-law after his sudden death. Because Dan loved to fish, the family chose to meet together at a pond where Dan loved to drop a line with his young grandson Charlie. Because we wanted to keep the gathering private and in smaller numbers than a later funeral will bring, we ate together outside around folding tables, passing around stories about Dan, as well as scrapbooks from his high school basketball playing and coaching days. The really hard days of mourning and loss would come after this meal, after this gathering, after this celebration. But the meal was something that marked the day. We didn’t eat together just because we were hungry or because it was lunchtime; we ate together because we all instinctively knew that something bigger, something harder, something more significant would happen later. We would all have to deal with our lives without Dan Armstrong in them.

The observance of Maundy Thursday during Holy Week reminds us of the human desire to be together during times of celebration or times of crisis. Christ knew this was the “last hurrah,” and while the disciples didn’t understand the significance of this meal and its message, Jesus did. He knew this ritual of shared eating and drinking would be the perfect vehicle to teach a very important lesson. The meal was an intimate shared time before the hard stuff began.

So, I guess Maundy Thursday is a way of getting us ready for the dark, difficult days of observing the Crucifixion, but also a way of getting us ready for the newness and hope that comes with celebrating the Resurrection.

Eat your bread, drink your wine, and enjoy each other. This will always fortify you for the bad times and good times to follow. Shalom.