Maundy
Thursday
Jesus
is Greater;
Yet
He Served
March 29th, 2018
Limehouse Presbyterian Church
Meal – 6:30
Service to Follow
·
The lamb
·
The unleavened bread
·
The bitter herbs
·
The charoseth
·
The parsley and salt water
·
The cups of wine
The Meal is Eaten
A Prayer of Thanks for the Food
Let
us praise Him of whose bounty we have partaken, from this time forth and forever
more. Grant us grace, mercy, life and peace on this Feast of the Unleavened
Bread.
Amen.
Barukh attah Adonai eloheynu melekh ha'olam…
Blessed are You, Lord God, king of the Universe…
…hazan et ha'olam kullo betuvo, bechen bechesed uvrachamim.
Who nourishes the whole world in goodness, with grace, kindness,
and compassion.
Hu notein lechem lekholbasar ki le'olam chasdo.
He gives bread to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever.
Uvtuvo haggadol tamid lo chaseid lanu ve'al yechsar lanu mazon
le'olam va'ed, ba'avur shemo haggadol.
And through His great goodness we have never lacked, nor will we
lack food forever, for the sake of His great Name.
Ki hu El zan umfarneis lakhol, umeitiv lakol umeikhin mazon lekhol
b'riyotav, asher bara.
For He is God, who nourishes and sustains all, and does good to
all, and prepares food for all His creatures which He created.
Barukh attah Adonai, hazan et hakkol. Amein.
Blessed are You, LORD, who nourishes all.
Amen.
Introduction to the Foot-washing
Hymn – #229 Jesu, Jesu
Chorus:
Jesu,
Jesu, fill us with your love, show us
how to serve
The
neighbours we have from you.
Kneels at the feet of His friends, silently washes their feet,
Master who acts as a slave to them.
Chorus
Neighbours are rich and poor, varied in colour and race;
Neighbours are near and far away.
Chorus
These are the ones we should serve;
These are the ones we should love;
All are neighbours to us and you.
Chorus
Kneel at the feet of our friends, silently washing their feet;
This is the way we should live with you.
Chorus*
Meditation
Foot-washing
Communion Prayer / Lord’s Prayer
(debts/debtors)
Sharing the Elements (communion by
intinction)
Hymn - #225 A New Commandment
A new commandment I give unto you,
That you love one another, as I have
loved you (repeat)
By this shall all know you are my
disciples,
That you have love one for another
(repeat)
Benediction
Why Maundy Thursday?
The Latin word mandatum has evolved into “mandate” or “command”, and its evolution
into Maundy Thursday is rooted in Jesus’ command that that disciples love one
another as Jesus loved them. Footwashing
is an element that is rooted in John 13, where Jesus washed the feet of His
disciples to show them the level of service He expected of them. Being friends with the Lord and Saviour of
the world didn’t mean becoming high and exalted, but rather being willing to
stoop and serve in the place of the lowest of slaves.
Communion is also an important part of
Maundy Thursday. Jesus ate the Passover
meal with His disciples on that last night of His earthly life, but then
changed and repurposed the symbols of freedom and liberation. The unleavened bread of haste became the gift
of His body, which would be given for them.
The cup of wine, He shared with them as a symbol of the new covenant
that God was making with all people.
Good Friday’s cross takes place in the
aftermath of Maundy Thursday’s meal, and the empty tomb of Easter outshines
them all. O taste and see that the Lord
is good…
