Maundy Thursday is a term some people are familiar with and others not due to our spiritual traditions. The Thursday before Easter is commonly taken as the day Jesus celebrated the last supper with His disciples, prayed in Gethsemane, was arrested and put on trial. Maundy comes from a Latin word mandatum, meaning commandment in reference to Christ’s command to His disciples to love with humility by serving one another and to remember His sacrifice.
Today, is also called Holy Thursday, Covenant Thursday, Great Thursday, Sheer Thursday, and Thursday of Mysteries in various denominations. It commemorates the Last Supper when Jesus celebrates the Passover meal with His disciples on the night before He was crucified.
There are two primary focuses of this day:
1. Jesus washed His disciple’s feet as a life lesson showing the extent of His love. He calls them to lead sacrificially instead of power up leadership.
2. During the Passover meal, Jesus blesses the bread and the wine. He told them that the bread was His body, the cup of wine was the blood of the new covenant, and that they should continue to do this remembering Him until He returns.
Many services celebrate communion today. It can also be very meaningful to celebrate communion in your home with friends, your spouse or family. At the close of supper pass bread or crackers around remembering Jesus’ body taking the punishment for our sins. Pass a cup of wine or juice and drink remembering that His blood has washed and deleted all our sins forever when we put our trust in Him.
Luke 22:19-20 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.
Have a Great and Holy Thursday!
Let me know what your tradition calls this day.
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