The Weekly Encourager – April 9, 2020 – Maundy Thursday

Jewish irony: Passover seders are cancelled due to a plague! Christian conundrum: Easter services will be streamed online! We’re living in strange times, yet none of this is strange to our all-wise God, who always works for our good. Today is Maundy Thursday. It seems to me that Maundy Thursday was a day about service. It was a day about sacrifice. It was a day about humility. It was a day about putting others first.

Jesus gathered His disciples together for one last passover meal on the way to the cross, and how did He act? He didn’t try to impress people by revealing His great wisdom, power, and shining glory. Although He was their leader, He didn’t expect others to wait on Him, but chose to wait on them by washing their feet, a task normally reserved for servants or slaves. This Man was the King, the Lord Most High, yet He chose to kneel before His friends with a dish of water and a towel, ready to wipe the dirt away from their feet. Yes, there is much symbolism to that evening, but what strikes me is the simplicity of service.

As we bow before our King, let’s think about ways we can serve others during this season of lockdown. Sure we can make masks, give money, care for the sick, reach out to the lonely, etc., but I think Christ would ask something more of us. What He desires is a spirit of humility, an attitude of considering one another as more important than ourselves, whether that’s at home in closer contact with certain people, or in virtual meetings with colleagues, or alone in our bedrooms, separated from loved ones. Are we putting our own needs first, or the needs of others? Are we being patient with others’ failings, or emphasizing them? Is our love covering a multitude of sins? I admit, this is a huge challenge for me personally.

This year, Passover and Easter fall on the same weekend during a time of worldwide pandemic. I doubt this is a coincidence. This Easter, we will shelter in place, just as the Hebrews did in ancient Egypt when God brought a terrible plague upon the land, killing the first-born sons of Egypt. May the current plague pass over us all. May we not complain that we are stuck at home, but give thanks that we are safe at home. And may the ongoing plague of self-interest be cured by the indwelling Holy Spirit, as we contemplate the ultimate, life-giving sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us.

For “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” - Mark 10:43-45

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, ‘You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” - Psalm 91:1-2 May God be our shelter in place, now and forever.

Have a blessed Maundy Thursday.

God is faithful,
j