Maundy Thursday

We offer you a warm welcome, and as is our practice, we remember that the land on which we meet is, was, and always will be native land. We acknowledge those indigenous tribes to Oklahoma: the Wichitas, Caddos, Plains Apaches, and the Quapaws, as the original custodians of the land in this place. We grieve the violence done to native language, culture, and personhood, and seek to honor the sovereignty and dignity of native peoples.

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One: On Maundy Thursday, and the meal is ready. The candles are lit. The bread is prepared. The cups are filled.

All: All are welcome in God’s house. There is room for everyone who hungers and thirsts for community.

One: We open our hearts to hear again the words of our teacher Jesus, that we might put them into practice.

All: With song and scripture, we make ourselves ready to give and receive God’s love on this sacred night.

One: "May the peace of Christ be with you."
All: "And also with you!"

One: In the fifth chapter of Matthew, we are told: When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he began to speak and taught them, saying:

All: “Blessed are those who are poor in spirit: the kingdom of heaven is theirs.
Blessed are those who are mourning: they will be comforted.
Blessed are those who are gentle: they will inherit the land.

One: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for justice: they will have their fill.
Blessed are those who show mercy to others: they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are those whose hearts are clean: they will see God.

All: Blessed are those who work for peace: they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of their struggle for justice: the kingdom of heaven is theirs."

One: In the sixth chapter of Luke, Jesus says: Love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. When they strike you on one cheek, turn and give them the other; when they take your coat, let them have your shirt as well.

All: Do to others what you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit does that do you? Even ‘sinners’ love those who love them. If you do good only to those who do good to you, what credit does that do you? Even ‘sinners’ do as much. If you lend to those you expect to repay you, what credit does that do you? Even ‘sinners’ lend to other ‘sinners,’ expecting to be repaid in full.

One: Love your enemies and do good to them. Lend without expecting repayment, and your reward will be great. You’ll rightly be called children of the Most High, since God is good even to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be compassionate, as your loving God is compassionate.

All: Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Pardon, and you’ll be pardoned. Give, and it will be given to you: a full measure—packed down, shaken together and running over—will be poured into your lap. For the amount you measure out is the amount you’ll be given back.

One: When the hour came, he took his place at the table, and the apostles with him . . .  

All: “Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”

One: . . . A dispute arose among them about who would be regarded as the greatest. But Jesus said to them, “Earthly rulers domineer over their people. Those who exercise authority over them are called their ‘benefactors.’  This must not happen with you.

All: Let the greatest among you be like the youngest. Let the leader among you become the follower. For who is the greater? The one who reclines at a meal, or the one who serves it? Isn’t it the one reclining at table? Yet here I am among you as the one who serves you.

One: Just as Jesus and the disciples ate the bread and drank from the cup after they were blessed, we do so now, in remembrance of his life and ministry. Please serve each other communion, and then be in conversation at your table as we enjoy each other's company. For our friends online, we’ll put you into a break-out room so that you, too, can be in conversation.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus offers one final teaching. From chapter 13, verses 34 and 35: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Let us pray together:
 
One: You have indeed prepared a table of blessings for us, Holy One. We give thanks for the hearts around the table, for a community of hope, and a family of faith.
 
All: Be with us we take seriously the teachings of the rabbi from Nazareth. Help us to be peacemakers, justice seekers, and practitioners of love. We pray in the name of Jesus, who showed us how. Amen.

Matthew 26, verse 30, tells us that, “When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”
 
Friends, we too, when we have sung the hymn, will also leave this place. We will pick up the story tomorrow. Let us sing together, and then I will offer a word of blessing for us to carry with us into the night:

Together met, together bound,
In friendship we will stay,
And go with joy to love the world
And live the way we pray, and live the way we pray.

Let us go with a word of blessing:
When you meet anger, speak with love.
When you meet fear, speak with hope.
When you meet pain, speak with gentleness.

The good news is alive in the world, as long as we embody it, so go in peace, pray for peace, wage a little peace, and love one another . . .

All: Every single other. Amen.