Archive for the ‘Holy Thursday’ Tag
Above: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
Image in the Public Domain
Loving and Being Humble Like Jesus
APRIL 6, 2023
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
According to the Inter-Lutheran Commission on Worship (ILCW) Lectionary (1973), as contained in the Lutheran Book of Worship (1978) and Lutheran Worship (1982)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 116:10-17
1 Corinthians 11:17-32 or 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-17, 34
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal,
Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment:
To love one another as he had loved them.
By your Holy Spirit write this commandment in our hearts;
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
OR
Lord God, in a wonderful Sacrament
you have left us a memorial of your suffering and death.
May this Sacrament of your body and blood so work in us
that the way we live will proclaim the redemption you have brought;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Book of Worship (1978), 20
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O Lord Jesus, since you have left us
a memorial of your Passion in a wonderful sacrament,
grant, we pray,
that we may so use this sacrament of your body and blood
that the fruits of your redeeming work
may continually be manifest in us;
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Lutheran Worship (1982), 44
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
In Exodus, the blood of the Passover lambs protected the Hebrew slaves from the sins of Egyptians. The Gospel of John, mentioning three Passovers during the ministry of Jesus, placed the crucifixion of Jesus on Thursday, not Friday, as in the Synoptic Gospels. The Fourth Gospel made clear that Christ was the Passover lamb that third Passover of his ministry. In the Johannine Gospel, Jesus died while sacrificial lambs were dying at the Temple.
We read of the Last Supper in 1 Corinthians 11. That is good, for John refers to it only in passing.
Jesus modeled humility and self-sacrificial love.
These are timeless principles. The nature of timeless principles is that how one lives them depends upon circumstances–who, when, and where one is. Certain commandments in the Bible are culturally-specific examples of keeping timeless principles. Legalism results from mistaking culturally-specific examples for timeless principles. Bishop Robert C. Wright, of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, says:
Love like Jesus.
To that I add:
Be humble like Jesus.
Circumstances dictate how living according to these maxims looks where and when you are, O reader. By grace, may you succeed more often than you fail, for the glory of God and the benefit of your neighbors in God.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
APRIL 14, 2022 COMMON ERA
HOLY/MAUNDY THURSDAY
THE FEAST OF EDWARD THOMAS DEMBY AND HENRY BEARD DELANY, EPISCOPAL SUFFRAGAN BISHOPS FOR COLORED WORK
THE FEAST OF SAINTS ANTHONY, JOHN, AND EUSTATHIUS OF VILNIUS, MARTYRS IN LITHUANIA, 1347
THE FEAST OF SAINT WANDREGISILUS OF NORMANDY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT; AND SAINT LAMBERT OF LYONS, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT AND BISHOP
THE FEAST OF SAINT ZENAIDA OF TARSUS AND HER SISTER, SAINT PHILONELLA OF TARSUS; AND SAINT HERMIONE OF EPHESUS; UNMERCENARY PHYSICIANS
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Link to the corresponding post at BLOGA THEOLOGICA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci
Image in the Public Domain
A Faithful Response, Part VI
APRIL 6, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 12:1-14
Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Luke 22:7-38 and/or John 12:1-7, 31b-35
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Gospel of John provides the three-year framework for the ministry of Jesus, for that gospel refers to three Passover celebrations. In the Gospel of John we read that Jesus was the Passover Lamb the third year. Thus the Last Supper, referred to in passing in the Johannine Gospel, was not a Passover meal, according to that gospel.
The commandment to serve others–to love as Jesus loved–is timeless. The account from Luke 22 juxtaposes the selflessness of Christ with a foolish and ill-timed dispute among the Apostles about who was the greatest. Jesus, we know, went on to die painfully, unlike the author of Psalm 116, who recovered.
Ego can be a difficult temptation to resist. The problem is one of imbalance. People with inadequate or raging egos are trouble, but people with proper senses of self are helpful to have around. One with a weak ego seeks to reinforce it, thereby living selfishly. A person with a raging ego also lives selfishly. Yet we human beings have a commandment to live self-sacrificially and unconditionally–not to occupy the center. No, God should occupy the center. As Gale Sayers stated the case so ably,
God is first, my friends are second, and I am third.
Getting to that point can be challenging, but possible, via grace. We have a fine exemplar–Jess. Loving as he loved is an example of faithful response.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 27, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FIRST SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST, YEAR B: TRINITY SUNDAY
THE FEAST OF PAUL GERHARDT, GERMAN LUTHERAN MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF ALFRED ROOKER, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST PHILANTHROPIST AND HYMN WRITER; AND HIS SISTER, ELIZABETH ROOKER PARSON, ENGLISH CONGREGATIONALIST HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF AMELIA BLOOMER, U.S. SUFFRAGETTE
THE FEAST OF SAINT LOJZE GROZDE, SLOVENIAN ROMAN CATHOLIC MARTYR
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/27/a-faithful-response-part-vii/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: A Crucifix
Photograph by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
The Suffering of the Innocent
APRIL 6, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 11:1-6; 12:29-36
Psalm 69:19-21
1 Corinthians 11:17-22, 27-34
John 15:18-25
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Corinthian congregation was fractious during and after the time of St. Paul the Apostle. A generation after St. Paul, for example, St. Clement of Rome wrote his letter, called 1 Clement, to that church, which had recently deposed all of its presbyters. Reinstate them, he instructed. The issue at hand in 1 Corinthians 11 was the potluck meal, an early version of the Holy Eucharist. The poorer members of the congregation depended on that meal, which some of the more fortunate members were abusing by eating ahead of time and/or taking the occasion of the potluck meal to become intoxicated. These individuals were not contributing their fair share of the menu.
Jesus, unlike them, gave of himself selflessly and sacrificially. He understood well that following God might make one unpopular to the point of persecution and even execution. To make a mockery of the Holy Eucharist was (and is) to take Jesus lightly.
The author of the canonical Gospels were clear that Jesus was innocent of the charge (insurrection) upon which Roman imperial officials crucified him. Also innocent were the firstborn Egyptian sons in Exodus; they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Maundy Thursday is an especially appropriate time, guided by these readings, to ponder the suffering of the innocent, whether at the hand of the state, selfish individuals, or any other actors. It is also a fine time to consider how our religious tradition continues to ascribe much of this suffering of the innocent to God. What are we accusing God of being like anyway?
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
JUNE 10, 2017 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.), 1983
THE FEAST OF THE INAUGURATION OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA, 1925
THE FEAST OF SAINT LANDERICUS OF PARIS, ROMAN CATHOLIC BISHOP
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2017/06/10/the-suffering-of-the-innocent/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Denial of Saint Peter, by Caravaggio
Image in the Public Domain
Repentance and Restoration
APRIL 6, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Deuteronomy 30:1-14
Psalm 115 or 113
John 7:53-8:11 or Luke 22:1-38 (39-46)
Romans 2:12-29
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Maundy Thursday is an especially appropriate day to repent. We all need to turn our backs to our sins daily, of course, but the commemoration of the final events leading to the crucifixion of our Lord and Savior should remind us all to take a spiritual inventory and turn over some new leaves. Deuteronomy 30, following directly from Chapter 29, tells us that, after idolatry and other sins, as well as their consequences, will come the opportunity for repentance and restoration. The psalms extol God, for whom no idol is a good substitute. Idols come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. Some are tangible, but many are not. That which is an idol for one person is not an idol for another individual. All idolatry must cease. Repentance and restoration can still occur.
The pericope from John 7:53-8:11 really belongs in the Gospel According to Luke. One can, in fact, read John 7:52 and skip to 8:12 without missing a beat. The story, whenever it occurred in the life of Jesus, teaches vital lessons. The religious authority figures, we learn, sought to entrap our Lord and Savior. In so doing, we discover, they violated the law, for they provided no witnesses and did not care about the location of the man (Leviticus 20:10 and Deuteronomy 22:22). As we read, Jesus reversed the trap, outwitted his opponents, and sent the woman away forgiven. I conclude that certain words from Romans 2 would have fit well in our Lord and Savior’s mouth, given the circumstances:
You teach others, then; do you not teach yourself?
–Verse 21a, The Revised English Bible (1989)
Falling into sin is easy; one can simply stumble into it out of fear or ignorance. St. Simon Peter acted out of fear when he denied knowing Jesus. Fear was understandable, although that fact did not reduce the sin. Yet, as we read in John 21, Christ gave St. Simon Peter the opportunity to profess his love for him as many times as he had denied knowing him. The Apostle accepted the opportunity, although he was not aware of what Jesus was doing at the time.
May we strive, by grace, to sin as rarely as possible. And, when we do sin (many times daily), may we express our penitence and repent. Christ, simultaneously priest and victim as well as master and servant, beckons us to follow him. We will stumble and fall often; he knows that. Get up yet again and resume following me, he says.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
OCTOBER 10, 2016 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF JOHANN NITSCHMANN, SR., MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND BISHOP; DAVID NITSCHMANN, JR., THE SYNDIC, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY BISHOP; AND DAVID NITSCHMANN, THE MARTYR, MORAVIAN MISSIONARY AND MARTYR
THE FEAST OF CECIL FRANCES ALEXANDER, POET AND HYMN WRITER
THE FEAST OF CHRISTIAN LUDWIG BRAU, NORWEGIAN MORAVIAN TEACHER AND POET
THE FEAST OF SAINTS JOHN LEONARDI, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF THE MOTHER OF GOD OF LUCCA; AND JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS, FOUNDER OF THE CLERKS REGULAR OF RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2016/10/10/repentance-and-restoration/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Above: The Dogma of the Redemption, by John Singer Sargent
Image Source = Library of Congress
Reproduction Number = LC-USZ62-133671
Jesus and Scapegoating
APRIL 6, 2023
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Collect:
Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal,
Jesus gave us a new commandment,
to love one another as he loves us.
Write this commandment in our hearts,
and give us the will to serve others
as he was the servant of all, your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
—Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 30
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The Assigned Readings:
Exodus 12:1-4 [5-10] 11-14
Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
John 13:1-17, 31-35
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Some Related Posts:
Prayer for Holy Thursday/Maundy Thursday:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/02/24/prayer-for-holy-thursdaymaundy-thursday/
Lord, Help Us Walk Your Servant Way:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/lord-help-us-walk-your-servant-way/
That Solemn Night:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2012/04/28/that-solemn-night/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
O Lord, I am your servant,
your servant, the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
I will offer to you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call upon the name of the Lord.
–Psalm 116:14-15, Common Worship (2000)
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The greatest title of the Bishop of Rome is “Servant of the Servants of God.” That model of servanthood comes from Jesus himself, who affirmed by words and deeds the dignity of human beings and called we mortals to respectful community. In serving each other we seek and find our own best interests, for what affects one person has an impact on others.
The Passover and the Exodus marked the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, delivered them from the sins of their oppressors, and set them on the way to hearing an ideal of responsibility to and for each other. In the Law of Moses people, all slaves of God, have no right to exploit or oppress each other. We humans have yet to fulfill that ethic in our social, economic, and political systems, unfortunately.
Ironically, the reading from the Gospel of John is set on Wednesday, for, in the Fourth Gospel, our Lord and Savior dies on Thursday, while the sacrificial animals die at the Temple. He is, in other words, the Passover Lamb. He was, for many, a scapegoat in a difficult political situation. Yet the wrath of the Roman Empire fell hard in time anyway.
Scapegoating anyone violates the ethic of mutuality in the Law of Moses. May we, in reverence for Jesus and because it is the right thing to do, refrain from scapegoating people. May we respect their dignity actively and effectively instead.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 28, 2013 COMMON ERA
THANKSGIVING DAY (U.S.A.)
THE FEAST OF SAINT STEPHEN THE YOUNGER, DEFENDER OF ICONS
THE FEAST OF SAINT JOSEPH PIGNATELLI, RESTORER OF THE JESUITS
THE FEAST OF KAMAHAMEHA AND EMMA, KING AND QUEEN OF HAWAII
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/jesus-and-scapegoating/
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
You must be logged in to post a comment.