Maundy Thursday: April 17, 2025
The word maundy comes from both an Old French word mandé, and an old Latin word mandatum both which mean “commandment.”
On the first Maundy Thursday, the night before Jesus was crucified, he gathered with his disciples. Throughout their time together that night, Jesus commanded his disciples to:
Celebrate the Lord's Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Serve one another.
(Luke 22:26, John 13:1-15)
Love one another. (John 13:34)
You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. John 13:13–17
Prelude
Greeting and Call to Worship
On this evening, Christ gathered with his disciples
in an upper room. We gather as his disciples.
On this evening, Christ shared a meal
as a sign of his great love. We gather to taste his love.
On this evening, Christ took a towel
and washed the disciples’ feet. We gather to honour our Servant Saviour, Son of God, One God, Blessed Trinity, world without end.
The Lord be with you this evening. And also with you.
371 Love divine, all loves excelling
Prayer of Approach (Responsive)
Merciful God, holy and good, gracious and kind, when we act as though your Good News in Jesus does not have the power to change us, forgive us.
When we are consumed by the sin of this world, even though your truth has set us free, forgive us.
For desiring position and power, while losing sight of your humble servant, forgive us.
For being so quick to accept your grace, and so slow to extend it to others who have hurt us, forgive us.
For times when we have been cold to your warm embrace, forgive us.
For treating you like a stranger, when you are always a friend, forgive us.
For losing hope in your goodness, when you are nothing but good, forgive us.
In this solemn time together, as we remember your suffering, servant Son, forgive us. Amen.
Declaration of Forgiveness
The Peace of Christ
560:1-3 Put peace into each other’s hands
Put peace into each other’s hands and like a treasure hold it; protect it like a candle flame, with tenderness enfold it.
Put peace into each other’s hands with loving expectation; be gentle in your words and ways, in touch with God’s creation.
Put peace into each other’s hands like bread we break for sharing; look people warmly in the eye: our life is meant for caring.
Bible Reading: John 13:1-17 NT 82
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
13Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ 7Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ 8Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ 9Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ 10Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’
12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
Message: With No Eye Over His Shoulder
· He loved them to the end. John 13:1
· Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. John 13:5
· He knew who was to betray him John 13:11
· I have set you an example John13:15
The Lord’s Supper
224 An upper room did our Lord prepare
Introduction
This is the Table of the Lord. Christ meets us here.
In bread broken and cup poured out, we remember the full extent of Christ’s love for us and give thanks.
229 Jesu, Jesu, fill us with your love
Affirmation of Faith (Unison) The Iona Creed:
We are not alone. We live in God’s world. We believe in God, who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus to reconcile and make all things new. We trust God, who calls us to be the Church: to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified, dead and risen; our judge and our hope. In life, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Institution and Invitation
Luke 22:14-20
Here at the Table of the Lord, God comes to us, so that we may come to God.
Prayer at the Table
Merciful God, send your Holy Spirit to settle on the elements before us. Fill them with the fulness of Jesus. He who the universe could not contain is present in this bread. He who redeemed us and called us by name now meets us in this cup. Amen.
Administration
Please come forward down the centre aisle to receive the Elements: first the Bread and then the Cup. Please consume the Elements at the Chancel or return down an outer aisle with them to your pew.
Prayer After Partaking
Holy God, on this night Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, to love one another as he loved them. Write this commandment on our hearts, we pray, and strengthen us in willing service, in unity and in love through Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Lord and Friend, he who taught us together to pray saying:
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
225 A new commandment
Commissioning
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.” (John 13:34-35)
Benediction and Choral Blessing
We shall go out with hope of resurrection
Sung to the tune ‘Londonderry Air’
We shall go out with hope of resurrection.
We shall go out, from strength to strength go on.
We shall go out and tell our stories boldly,
tales of a love that will not let us go.
We’ll sing our songs of wrongs that can be righted.
We’ll dream our dreams of hurts that can be healed.
We’ll weave a cloth of all the world united
within the vision of new life in Christ.
We’ll give a voice to those who have not spoken.
We’ll find the words for those whose lips are sealed.
We’ll make the tunes for those who sing no longer,
expressive love alive in every heart.
We’ll share our joy with those who still are weeping,
raise hymns of strength for hearts that break in grief.
We’ll leap and dance the resurrection story,
including all in circles of our love.
Three-Fold Choral Amen
Postlude
We gather on the traditional territory of the Wendat, the Anishnaabeg and the Haudenosaunee Peoples. We are also on lands that are part of the Dish with One Spoon Wampum. We live and work, worship, learn and meet on lands that are the traditional territory of many different Indigenous Peoples who were here before the establishment of European colonies.
