ST PAUL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ABQ NM – The Rev. P. L. Holman
Ex. 12:1-14; Ps. 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Cor. 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35
“Mandatory Blessings”
As I reflected on this day from the path of Lent’s journey, the image of “posture” came to mind. Have you ever paid much attention to posture? Oh, sure, in our younger days when Mom or Dad, Grandma or Grandpa would say “sit up straight” or “fold your hands like a lady” or “keep your arms to yourself, son” – then we did, or else. And in our not so young days, when sitting up or standing straight becomes a physical impossibility, when tremors take over and keeping our hands still becomes a distant dream. But on this day we ponder the postures of faithfulness: in the foot washing, kneeling in service; in the sharing of Peace, extending hands in reconciliation; in the breaking of bread, opening hands to receive the meal.
On this “Maundy Thursday” – the “mandatum” day when we hear again Jesus’ command to “love one another” we are reminded physically of the postures love takes. From the ancient rituals in Egypt, the posture of preparation is established for a particular time and a particular purpose. Take a lamb; if it is too big, share it with neighbors. Prepare it correctly, eat it properly, and dispose of the leftovers carefully. The blood of the lamb shall mark your doors, and the God of Abraham and Sarah will remember you in love, preserving your life. Our Jewish neighbors are observing their Passover even in these days, preparing and feasting and remembering God’s goodness. They are community meals – signs of God’s presence in the faithful gathered to remember and to give thanks.
The roots of our Eucharist are in this Passover meal. The Apostle Paul reminds us, it is at the command of Jesus, conceived in Divine love and born of human faithfulness, that we gather with open hands to receive that which we become –the body of the risen Christ in the world. When we come to this table we receive not just fruit of the grain and the vine – we receive the amazing grace of reconciling love, God’s forgiveness, the blood of the LAMB OF GOD given and shed FOR YOU. We receive blessing for the journey of life. Mandatum – the root of the word “mandatory” is not lost on eye or ear. Mandatory blessing, this: just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. To receive that blessing we open our hands. To be that blessing, we open our hearts. And sometimes we take off our shoes.
Pastors are called to the ministry of Word and Sacrament. Our symbols are stole and chalice. Diaconal Ministers are called to ministries of Word and Service. Their symbols are the bowl and the towel. In her reflection on this day, Diaconal Minister Madelyn Busse, who serves on our behalf in the Rocky Mountain Synod Office, lifts up the servant leadership of Christ and our call to be servants in the world. For those who follow Jesus, living under the cross “calls us into the difficult spiritual struggle of letting go of the many attachments that have hold on us, and requires true dying before the rising into new life. I cling to my attachments and avoid the dying.” Good Friday is too hard to face. Yet, “in God's infinite grace, we are given this day to prepare us for that which is to come. Part of the richness of this holy Thursday is the invitation into deep relationship that will carry us into the loneliness of the cross…The foot-washing and the meal are stories of intimacy with Christ and with my fellow disciples on the journey. We can participate in the life of Christ crucified and risen only to the degree that we are in solidarity and communion of life with one another.”
There is another posture that comes to mind this day. Two weeks ago I was at the hospital visiting an elder member of the congregation. He was in for tests, and I woke him from a nap. Disoriented, it took a few moments for him to realize he already had his glasses on, and after identifying myself several times I proceeded into conversation. We talked about his psirit, his heart, his family. After several minutes of dialog there was a pause – that’s when he said, “I still don’t know who you are.” We had a good laugh about that – he’s not accustomed to seeing me from that angle, of course. And after we prayed together, ending with the Lord’s Prayer, he helped me see his posture, as one longing for the reconciliation of health, in a new way: “Pastor, Bill said as he grabbed my hands, I have to ask you something.” Okay, bracing for a tough one. “When we pray ‘give us today our daily bread’ it isn’t just about the bread is it?” No, my ninety-something brother in Christ, not at all: it is about bread and love, about forgiveness and hope, about strength for the journey. Thanks be to God.
There is mandatory blessing in this washing and caring, in this peace-connection, in these gifts of bread and wine. They are signs of God’s gracious love for us, reminders of our call to serve others. As Jesus said so long ago, “By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Amen.