9th. April 2020.Daily Devotion.
Good day everyone,
On Holy or Maundy Thursday, we usually focus either on Jesus washing the disciples’ feet or the Last Supper and the institution of the sacrament. John in his gospel also reveals how much Jesus taught his disciples that day about Himself, his Father and the Holy Spirit and the disciples future in the Kingdom of God.
Today I wish to take a broader view, and I have called it “God’s Welcome Home.”
The Passover Seder which Jesus was celebrating was a memorial of the escape from the tyranny of Egypt for the Children of Israel. It was a meal eaten in haste before the beginning of a long and arduous journey. The Last or Lord’s Supper as we call it transforms the Passover into a welcome home at the end of the journey. Think of what happened.
Jesus had an upper room prepared, a best room, a special room. In it He welcomed his disciples in traditional fashion, by washing their feet. This signifies the end of a journey, a welcome home. And while he set it as an example to his disciples, it is nonetheless a gesture of the hospitality of heaven. As well as providing the feast, Jesus spoke of a new intimacy between him, his Father, the Holy Spirit and each disciple. They are now at home in God’s kingdom, and there is a room, a place prepared for each of them in his Father’s house. The upper room is symbolic of heaven and the feast is the welcome home, preceded by the cleansing away of the dust and dirt of the journey. The journey ends in the kingdom of heaven. While we are still on the journey, and paradoxically even now in the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus has left us with a powerful reminder of where in Him we belong.
Here is a Spiritual which captures the essence of the message of the Upper Room.
Psalm 116:1-2; 12-19
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
2 Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
14 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful servants.
16 Truly I am your servant, Lord;
I serve you just as my mother did;
you have freed me from my chains.
17 I will sacrifice a thank-offering to you
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord – in your midst, Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.
John 13:1-17
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him.
6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’7 Jesus replied, ‘You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’
8 ‘No,’ said Peter, ‘you shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.’9 ‘Then, Lord,’ Simon Peter replied, ‘not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!’
10 Jesus answered, ‘Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.’ 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.
12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‘Do you understand what I have done for you?’ he asked them. 13 ‘You call me “Teacher” and “Lord”, and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Prayers. (Use these as you feel led to pray)
God our Father, we bless you that in your love and mercy you have reached out to us in Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. We thank you that you have secured for us a place in the home of many mansions, and that though we continue in this earthly life yet our lives are hidden with Christ in you and even now we are in your kingdom.
During these difficult days, strengthen our trust and faith and give us the grace we need to live in the power of your love, in loving one another. Forgive our sins and mistakes as we forgive each other through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen
The Lord’s Prayer (in the version you know best)
Let us offer our prayers
for the needs of the church and the world
to God who has given us new life
in Christ’s passage through death.
By the blood of the covenant
and the waters of baptism, O God,
you cleansed us from sin and made us one in Christ.
Receive these prayers that, by the power of your Spirit,
we may love our brothers and sisters
even as Christ has loved us. Amen.
Eternal God, in the sharing of a meal
your son established a new covenant for all people,
and in the washing of feet
he showed us the dignity of service.
Grant that by the power of your Holy Spirit
these signs of our life in faith
may speak again to our hearts,
feed our spirits and refresh our bodies. Amen.
Please continue to pray for all who are suffering because of the corona virus and all who risk their own health and safety in the service of our worldwide community.
This evening I invite you to join in a “virtual communion.” Please join in by preparing some bread and wine or juice for 7pm. At that time exactly I will say the prayers of preparation and institution. Follow them in your mind and partake of the communion at home. We will all be one in the Spirit of God and in fellowship with each other and fulfil our Sacrament in the name of the Lord Jesus.
‘Twas on that night (Play Twice.)
‘Twas on that night when doomed to know
the eager rage of every foe,
that night in which he was betrayed,
the Saviour of the world took bread;
2 And, after thanks and glory given
to him that rules in earth and heaven,
that symbol of his flesh he broke,
and thus to all his followers spoke:
3 ‘My broken body thus I give
for you, for all; take, eat, and live:
and oft the sacred rite renew
that brings my wondrous love to view.’
4 Then in his hands the cup he raised,
and God anew he thanked and praised,
while kindness in his bosom glowed,
and from his lips salvation flowed.
5 ‘My blood I thus pour forth,’ he cries,
‘to cleanse the soul in sin that lies;
in this the covenant is sealed,
and heaven’s eternal grace revealed.
6 ‘With love to man this cup is fraught,
let each partake the sacred draught;
through latest ages let it pour
in memory of my dying hour.’
Brief Communion Service
Jesus said: I am the bread of life.
All who come to me shall not hunger,
and all who believe in me shall not thirst.
With Christians around the world
and throughout the centuries,
we gather around these symbols
of bread and wine—simple elements
that speak of nourishment and transformation.
Let us pray.
Loving God, we thank you
that you are as close to us as breath,
that your love is constant and unfailing.
We thank you for all that sustains life,
and especially for Jesus Christ,
who teaches us how to live in the kingdom of heaven now in this world and for his surpassing peace,
and for the promise of transformation
made manifest in his life, death and resurrection.
We ask you to bless this bread and this cup.
Through this meal, make us the body of Christ,
that we may join with you in promoting the well-being of all creation. Amen.
We remember on the night
when Jesus and the disciples
had their last meal together,
Jesus took the bread, gave thanks,
and gave it to the disciples,
saying “This is my body,
which is for you.
Take and eat it, and as often as you do, remember me.”
[Partake of the bread.]
In the symbol of the broken bread, we participate in the life of Christ
and we dedicate ourselves to be his disciples.
In the same way he took the cup,
and after giving thanks
he gave it to the disciples, saying:
“Drink this, all of you.
This cup is the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.
[Partake of the wine.]
In the symbol of the cup, we participate in the new life Christ brings.
Let us pray.
We thank you loving God, that you have refreshed us at your table.
Strengthen our faith and increase our love for one another.
Remind us now of the great cloud of witnesses, of saints and angels, including those whom we love who have gone before us and of whose company we are eternally a part.
As we have been fed by the seed that became grain, and then became bread, may we go out into the world to plant seeds of justice, transformation, and hope. Amen.
Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible. Amen.
