April 17
Jesus gave us a model for the work of the church at the Last Supper. While his disciples kept proposing more organization - Hey, let's elect officers, establish hierarchy, set standards of professionalism - Jesus quietly picked up a towel and basin of water and began to wash their feet.
April 17
Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, marks the beginning of the Holy Triduum, the three most sacred days in the Christian calendar that lead us through Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection. On this day, the Church commemorates the Last Supper, where Jesus gathered with His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion.
At the table, Christ instituted the Eucharist, offering bread and wine as His body and blood, a sacrament of grace, presence, and remembrance that continues to form the heart of Christian worship. It was also at this meal that Jesus washed His disciples' feet, a profound act of humility and service, and gave them a new commandment: "Love one another, as I have loved you." This is the origin of the word Maundy, from the Latin mandatum, meaning "commandment."
Holy Thursday is a day of deep theological reflection and sacred ritual. It invites us to remember not only the events of that upper room but also the love, humility, and sacrifice that define the way of Christ. It ends in silence and watchfulness, as we enter into the solemn mystery of Good Friday.
Below are some ways you can participate in The Lent Journey with the Northeastern Seminary & Roberts Wesleyan Community.
Active Reflection
Journaling
At the table, Jesus knelt to wash the feet of one who would betray Him, one who would deny Him, and ten who would abandon Him. Take a moment to enter that scene. Imagine someone in your own life who has wounded you—through betrayal, rejection, or absence when you needed them most. What would it require of you—emotionally, spiritually, even physically—to stoop and wash their feet? What might that act reveal about grace, forgiveness, and the radical love of Christ?
Prayer
Ask and Reflect
Almighty God,
whose Son Jesus Christ taught us
that what we do for others we do also for him:
give us the will to be the servant of others
as he was the servant of all,
who gave up his life and died for us;
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen.
The Scottish Episcopal Church
