Maundy Thursday

Monday? Mundy? Maunday? Maundy... Thursday. 

Yes, it's got an uncommon name... but it's also got an uncommon reason. In the traditional church calendar, this day has great significance. The word Maundy means "feast". So, it's Feast Thursday. If you consider where this day falls in the church calendar (right before Good Friday), you might be able to guess what this feast day is about. Just in case, here is the story in the Bible that sets the foundation for why we gather together on Maundy Thursday:

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, "Take; this is my body." And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." 

Mark 14:22-25

This is Jesus' celebration of the Passover meal with the disciples. While he is eating the Passover meal with them, he institutes communion. This is the feast we celebrate on Maundy Thursday.

But, what does it mean? 

This is where I get excited. The gift of communion is a precious one. In the early church communion was one of four things they devoted themselves to.

"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." Acts 2:42 

From the very beginning, the church was devoted to hearing the teaching of the Word of God,  to the fellowship of believers, to prayers, and the "breaking of the bread". The general understanding is that breaking bread refers to communion - especially since Jesus told us:

"He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.'" Luke 22:19 

One of the amazing things about communion is that we can actually experience all four things the church is devoted to at once! We hear the Word of God spoken as we are reminded of the night that Jesus instituted the meal, we fellowship as one body of believers - the Church - around a common meal that unites us, and as we break the bread we pray for our unity, for our forgiveness, and for the proclamation of His death until He comes again. It's really a beautiful act of worship!

If it was important at the foundation of the Church, then it should be important to us now. But why is it so important? What does it mean for us?

I think this verse will help us answer these questions:

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. 

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

When we receive the bread and wine, the Bible tells us that we are receiving Jesus' body, and the covenant of His blood. We are doing it to remember that He has made a new covenant with us through the breaking of His body on the cross, and the pouring out of His blood. When we eat and drink the bread and wine we are reminded of Jesus' sacrifice for us.

We also are told this in Matthew:

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many."  Matthew 26:27-28

Did you catch that? It (Jesus blood, the role the wine plays) was poured out for our forgiveness. You see, when we receive communion we are not just remembering Jesus' sacrifice. We are also physically and spiritually receiving a wonderful taste of His forgiveness! We are saying, "Wow! Taste and see that the Lord is good! His forgiveness is so wonderful to me that I can't help but consume it as it consumes me." And as we participate in this act of worship, we "proclaim the Lord's death until he comes." We tell ourselves and everyone around us that our God is so good, and His forgiveness is so real that we can literally eat it.

I hope that today you'll take the time to go to a church that offers a Maundy Thursday service and experience the taste of forgiveness.

I'd love to have you at my church if you're in the Houston area. If not, you can watch our Maundy Thursday service online at live.salem4u.com to hear more about the gift of communion.