Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

• Luke 22:14-20

The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin “maundatum” meaning “commandment.”  Thus, the Maundy Thursday observance is doing as Jesus commanded to eat the bread and drink from the cup as a remembrance of Jesus’ death.  Some people use the term triduum to mean the three days of observance:  The Lord’s Supper on Maundy Thursday, the day of Christ’s death on the cross on Good Friday, and Easter when Jesus Christ rose from the dead.

Some churches do not celebrate the first two, with Easter services always being the focal point.  And having the Lord’s Supper throughout the year does not diminish the observance on Maundy Thursday.

Some churches have communion every Sunday, and I am not speaking strictly of the Catholic church.  It seems the average is about once each month.  Whether often or seldom, I go to God during the Lord’s Supper in prayer.  I do not take the celebration lightly.  I try to attend Maundy Thursday services, since it seems to mean just that much more, but I do not see well when driving at night these days.

My present church where I am a member celebrates with the local Baptist church (African American congregation for the most part).  One Maundy Thursday several years ago, my wife and I were in the sanctuary, our usual thing of sitting there early to prepare our hearts for the service (any service).  While in prayer, I got a tap on the shoulder, and I was asked to go to the pastor’s office.  When I got there, the Baptist leaders and the four elders assigned for the service were in the room.  The pastor said, “The Baptists are one man short this week, a sudden illness.”  He looked at me and asked, “You were the only one in the sanctuary wearing a coat and tie.  Would you mind being a Baptist for this Sunday?”  I said that I would be glad to be an honorary Baptist for the next couple of hours.  I was an elder in the church, just not assigned that night.  That was one duty that I never minded doing, where a lot of what we did was either fluff or not worth doing anyway.

How ever you celebrate Maundy Thursday, do so remembering the sacrifice Jesus made so that we might live.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.