Maundy Thursday
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according to the Book of Common Prayer (p. 274ff.)
9 April 2020
Click here to see just the lessons for this liturgy.
Preparing for the Liturgy
Set out a bowl of water and a clean towel. Light a candle. Sit with them before you and then begin by remembering God’s forgiveness.
A Penitential Order
The people stand as able.
Officiant:
Bless the Lord who forgives all our sins.
People:
God’s mercy endures for ever.
The people kneel or stand as able.
Officiant:
Hear the commandments of God to God’s people: I am the Lord your God who brought you out of bondage. You shall have no other gods but me.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
You shall not make for yourself any idol.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
You shall not invoke with malice the Name of the Lord your God.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
Honor your father and your mother.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
You shall not commit murder.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
You shall not commit adultery.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
You shall not steal.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
You shall not be a false witness.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor.
People:
Amen. Lord have mercy.
Officiant:
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14, 16 NRSV)
Officiant:
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence may be kept.
People:
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Officiant:
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in eternal life. Amen.
Officiant:
Holy God,
Holy and Mighty,
Holy Immortal One,
People:
Have mercy upon us.
Officiant:
The Lord be with you.
People:
And also with you.
Officiant:
Let us pray.
The Collect Proper to the Day
Officiant:
Almighty Father, whose dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it thankfully in remembrance of Jesus Christ our Lord, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life; and who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The People are seated.
We Hear God’s Word
The First Lesson — Exodus 12:1-14 NRSV
Lector:
A reading from the book of Exodus.
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbour in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgements: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
Lector:
The word of the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 116:1,10-17 – Dilexi, quoniam — (BCP 759)
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
10 How shall I repay the Lord *
for all the good things he has done for me?
11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
12 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people.
13 Precious in the sight of the Lord *
is the death of his servants.
14 O Lord, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid; you have freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
16 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people,
17 In the courts of the Lord’s house, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
The Second Lesson — 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 NRSV
Lector:
A reading from Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth.
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, 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.
Lector:
The word of the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
The Third Lesson — John 13:1-17, 31b-35 NRSV
Lector:
A reading from John’s Gospel.
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ Jesus said to him, ‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.’ For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, ‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’
Lector:
The word of the Lord.
People:
Thanks be to God.
You may access a homily online at the church website. Or you may want to use the following meditation.
Meditation:
This word about the love of Jesus is always the beginning of any time. By remembering the Passover and the Last Supper and the footwashing, we are not trying to get back to an old time. In the face of the suffering and death with which the world is filled, our trying would not come to much. But God’s word comes to us now. To our time. Even when we cannot meet for the holy supper together, this word — which takes these three nights to say — comes to us: Jesus Christ is our forgiveness. He is the Lamb whose blood marks the doors of our houses and bodies. In the power of the Spirit, he has washed our feet and our lives. And he turns us toward our neighbors. In this word — and in the cross proclaimed tomorrow and the resurrection proclaimed on Saturday night — Easter comes out to hold us already.
We Respond in Faith
This is the time when we wash feet, recalling Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. The washing of his disciples’ feet was a demonstration of Christ’s love for us, and was followed immediately with a “new commandment”: that we love one another as he loved them. As we work together to suppress the death toll of the Covid-19 virus, washing our hands is an expression of love for our neighbor. Here you may wash your hands, using the water in the bowl.
The Prayers of the People
The people stand or kneel as able.
Officiant:
United with Christians around the globe on this Maundy Thursday, let us pray for the church, the earth, our troubled world, and all in need, responding to each petition with the words, Your mercy is great.
A brief silence.
Officiant:
Blessed are you, holy God, for the church. Gather all the baptized around your presence in the Word. Strengthen the body of your people even when we cannot assemble for worship. Grant Bishop Stokes and all our clergy faithfulness and creativity for their ministry in this time, and accompany those preparing for baptism.
A brief silence.
Officiant:
Hear us, holy God.
People:
Your mercy is great.
Officiant:
Blessed are you, bountiful God, for this good earth and for the flowering of springtime. Save dry lands from destructive droughts. Protect the waters from pollution. Allow in this time the planting of fields for food. Make us into care-givers of your plants and animals.
A brief silence.
Officiant:
Hear us, bountiful God.
People:
Your mercy is great.
Officiant:
Blessed are you, sovereign God, for our nation. Inspire all people to live in peace and concord. Grant wisdom and courage to heads of state and to legislators as they face the coronavirus. Lead our elected officials to champion the cause of the needy.
A brief silence.
Officiant:
Hear us, sovereign God.
People:
Your mercy is great.
Officiant:
Blessed are you, faithful God, for you accompany suffering humanity with love. Abide wherever the coronavirus has struck. Visit all who mourn their dead; all who have contracted the virus; those who are quarantined or stranded away from home; those who have lost their employment; those who fear the present and the future. Support physicians, nurses, and home health aides; medical researchers; and the World Health Organization.
A brief silence.
Officiant:
Hear us, faithful God.
People:
Your mercy is great.
Officiant:
Blessed are you, gracious God, for you care for the needy. We beg you to feed the hungry, protect the refugee, embrace the distressed, house the homeless, nurse the sick, and comfort the dying. Especially we pray for those on our parish prayer list… and for those others we name before you now.
A brief silence.
Officiant:
Hear us, gracious God.
People:
Your mercy is great.
Officiant:
Blessed are you, loving God, that your Son knelt before us, your unworthy servants. Preserve our lives, comfort our anxiety, and receive now the petitions of our hearts.
A longer period of silence.
Officiant:
Hear us, loving God.
People:
Your mercy is great.
Officiant:
Blessed are you, eternal God, for all who have died in the faith, especially Marilyn and Donald, and those whom we name before you now.
A brief silence.
Officiant:
At the end, bring us with them into your everlasting glory.
Hear us, eternal God.
People:
Your mercy is great.
Officiant:
Receive, merciful God, our prayers, for the sake of Jesus Christ, the host of our meal of life, who died and rose that we might live with you, now and forever.
People:
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Officiant:
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,
All:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Peace
Officiant:
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People:
And also with you.