Maundy Thursday Devotional

For Holy Week, Immanuel has created a series of online devotionals. Each devotional is adapted from a 
monologue written by Rev. Aaron Fulp-Eickstaedt. Immanuel will perform these monologues and others at this year’s Maundy Thursday service (April 13, 7:30 pm).

I ate a lot of meals with Jesus.  In fact, I was there for all the meals you’ve heard about so far.  But there are two more I’ll never forget.  The first one happened in the upper room on a Thursday night.  The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.  The religious authorities had vowed to stop him.

I have to tell you, that before that meal, he washed our feet!  Well, I told him not just my feet but my head and my hands, too.  But he made it clear that he was simply making a point about serving one another and giving of ourselves in love.  Then he brought the point home during supper.  He took bread and broke it and said, “This is my body,” and then he passed the cup and said, “This is my blood.  Do this in remembrance of me.”

We shared in the bread and the wine—even Judas—and then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”  Of course we all denied that it could be us.  After Judas ran out of the room, I promised that I would never deny him.  That’s when he looked me dead in the eye and said, “I tell you the truth, before the cock crows twice, you will deny that you know me three times.”  And, you know what, I did. I flat out said I’d never heard of him.  It’s amazing what you’ll say and do when you are scared to death.

A prayer for the day:

Holy One, we are scared to death. We fear the irrational and the certain-to-be. We fear our decisions and our inability to change course. Be with us in our fear today. Rather than denying our fears once, twice, or three times, help us to face them with You. Amen.