Trinity Episcopal Church PROGRESSIVE INCLUSIVE CREATIVE DOWNTOWN
Maundy Thursday Agape Meal & Foot washing April 9, 2020 TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH
PROGRESSIVE
INCLUSIVE
CREATIVE
DOWNTOWN
316 Adams Street, Toledo, OH 43604 (419) 243-1231 www.trinitytoledo.org Facebook.com/TrinityEpiscopalToledo
Maundy Thursday Agape Meal & Foot washing Beloved Friends, Today is Maundy Thursday, so named because the word "Maundy" shares its root meaning with the English word "mandate." According to John 13, on the last night of his life, Jesus gave us a new commandment, or "mandate," that we love one another. As Jesus sat at the table with his friends, he was continuing what was central to his ministry. The meal they shared that night was not a symbolic piece of bread and sip of wine; it was a full meal. Jesus eats with all kinds of people. We believe he shared meals with people that weren’t always accepted or understood as a way to break down boundaries. In the sharing of the bread and wine, Jesus reminded the disciples that it was about feeding people. This year we will once again remember the specialness of this night but from the safety of our own homes. Instead of gathering together for a meal, and a sacred time of foot washing and then the traditional stripping of the altar, we are asking that each Trinity household find a way to prepare a meal, read the sacred texts and perhaps offer foot washing to each other to remember the importance of servant leadership in our walk as disciples. We have prepared this booklet to support you and make some suggestions for how you might want to bless some bread and wine (or juice) as we do when we gather together to celebrate the Eucharist. We encourage every household to prepare and eat an entire meal, followed a time to wash each other’s feet as a way of reminding ourselves of this “mandate.” We would love to have you share pictures of your evening together so we might make a collage of all our different, and yet shared experiences. Please send the photos of your evening to heather@trinitytoledo.org. May you never forget that you are loved,
Lisa
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This evening ritual invites all of Trinity to join together, while we are apart, in a holy and sacred night. It includes the sharing of a meal as a way to remember Jesus’ final meal with his friends and his act of washing the feet of his disciples; a symbol and reminder we are called to servant leadership putting others first in order to listen well to the needs of the world responding with all the love and generosity we have been gifted as children of God. To prepare your home for the evening, please consider the following – 1. Prepare a simple meatless meal to share. A Mediterranean style meal is often chosen for Agape Meals, but any foods are fine as long as they are simple. Salads, soups, fruits and nuts, and simple grains or pastas can all be fine. Include a bit of bread and wine (or juice), according to what is in keeping with your dietary requirements. 2. Set a special table for your meal perhaps with a candle and anything that helps you and yours know that this is a special meal- set apart from other meals you share in your home. 3. Set up what you need to wash each other’s feet. A wash basin, a pitcher with warm water, and a few towels are sufficient. If you wish to use a bit of soap, feel free. Set a foot-washing space in the room, just a bit away from the table. Have what you need for good washing and drying of hands at a nearby sink.
Prayers Invite all to the table and begin with blessings of the cup and the bread and then for the meal: Blessing the First Cup (everybody raise their glass of wine/juice):
God of yesterday and today, we give you thanks for the holy vine of your servant David, which you made known to us through Jesus your servant. Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing of the Bread (have someone raise the bread at the table):
God of our hopes and dreams, we give you thanks for the life and knowledge you sent through Jesus your servant. Glory to you for ever and ever. Amen.
Blessing of the Meal
Almighty, everlasting God let our prayer in your sight be as incense, the lifting up of our hands as the evening sacrifice. Stir up in us the fire of that love which burned in the heart of your Son as he bore his passion, and let it burn in us to eternal life and to the ages of ages. Bless this food and us to your service. In Jesus’ holy name we pray. Amen.
Enjoy your meal Play some nice music, share stories of past shared meals- remind each other why eating together with those you love has a sacred quality. What is special/different about this meal tonight? Take your time to enjoy this simple meal, as well as those sitting with you on this night. Once your meal is finished, clear the dishes and move to the next part of this sacred time together. 3
Introduction to Foot washing Ancient supper rituals ended with people washing their hands—a natural action if you eat supper without fork and knife. But John’s gospel says that at his last supper with his disciples, Jesus washed their feet instead—a lowly servant’s job, which startled them all—and then Jesus told his disciples to serve each other in the same humble spirit. For centuries since, churches have repeated Jesus’ sign of service to one another. Tonight, we invite you to do the same, washing each other’s feet, or if you would prefer, hands, as a reminder of all the ways we serve each other and the world in the Jesus’ Spirit of love. As you prepare to wash each other’s hands or feet, take a moment to quiet yourselves and remember how profound this act will be in light of the world’s obsession with power and dominion. To bow down, to kneel before another and offer care and love and devotion is in itself a powerful antidote to the world we live in. Thank you for making time to remember this profound lesson on this holy night. In preparation for this we invite you to share this prayer:
A prayer before the washing of feet (by David Coleman) God of dirty hands and tired feet, taking people as they come, kneeling and healing, touching where others turn away, forgive us when we want to be too clean. Forgive us when we despise life for the messy business it is. If we are too proud to own up to our brokenness, if we keep hidden what needs refreshment, how can you care for us? You can care – and this is how: when we are ready to move from distance to involvement, from intent to touch, then you will wash the feet that tire on rocky roads; you will care and heal beyond our expectation. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Closing Prayer As your evening comes to an end, invite each member to share a single word or thought of what this night has offered. Close by thanking each other for who and how they remind you of God’s love. Offer a closing prayer to Godwith thanks for who and how we are changed for the better. And all God’s people say, AMEN! 4