Psalm 27, Psalm 147:12-20, Psalm 126, Psalm 102
John 17:6-8 (NRSV)
[Jesus speaks to God] I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. And they have believed that you sent me. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know the truth that I come from you; and they believe that you sent me.
Devotion
Maundy Thursday. A day for taking time to serve others. This is a day when we can explicitlymake room for God through our service to others. It is the day when we can set aside our personal things and worldly cares to demonstrate God’s love by sharing our love, His love, for others through such simple and humbling acts as washing the feet of others.
Threading through today’s Old Testament Lenten passages are the themes of self-interest and self-absorption: fear of punishment, of exploitation, even of death at the hands of others;anxieties over being mocked, false witness, loss of our material riches. These fears and anxietiesand the cravings of greed, power, and vengefulness, have manifested themselves through human history, even to the present day.
But these human failings cannot imprison us, when we make room for God.
As John shares in the New Testament passage taken from the above readings for today, Jesus, even as his final hours approached, showed his love for us by intervening with God on our behalf as his believers, despite our human failings. What greater love could there be than that at such a moment in Jesus’ life among us? What better way to accept God’s love than by making time to share that love in our service to others, no matter the cost to our own wellbeing and comfort?
Prayer
We thank you, Lord, for giving us your Word through Jesus Christ your son. We humbly commit ourselves in your name through making time for simple service to others on this Maundy Thursday and throughout our lives. Amen.
Phil Church