Practicing Resurrection: Living out the New Commandment of Maundy Thursday

Each year on Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday in Holy Week, we pause to remember the "New Commandment" given to us at the Lord's Supper. "...the English word Maundy in that name for the day is derived through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from the Latin mandatum, the first word of the phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you"), the statement by Jesus in the Gospel of John (13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet."(Wikipedia)

We participate in a foot-washing ceremony at home.

Husband following Christ's example in an act of humble service:

"If I then your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do just as I have done to you...If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them" (John 13:14-17)

By practicing this rite in the domestic church, we allow the children a chance to participate as children.

Sticking dirty feet into the air,

 

 getting up close to watch it done

We are knitted together in new commandment. Father loving and serving children.

Children basking in the glow of Daddy's love and understanding more of the Father's love.




We partake of the Agape Meal, a simple dish with Bread and Wine, remembering on this night Christ gives us a new way:

As Christians we no longer eat the Passover Lamb on this night but now feed on His Body and His Blood. As Paul wrote, "Christ our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast" (I Cor. 5:7). St. Athanasius in his Easter tetter of 332 A.D. writes,

"Now the pictures and shadows and types have all been fulfilled and accomplished. So we, dear brothers and sisters, should no longer consider the Feast a figurative one. We do not go up to the earthly city of Jerusalem to sacrifice the Passover. That ancient Jewish practice is no longer suitable. If we followed their practice, we would be celebrating the Easter season inappropriately...Since our Savior was making the change from the type of shadow to the spiritual reality, He gave them the New Covenant promise. That is, He promised them that they would not eat the flesh of a lamb anymore, but His own: 'Take, eat and drink; this is My body and and My blood' (Matthew 26:26-28)." (The Resurrection Letters of St. Athanasius)

And so now that we have entered the church season of Easter we seek to live out this "new commandment" in the power of this "new covenant" by all that was accomplished on the cross and by the resurrection of our Lord.

What are the disciplines of this Easter Season of fifty days? Though there are many ways to answer this question, Maundy Thursday answers

A Family Loving and Serving. Feasting and Celebrating.
Not in mere picture, shadow, or memory but a new spiritual reality.

"From that day [Easter], until Pentecost we keep holy day through seven weeks, one after the other. As we set our minds properly on all that this season means, we will be prepared for the eternal realities behind them." (The Resurrection Letters of St. Athanasius)

May we all come to know these eternal realities more this Easter Season!
Amy

Holy Week!

Hello! I wanted to pop in quickly to wish you a blessed Holy Week. I've decided to do an internet fast for the rest of the week to prepare my heart for Easter. I was also encouraged during Adult Sunday School yesterday to consider how I can walk a Sabbatical Pace and I've realized that many of the moments I could rest in my day, I hop on the computer. My goal is also to realize the effects that technology has in my life. I love blogging--it is good to walk with you all through the church year and I appreciate your comments and emails so I hope to return with fresh ideas and the proper balance next week. We'll see what God has in store.

Might I also ask for your prayers for our family this week? Our 5 yr old daughter is having a difficult time getting over her bronchitis and has what seems to be complete hearing loss in her left ear. This has really impacted her ability to hear at all and has been scary and frustrating for her. We are praying that there is no permanent damage and her hearing will return when the fluid clears and that this would be soon! She was so encouraged yesterday at church when she was prayed for so if you want to drop her line in the comments that you are praying for her, my husband will read them to her and I think it would bless her very much. Thank you!!!

I had hoped to write a series of posts on living Holy Week as a family, but I will just need to set up links.  year!

--Easter Planning. 
My goal this year is to get all shopping and cleaning done by Wednesday!

--Family Devotions during Holy Week:  We use this cross with felt pieces for devotionals this week that I received at a great discount from a friend; it also comes with Scripture Readings, explanations, and discussion questions. But Ann at Holy Experience also has beautiful printables and devotional series at her blog!

Next year I'd love to do this Easter Garden from Holy Experience

--Wednesday of Holy Week: A Tenebrae service at home: 

"A Tenebrae Service is a Medieval tradition during Holy Week; ‘tenebrae’ is Latin for shadows. The symbolism of the light being extinguished begins a more somber and meditative time leading up to Easter. It is very powerful in a church but I've found the intimacy of your own home is just as dramatic."

--Maundy Thursday in the Home: 

"The name is derived from the Latin novum mandatum, the new commandment that Christ gives us : "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34).

And what a radical new way Christ brings. Christ takes the traditional passover rites and institutes a new way in the foot washing and the Lord's Supper.

Foot Washing has been a very moving observance for me both when we celebrated in the church and at home. When we celebrated at at home we followed the second--my husband washing all of our feet. I was always surprised that though they were babies when we started they always participated in silence and awe."

--Good Friday: The Way of the Cross

•        Links from Kerry at A Ten O'Clock Scholar on how to do the Stations of the Cross with children, including print outs and coloring pages!
•        My Series on the Way of the Cross with artist Anna Kocher

--An Easter Menu with recipes. We love the Italian Easter Meat Pie and Pepperoni Bread, especially after giving up meat for 40 days!

--Easter Season:
Practice Resurrection!and Story-Formed's list.
Celebrating Easter's 50 days as a family

For our Easter Journey we will be Celebrating the Easter Season with 50 activities for with Tomie de Paola's:

Garden of the Good Shepherd: A Sticker Album to Count the 50 Days. I bought my book from this site for $6 +shipping. It arrived quickly!! But Waltzing Matilda also has free printables for those who cannot order the sticker book in time!


All activities and recipes can be found at Shower of Roses Garden Party and Waltzing Matilda. She has plans for doing activities daily or for a once a week party!

I hope to be back next Monday to share ideas on how to live Easter Season for 50 days, not just one!!

Blessings!

Palm Sunday Fears and our Need for Easter

Palm Sunday Reflection 2010

However our Lenten Journey goes, it always leads us to the cross. And though the 40 days grow long, it is on Palm Sunday that we pause with proclamations of Hosanna to be renewed as we enter into the final days before we remember the crucifixion and resurrection. I wasn’t always comfortable with this pause or the proclamation.

Growing up, I never enjoyed Palm Sunday—it seemed a sham. Why were we joining with those who in ages past were the first to shout Hosanna and then turn so quickly to shout, Crucify Him? But now I see that though I do not join in their shouting, I know what it is to have a fickle heart.

A heart gluttonous in the midst of fasting.

A heart doubtful in the season of prayer.

A heart miserly in the time of alms-giving.

A heart loud in the stillness waiting for God.

A heart divided.

But rather than give up on the spiritual disciplines of Lent, this is the very reason we enter into these practices. In our struggle, we allow the Spirit to convict and understand our need for His Death and Resurrection anew. We remember it is His Grace that saves and through this stumbling, we grow.

My Palm Sunday fears of hypocrisy dissipated when I learned of the church’s beautiful tradition for the palm branches used on this day.  Beginning in the twelfth century, the palm branches from this service are burned to be used as the ashes for imposition the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday.   On Ash Wednesday we are invited to enter into a Holy Lent, with the reminder of our mortality and sin, but also of our attempts to praise Him crossed on our foreheads.

All we offer is but ash. It is His Grace which turns it into Praise.

And so to should we remember the meaning of this word “Hosanna.” Yes, it is used as a shout of praise, but the original meaning is “Save us, please,” implying our great need.

Therefore this Sunday, it will be with joy that I, broken yet redeemed, will lift my palm branch high with those around me and join in the shout: Hosanna, Hosanna, Praise to the King of Kings. Hosanna, Hosanna, Save us, please.

For those Celebrating at Home:

The Scripture:

The Liturgy of the Palms
Luke 19:28-40
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
The Liturgy of the Word
Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 31:9-16
Philippians 2:5-11
Luke 22:14-23:56 or Luke 23:1-49

For a deeper understanding of the significance of Christ's entry into Jerusalem, it is helpful to walk through the Old Testament Scriptures as well.

The Collect: Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Resources:

Sermons, Art, Hymns, and more

For Children

A Coloring Page

Traditional Food

 Our Celebration in 2007:

We look forward to a special meal with friends this Sunday too!

Amy

"one of the saddest stories of the last generation, period."

From Joseph Bottum at First Things:
"Meanwhile, Episcopalians—sometimes unkindly called the Gene Robinson branch of U.S. Anglicanism—dropped 3 percent in 2008. That doesn’t sound like much, admits Warren Cole Smith at the website of
World magazine, but apparently it is the largest membership drop any major denomination has experienced in a single year. For those keeping a running total, the Episcopal Church now has slightly fewer than 2 million members in 7,000 parishes. That’s down from about 3.5 million in 1965—a bit more than a 40 percent decline. Following Martin Marty’s admonition above, though, we are not “rejoicing in the missteps or misfortunes of others,” just marking them out.

Smith, however, is somewhat . . . well, gleeful is not the word. Perhaps “resigned but not grieving” does the trick. “Don’t grieve the demise of the Episcopal Church,” he says. “God has preserved a remnant. And the coming together of the various ‘continuing Anglican’ churches under the [Anglican Church in North America] organizational structure is one of the major religious developments of this year, a development that will likely resonate for many years to come.”

While that may be true, we do, nonetheless, grieve. The great decline of a once-vibrant Protestant mainline church is one of the saddest stories of the last generation, period."