Holy Week is The Holy Drama of Our Salvation. From Jesus’ first steps on Palm Sunday to his last breath on Good Friday, the movement is slow, unrelenting, and inevitable. After the triumph of the Palms, the mood changes to one of increasing darkness, day after day. Spiritual pilgrims make each step, despite knowing the sorrow of what is happening. For disciples who walk the way, it is a profound experience.

The fourth day of Holy Week is marked by the service of Maundy Thursday. It commemorates the things that happened on that day and anticipates events overnight and the next day. First, in the midst of supper, Jesus got up from dinner and washed his disciples’ feet. Next, he instituted the Lord’s Supper. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum,” which means “commandment.” It refers to what Jesus said to his disciples on that night: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” Both actions, sharing of Holy Communion and Footwashing, highlight the themes of the night: self-giving love and humility. We will remember this night with both actions.

Next, we Reserve the Sacrament, meaning that we do not consume all of the bread and wine of that night, but reserve some of both to symbolize the fact that our Lord, while in grave danger, is still with us overnight. We reserve Jesus’ body as we prepare to walk with him out of the house and out of Jerusalem.

But first, we have the interlude of the Stripping and Washing of the Altar as a person reads Psalm 22. The psalm is about a person who is crying out to God to save him from the mocking taunts and anguished torments of his enemies. In the Stripping, the clergy play the role of the Roman soldiers who mocked, stripped, and humiliated Jesus. In the act, we remove all of the beautiful adornments of the altar and leave it bare. The altar is the symbol of Jesus’ body. Next the altar is washed. This symbolizes the washing of Jesus’ dead body before his burial. In other churches the washing is done by a clergy person. At Christ Church it seemed to us that a more appropriate symbol would be for select members of the Altar guild, who have taken care of Jesus’ body (the altar) all year, to continue to do so on Maundy Thursday. It is a solemn privilege and a sad responsibility.

Finally, we all process out of the sanctuary, led by the Reserved Sacrament (Jesus’ Body and Blood). This procession symbolizes Jesus and his disciples walking out of Jerusalem, down the Kidron Valley, up the Mount of Olives, into to the Garden of Gethsemane where we begin the all-night watch. Here at Christ Church the procession includes the singing of the hymn “Go to Dark Gethsemane. Once at Gethsemane (our Memorial Garden and Chapel), a deacon reads the Gospel account of Jesus Agony in the Garden (Mt. 26:30-46). After the reading, most of the people depart in silence. Those who have elected to stay and watch overnight, either inside the chapel in silence or outside in the garden, tending the fire. There we wait and watch until the morning. In the morning of Good Friday, those who remain end the watch, receive communion from the Reserved Sacrament in silence, and depart.

Four movements: Footwashing, Holy Communion, Stripping and Washing of the Altar, and the Night Watch make up the beautiful and heart-wrenching liturgy of Maundy Thursday, the fourth day of Holy Week. It is a crucial part of the Drama of our Salvation.

Every blessing,
Father Tom

Sign up for the Night Watch – Maundy Thursday, March 28

The Cooper Chapel will be open overnight for those who wish to come and pray. Please be mindful of others as you enter the space. There will be security presence on campus throughout the evening.

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