Maundy (Mandatum Novum) Thursday

Maundy Thursday is more than, 'Just the day before Good Friday,' it is THE day when the Christian Church remembers Jesus washing His disciples feet; humbling himself and taking on the lowest of jobs to out into actions the words He'd been telling them for so long. Time was short and it was time to give them one last practical demonstration before the disciples graduated out into the world without Him by their side (physically).

The messy and lowest of the jobs are there for us to take and make our own and as we do, the more like Jesus we become: servant of all - living to make God and mankind one through LOVE. Now that's inclusive Church for sure ;-)

Today is a time for us to also remember the 'New Commandment' that Jesus left us with, the one that mirrors His prayer in John 17 regarding unity - for unity comes through 'loving one another' (easier when the three are one and the same ;-) ). And so the words of John 13. 34:

'A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another as I have loved you,'

And the 'Maundy' bit?

Well like Rotten Row in London ('Route de Roi') it is a corruption of the 'mandatum' written below (the John 13 verse in Latin) :

Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos

So as we think of Jesus, not just talking about servanthood but displaying it, here's a picture (one of my favourites) and some music:

I pray that you and yours have a wonderful and challenging climax to Passiontide and a blesséd Easter.