Maundy Thursday.
Apr. 17th, 2003 10:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
angledgeFrom the online American Heritage Dictionary:
Maundy Thursday
SYLLABICATION: Maun·dy Thursday
NOUN: The Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus. Also called Holy Thursday.
ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English maunde, ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on this day, from Old French mande, from Latin (novum) mandtum, (new) commandment (from Jesus's words to the Apostles after washing their feet, John 13:34).
And now you know!
Maundy Thursday is marked at Grace Presbyterian Church by a ceremony that is called the Tenebrae Service. It is easily the most emotionally moving service of the year, dwelling on the events of the Last Supper, Christ's vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane, & his betrayal by Judas to the Jewish authorities. At Grace Church, there is a short service with hymns, a homily, & the Lord's Supper. Then, seven candles are lit. One at a time, people come up, read a portion of the story of that night, & then extinguish a candle. The church becomes darker & darker. When there is no light left, the seven speeches Christ made from the cross are read into the darkness. Then, a single timpani drum is slowly beaten, slowly, slowly, working up to a crescendo. On the last note, a beam of light illuminates the cross at the front of the sanctuary, which is now draped in black cloth. The service ends in silence & near-darkness.
Ray's homily was extremely moving tonight. He related a story from the Iraq conflict about a reporter who, when asked by a medic to help treat a wounded Iraqi civilian, abandoned his journalistic ethics of being an observer, not a participant, & probably helped save a man's life. Ray talked about how Jesus' life showed that God, too, refuses to be only an observer. God participates in the messy parts of the world, & does so out of unquenchable, immeasurable love.
Comic book recommendation of the day: J. Michael Straczynski's "Rising Stars" series. Best superhero comic series I've ever seen (not that I'm a definitive expert).
A thought from yesterday's Bible for Breakfast meeting: Judas betrayed Christ out of a belief that by forcing a confrontation between Jesus & the Temple authorities, he would be forcing the Messiah into his role as King. When it didn't work out as he thought it should, he committed suicide.
Maundy Thursday
SYLLABICATION: Maun·dy Thursday
NOUN: The Thursday before Easter, observed in commemoration of the Last Supper of Jesus. Also called Holy Thursday.
ETYMOLOGY: From Middle English maunde, ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on this day, from Old French mande, from Latin (novum) mandtum, (new) commandment (from Jesus's words to the Apostles after washing their feet, John 13:34).
And now you know!
Maundy Thursday is marked at Grace Presbyterian Church by a ceremony that is called the Tenebrae Service. It is easily the most emotionally moving service of the year, dwelling on the events of the Last Supper, Christ's vigil in the Garden of Gethsemane, & his betrayal by Judas to the Jewish authorities. At Grace Church, there is a short service with hymns, a homily, & the Lord's Supper. Then, seven candles are lit. One at a time, people come up, read a portion of the story of that night, & then extinguish a candle. The church becomes darker & darker. When there is no light left, the seven speeches Christ made from the cross are read into the darkness. Then, a single timpani drum is slowly beaten, slowly, slowly, working up to a crescendo. On the last note, a beam of light illuminates the cross at the front of the sanctuary, which is now draped in black cloth. The service ends in silence & near-darkness.
Ray's homily was extremely moving tonight. He related a story from the Iraq conflict about a reporter who, when asked by a medic to help treat a wounded Iraqi civilian, abandoned his journalistic ethics of being an observer, not a participant, & probably helped save a man's life. Ray talked about how Jesus' life showed that God, too, refuses to be only an observer. God participates in the messy parts of the world, & does so out of unquenchable, immeasurable love.
Comic book recommendation of the day: J. Michael Straczynski's "Rising Stars" series. Best superhero comic series I've ever seen (not that I'm a definitive expert).
A thought from yesterday's Bible for Breakfast meeting: Judas betrayed Christ out of a belief that by forcing a confrontation between Jesus & the Temple authorities, he would be forcing the Messiah into his role as King. When it didn't work out as he thought it should, he committed suicide.
