9th April 2020 - The Taste of Holy Week

Thursday of Holy Week
APC 9th April 2020
 
Introduction and Welcome
Good morning and welcome to the 4th reflection in our holy week series as we follow in the footsteps of Jesus’ final week using our 5 senses.  Today is entitled ‘the taste of holy week’ when we will reflect on what lessons we can learn from the last supper. But before we listen in to this fascinating discussion around the dinner table, let us take a moment to speak to God.  Let us pray…
 
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus you welcomed anyone and invited everyone to be your disciple.  So we gather around this screen today in fellowship with you, with each other and with all your people in every time and place.
Lord Jesus as we come to you, so come to us.
We come to remember your sharing bread and wine and food with your disciples in the upper room, a simple expression of fellowship, with one who would soon betray you, one who would deny you and others who would abandon you.
Lord Jesus as we come to you, so come to us.
We come to remember your anguish in Gethsemane as you faced the awful, awesome cost of your calling, alone.  We come to remember your arrest and brutal interrogation, your sorrow and humiliation, your suffering and death.
Lord Jesus as we come to you, so come to us.
We come to remember your quiet acceptance of human evil and hatred directed against you, you who had done no evil and knew no hate.
Lord Jesus Christ, we remember your great love, and we marvel at how much you were willing to bear for our sakes.
So now we praise, thank and worship you with all our hearts and minds and souls.
Lord Jesus as we come to you, so come to us.
For your name’s sake, Amen.
 
Let us say the Lord’s Prayer together…
 
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever, AMEN.
  
Bible Reading   Mark 14 v 12-26    “The Last Supper”
12 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
13 So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
16 The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover.
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me—one who is eating with me.”
19 They were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”
20 “It is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 “This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
 
Reflection 
​ The Taste of Holy Week
 
Today is traditionally a very special day in Holy week.  Today is called Maundy Thursday.  It is a day when we remember the last meal that Jesus had with his disciples before his death.  We call this the Last supper.  The word Maundy comes to us as an Anglo-French word derived from the latin ‘mandatum’ which means “commandment”.  This is a reference to the moment during the last supper when Jesus says to his disciples, “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.”
 
Some Christian churches practice foot-washing on Maundy Thursday because during the last supper Jesus washed the feet of the disciples in order to demonstrate how they must love by serving one another.
But most importantly of all, Maundy Thursday commemorates the moment when Jesus used this final celebration of the Passover Meal to institute the special meal that Christians continue to share.  That meal is called the Eucharist, Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper or the breaking of bread.
That’s what I would like to help us reflect on for a few minutes this morning…
It’s clear from the gospel accounts that Jesus had meticulously planned this last supper.  He hadn’t left anything to chance.  Long before, he had arranged a place for himself and his disciples to eat their final Passover meal together.  The Passover was the most important annual Jewish festival when they remembered and celebrated how God had rescued their ancestors from a life of slavery in Egypt.
Jesus had even organised a special envoy to let the disciples know where this safe and secret rendezvous would occur.
“Master where will we be dining?” they asked.
“When you enter Jerusalem look out for a man carrying a water pot.” he replied.  “He’ll tell you where to go.”  This was clearly a pre-arranged signal.  In those days it was only the women who carried water pots.  A man with a water pot would stand out in any crowd!
The detail in the planning shows us that this was a big event.  Not just because it would be the last time they would eat the Passover together before his death, but because at this meal Jesus wanted to teach them something new and something crucial to the future of whole world…
This teaching emphasis is echoed in the fact that the ‘restaurant’ was an upper room in a local safe house that could only be accessed by outer stairs.  Traditionally these rooms were used for storage, as guest accommodation, as a quiet place for meditation and in particular it was the space where any Jewish rabbi would teach their disciples.
While the text doesn’t include the detail, we can be certain that since this was a Passover meal the disciples would have made meticulous preparations.
The day before, the master of the house would have taken a lit candle and ceremonially searched the house for yeast.  This was because no yeast was used in the bread their ancestors made when they were escaping from Egypt and also because yeast symbolized hidden corruption.
On the afternoon before the evening of the meal a specially chosen lamb would have been taken to the temple, sacrificed and roasted over an open fire.  Once cooked, the lamb would be prepared for the table to remind them how their ancestors had painted the blood of the lamb on the door frames of their house as a badge of protection when the angel of death swept through Egypt.
Bread made without yeast (like crackers) reminded them how their ancestors had left Egypt in haste without time to wait for dough to rise.
There was a bowl of salt water to remind them of the tears they shed as slaves in Egypt and of the waters of the Red sea through which they had miraculously passed to safety.
There was a collection of bitter herbs to remind them of the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.
There was a paste or sauce called ‘Charosheth’ which is a mixture of apples, dates, pomegranate and nuts with cinnamon sticks mixed through.  This was to remind them of the clay and straw their ancestors were forced to make bricks with in Egypt.
There were four cups of diluted wine to be drunk at different stages of the meal to remind them of Gods promises in Exodus Chapter 6 – to deliver them for Egypt, to rid them of their bondage, to redeem them with an outstretched arm and to take them to be His people.
The meal itself was eaten in various stages accompanied by prayers and the singing of specific psalms.  We haven’t time to go through the Order of Service this morning.  But if you are interested, I have printed it in Appendix 1 below…
At one stage of this final Passover meal, Jesus took one of the yeast- free crackers and said, “Take and eat.  This is my body.”
In a similar way, probably near the end of the meal, he took the last cup of wine and said, “This is the blood of the new covenant which is being shed for many.  I will not drink wine again until I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
As in all Passover meals, they probably concluded by singing Psalm 136 known as ‘the great Hallell’ together before heading off to the Mount of Olives.
So what was Jesus doing here when he used the story of the Exodus and the Passover meal to point to his future death?  And how would his death somehow bring about a change to the old covenant?
Well there simply isn’t time to plumb the depths of this today.  But I do want to say this.
Jesus wanted his disciples to understand that his imminent death would not be a waste.  Instead his death would bring about a new exodus.  A new way for God to set people free from slavery.  Only this time it would be so much greater.
Through Christ’s death, the breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood, God would provide a way for anyone who wanted to be set free from the guilt and the power that sin had over them.
You know how it is - that awful feeling we get at times that no matter how hard we try, we say or do something wrong or neglect to do something we should do.  We feel guilty.  We know we have let ourselves down and our family down.  But even more significantly, when we do wrong, we grieve the God who made us and who loves us.
The truth is, when we all stand in the light of God we are all guilty.  For he is perfect and His laws are perfect and good.  That means the only thing we deserve from God is judgement or punishment for breaking his laws.  In the Old Testament the agreement or relationship God set up with His people was very much based on law.  If the people broke God’s laws then the agreement was broken and the relationship between God and his people was shattered. Since no-one could perfectly keep the law, the people must never have felt insecure.  They were always in default as it were.  They would always feel guilty and in danger of being judged by God.
But at this last supper Jesus says, “I’m bringing in a new agreement!”  One that’s not based just on law but based on love.”  You see, God loves us so much that even though we are all guilty, He doesn’t want to have to judge us and keep us from His perfect presence.  He wants us to be His friends forever – to enjoy a relationship with him on earth that will then last into eternity when we die.  But to make that a reality, something had to happen.  The sin of the world needed to be justly punished without that judgement falling on us.
The amazing thing is that God loves us so much he decided to solve our problem for us.  God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit agreed a plan to rescue us from our sin and judgement.  As part of that plan, Jesus Christ, the son of God, agreed to come to earth and to die on the cross.  When he died on the cross Jesus, the god-man willingly took our sin and punishment upon Himself because God loves us.  That means if we are sorry for the wrong things in our lives and if we trust that Jesus died to take our judgement, then God says that he will forgive us completely, forever.  He will not count our sins against us because they have already been paid by Jesus.  It sounds too good to be true!  But that’s what the bible says.  That’s why we call it the gospel- the Good News!  And that’s why we say it is a ‘gift’ to us from God.
There’s so much more that I could say, but to finish let me put it simply…If you want to know freedom from guilt and if you want to know a power within you that will help you to overcome the habits that you know to be wrong, then Jesus Christ is the answer!  He is the only one who can give you this exodus.
So the question I want to leave you with this Maundy Thursday is –
Will you allow Jesus Christ to set you free?
 
A Prayer of Thanks
 
Gracious God, you have done so much for us. Giving us a world rich in wonder and filling our lives with so much that is special.
 
Receive our thanks.
 
But above all today we come to thank you for your most precious gift of all- the great love you have shown to us in Christ.
 
Receive our thanks.
 
In him you came and lived among us, fully part of our world.  Through Him you revealed your grace, your mercy, your will, your Kingdom.  By him you identified yourself with the sin and suffering of our world, opening the way through His death and resurrection to forgiveness and eternal life.
 
Receive our thanks.
 
Gracious God you have given to us without counting the cost, not just a little but all.
 
Receive our thanks.
 
You emptied yourself taking the from of a servant sacrificing your only son for our sakes.
 
Receive our thanks.
 
And the wonder is you ask so little in return – you make no extortionate demands, you set no stringent conditions to your love, you ask simply that we  love you in return.
 
Receive our thanks.
 
Gracious God, teach us to offer you our willing and joyful discipleship, and to play our part in working for your Kingdom.
 
Receive our thanks.
For the sake of Christ our Lord, Amen.
 
Closing Words
 
Thanks for logging on.  I hope you’ve been blessed by our time together.  Please remember to tune in again tomorrow as we come to the end of our journey.  Tomorrow is Good Friday.  Good for us, but not for Jesus.  Who was He?  How did He die? Why did He come?   We will reflect on these and other questions as we listen in to a locker room conversation between the Roman centurion and a soldier in the Roman guard…
 
Don’t forget to look at our church website or on our Facebook page for latest information.  If you’d like to record a little message of encouragement or a fun clip of something you’ve been doing, please don’t hesitate to send it on to Dave Hendry or myself.  Do keep everyone in your prayers and look out for anyone you can help.  So let me close with a benediction after which, as always, I invite you to join me in saying the grace together…
 
 
Benediction
 
On this day, we learn what it means to serve.
So go into the world and give yourself for others,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
On this day, we understand more of what Jesus meant when he said, “This is my body broken for you.”
So go into the world and love,
in the name of the One who loved us until the end.
It all begins and ends and begins again with Love.
 
So may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all now and forever more.  Amen.
 
 
Appendix 1                                                         The Passover Feast (Service Order)
The Cup of the Kiddush – Kiddush means sanctification or separation.  This was the act which, as it were, separated this meal from all other common meals. The head of the family took the cup and prayed over it and then all drank of it.
The first hand-washing – This was carried out only by the person who was to conduct the feast.  Three times he had to wash his hands in the prescribed way.
Dipping of bitter herbs – A piece of parsley or lettuce was dipped in the bowl of salt water and eaten.  This was an appetiser to the meal.  The parsley also stood for the hyssop with which the lintel had been smeared with blood and the salt stood for the tears of Egypt and for the waters of the Red Sea through which Israel had been brought in safety.
The breaking of bread – Two blessings were used at the breaking of bread- “Blessed be thou O lord our God, King of the Universe who bringest forth from the earth”, or “Blessed art Thou are Father in heaven who givest us today the bread necessary for us.”  On the table lay 3 circles of unleavened bread.  The middle one was taken and broken.  At this point only a little was eaten.  It was to remind the Jews of the bread of affliction that they ate in Egypt and it was broken to remind them that slaves never had a whole loaf, but only broken crusts to eat.  As it was broken the head of the family said, “This is the bread of affliction that are forefathers ate in the land of Egypt.  Whoever is hungry let him come and eat.  Whoever is in need let him come and keep the Passover with us.”  (In the modern celebration in strange lands, there is added the famous prayer, “This year we keep it here, next year in the land of Israel.  This year as slaves, next year as free”.)
Relating the Exodus Story – The youngest person present had to ask what made this day different from every other day and why all this was being done.  And the head of the house had thereupon to tell the whole story of the history of Israel down to the present deliverance which the Passover commemorated  The Passover could never become a ritual.  It was always a commemoration of the power and the mercy of God.
Psalms 113 and 114 were sung – Psalms 113-118 are known as ‘the Hallell’, which means the praise of God. All these Psalms are praising God.  They were part of the very earliest material a Jewish boy had to commit to memory.
The second cup was drunk – It was called the cup of Haggadah which means the cup of explaining ior proclaiming.
Washing of hands – Everyone present washed their hands in preparation for the meal
A Grace – A grace was said, “Blessed art Thou Oh Lord, our God, who bringest forth fruit from the earth.  Blessed art Thou Oh God, who has sanctified us with Thy commandment and enjoined us to eat unleavened cakes.”  Thereafter small pieces of the unleavened bread were distributed.
Bitter herbs – Some of the bitter herbs were placed between two pieces of unleavened bread, dipped in the Charosheth and eaten.  This was called the sop.  It was reminder of slavery and of the bricks they had once been compelled to make.
The Meal – The meal proper came next.  The whole lamb must be eaten. Anything left over must be destroyed and not used for any common meal.
Hand washing – The hands were cleansed again.
Remainder of unleavened bread eaten
Prayer – There was a prayer of thanks, containing a petition for the coming of Elijah to herald the Messiah.  Then the third cup was drunk, called the cup of thanksgiving.  The blessing said over the cup was, “Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God King of the Universe, who has created the fruit of the vine.”
The second part of the Hallell – Psalms 115-118 was sung
The Fourth Cup was drunk – Psalm 136 known as the great Hallell was sung.
Two short prayers were said-
“All Thy works shall praise Thee O Lord, Our God.  And Thy saints, the righteous, who do Thy good pleasure and all Thy people, the house of Israel, with joyous song let them praise and bless and magnify and glorify and exalt and reverence and sanctify and scribe the Kingdom to Thy name, O God our King.  For it is good to praise Thee and a pleasure to sing praises to Thy name, for from everlasting unto everlasting Thou art God.”
The breath of all that lives shall praise Thy name, O Lord our God.  And the spirit of all flesh shall continually glorify and exalt Thy memorial, O God our King.  For from everlasting unto everlasting Thou art God and beside Thee we have no King, redeemer or Saviour.”
END