Maundy Thursday

Pause:

As I enter this time of prayer, I put away all distractions, take a deep breath, and listen to what the Holy Spirit is going to speak to me about today.

Pray this Psalm, repeating the words slowly, a few times:

‘Hear me, Lord, and answer me,

for I am poor and needy.

2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;

save your servant who trusts in you.

You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord,

for I call to you all day long.

4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,

for I put my trust in you.’

~Psalm 86:1-4

Reflect:

On Maundy Thursday, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples, as written in Mark 14:22-26:

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 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.

We are forgetful people. We need to be reminded of what is important, right, and significant in our lives. The enemy of our soul wants us to be distracted from the important. He wants us to forget our values, our love, our life, and our relationship Jesus. He wants our heart and mind to be preoccupied with other interest rather than our interest in Jesus. He wants us to be unfocused and inattentive to what God has done for us and in us.

The enemy wants you to forget about how much God loves you. The enemy wants us to stop thinking about how much we need a close relationship with Jesus, forget that Jesus redeemed us from our sin, overlook our covenant relationship with God, ignore our unity around Jesus with others, disregard the idea that Jesus is going to return some day, and forget how worthy the Lord is of all our praise.

He wants you to forget all that. However, every one of these subjects is covered in the Lord’s Supper. Jesus wants His followers to remember these things every time they observe the Lord’s Supper. When Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of Me,” He is letting us know there are some things we should not forget but keep at the forefront of our mind. These things are significant to our spiritual growth and development as a follower of Jesus.

What am I forgetting in my relationship with Jesus, others, and myself?

Ask: I acknowledge this forgetfulness before the Lord, thanking him for every promise has had made to me.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, I choose to take the time to remember all that you have done for me, and all the good that comes from you. Help me to remember to be thankful, and never forget to ask for your help when I am struggling. Amen.

(pause)

Yield: A prayer of surrender from the Anglican Service of Communion:

Almighty God, we thank you for the Lords Supper that feeds our heart mind and soul. Through Jesus, we offer you our souls and bodies to be a living sacrifice.

Send us out in the power of your Spirit to live and work to your praise and glory.

Amen