On this day Christ the Lamb of God gave himself into the hands of those who would slay him. On this day Christ gathered with his disciples in the upper room. On this day Christ took a towel and washed the disciples’ feet, giving us an example that we should do to others as he has done to us.On this day Christ our Lord gave us this holy feast, that we who eat this bread and drink this cup may here proclaim his holy sacrifice, and be partakers of his resurrection, and at the last day may reign with him in heaven.
Holy God, source of all love, on the night of his betrayal, Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, to love one another as he loved them. Write this commandment in our hearts; give us the will to serve others as he was the servant of all, who gave his life and died for us, yet is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. – Unknown source
Learning About Biblical Storytelling
During Lent, thanks to Rev. Casey Fitzgerald (her blog is amazing), the NEXT Conference, and the opportunity to be Biblical Storytellers of the story of the Women at the Well, I’ve gotten into the spiritual practice of Biblical Storytelling. As I understand it, Biblical storytelling is usually telling the story by heart. It is learning the story so well that it is 90-100% memorized, memorized so well that it is as if the storyteller is telling the words of the Bible to a good friend.
I would like to get to the place of memorizing more scripture (perhaps even on a weekly basis), letting the words of the Bible, and particularly the stories of God’s people, sink deep into my heart changing some of my perceptions. For example, in reading through the Gospel of John, Jesus feels like a radical risk-taker, not some pious semi-etherial Jesus that we sometimes may imagine. In reading through the stories with Jesus at the center, he seems more like a bad-ass giving us/ me energy to be active in trying new things for the sake of the Gospel and to lean unto our identities as being justice-seeking risk-takers.
I, of course, haven’t had the time/ commitment/ energy/ drive to fully memorize each Lenten text, but in the spirit of Biblical Storytelling, I have been meditating on the scripture text much more. Rather than jumping right away to commentaries on what other people have written about the text, I’m pausing longer to read and re-read the text letting the words sink in, taking more time to feel the movement of the Spirit.
Throughout Lent, I have been breaking up the text into chunks as you can see from the first reading for Maundy Thursday below. For this reading, I was really feeling the dialogue between Jesus and Simon Peter, so I used a bit of color-coding with Jesus in red (tradition) and Simon Peter in blue. I am also particularly drawn to the purposeful action of Jesus getting up from the table and fully engaging in the foot washing,
so I pull it out a bit so that that portion stands out a bit more.
Perhaps as your Maundy Thursday practice, you too will read over these words letting the words flow over you at first and then fill you with a deepening notion of who Jesus is, and who Jesus calls us to be for the world.
A tip I learned is to read it over and over and over walking around, and then break it down into smaller chunks to learn.
Blessings on this Maundy Thursday.
Maundy Thursday Foot/ Hand Washing Reading
John 13:1-17, 31-35
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart 
from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him.
And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God,
got up from the table,
took off his outer robe,
and tied a towel around himself.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’
Jesus answered, ‘ You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’
Peter said to him, ‘ You will never wash my feet.’
Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’
Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’
Jesus said to him,
‘One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet,
but is entirely clean.
And you are clean,
though not all of you.’
For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, ‘Not all of you are clean.’
After he had washed their feet,
had put on his robe,
and had returned to the table,
he said to them,
‘Do you know what I have done to you?
You call me Teacher and Lord—
and you are right, for that is what I am.
So if I, your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet,
you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
For I have set you an example,
that you also should do as I have done to you.
Very truly, I tell you,
servants are not greater than their master,
nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them.
If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
When he had gone out, Jesus said,
‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified,
and God has been glorified in him.
If God has been glorified in him,
God will also glorify him in himself
and will glorify him at once.
Little children, I am with you only a little longer.
You will look for me;
and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you,
“Where I am going, you cannot come.”
I give you a new commandment, 
that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you,
you also should love one another.
By this everyone will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.’
The darkness deepens, and the Lord grows troubled.
Can we keep watch?
Can we be the friends at Jesus’ table who share this Holy bread and wine?
Can we be the companions who journey with Jesus to the end?
NYAPC Seeking God 