Maundy Thursday -

I am not a big fan of having to eat and run, but I seem to do it a lot.  I have several clergy friends that I try and catch up with once in awhile for a meal together, but often times, these meals are just a quick hello, how are things? So good to see you, we should do this more often, before we run off to the next meeting we have on our schedules.   We even eat and run for special occasions, we want to make an appearance but we can’t really stay.  I remember we had people that came to our wedding reception and apologized for having to eat and run.  We want to fit it all in, we might try and squeeze in a friend’s birthday lunch before having to run off to work or another commitment.   

And then there is actually eating on the run.  At one point, I told myself, no more grabbing fast food and eating in the car.  But there are some days that I am just so hungry and I seem to have run out of time, and I tell myself no – but I stop anyway because I can.   I’m not sure I could even count the number of drive through fast food restaurants I pass between here and Parsippany, but it is a lot.  There are a lot of opportunities to eat on the run. 

Tonight is about taking our time in a eating on the run world.  Do we even know how to slow down anymore?  Jesus knew that life was just about to spin out of control but he slows everything down and takes time to eat with his friends. And not only does he take time to eat with his friends, he takes time to wash their feet, to give them yet one more lesson about their relationship with God, and to enjoy a meal that was prepared for that evening. 

We don’t know who labored behind the scenes preparing this Passover feast.  We don’t know who baked the bread or whether the wine was purchased or if someone within the group had made it and brought it to be shared.  We don’t know who set the table.  We just know that Jesus arrived and others had gone ahead and prepared everything for him.    Just like most of our holidays, time was taken to prepare the meal, and those invited came and gathered together and life slowed down for the time being. 

Can you imagine, if a telemarketer called right in the middle of the Last Supper?  Hold on Jesus, before you wash Peter’s feet, can you take this call?  Can you imagine, if James was sending John text messages about Simon’s choice of robes?  Can you imagine if they gathered together for a selfie and posted it on facebook?  Hold on Jesus, before you break the bread, let’s all get a picture together.  Well, instead of that selfie – we have Leonardo di Vinci’s portrayal of the Last Supper imprinted in our minds, or at least I do, my grandmother had it hanging on the wall for as long as I can remember.  Can you imagine, if Andrew and Philip were arguing over which sporting game to have on the TV?  Hey Jesus, can you perform another miracle for us and put both games on at the same time, something like a picture within a picture?  Can you imagine, Thomas shouting out, hey, this is my favorite song, crank it up, right as Jesus is about to tell them to love one another.  Are we not distracted?!  There is always so much going on all around us.  TV, Music, Computers, Phones, Pictures, texting: even when we put the phone on vibrate, we are listening, we are always aware that it is there, or we watch the time, we need to finish dinner by 8:00 so we can watch – insert your favorite show here.  Or even Thanksgiving, we might just plan our meal around the football game, so we can sit long enough to enjoy, but not so long that we miss the kick off. 

Jesus and his disciples did not have these kind of distractions, but they had distractions.  Judas was surely a ball of nervous energy sitting there, trying to make light hearted conversations with his friends, knowing that he was about to turn Jesus over to the authorities.  Peter was distracted by Jesus trying to wash his feet.  And then there is Jesus taking the bread and telling them that this his body, broken for them, I am pretty sure they became distracted.  Why was Jesus changing the story?  Why was he not proclaiming that the bread was the bread of affliction as was the custom of the Passover? 

There is so much going on – on this Holy evening, but Jesus takes the time to slow everything down.  This moment matters.  This meal matters.  These friends matter.  And so the time is taken, the time is taken to be together as a community of people, the time is taken for Jesus to show his humbleness and a to take one last opportunity to model for them what it means to serve others.  How long did it take him to wash each disciples feet?  And did they sit in awkward silence or did they chat amongst themselves about their day and about the Passover celebration?  They surely had no further plans for the evening, and so they were present in the moment, present with each other, and present with God.   

And we too are called to slow things down.  Slow down and remember.  Remember that as they gathered they were remembering a Holy meal, and in that time of remembering a new tradition was born, a new Holy meal was given.  That moment mattered, this moment matters.  That community mattered, and this community matters.  This night is Holy because Jesus gave his disciples a new commandment, one based purely on love.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  A calling for us to remember on a daily basis.  On that night, only one person ate and ran.  Only one person missed this last teaching, only one person missed hearing the words of how much Jesus loved them.  And that person’s heart was hardened and he cut himself off from his community and he moved forward in his own direction, a path of death and destruction. 

If only we could slow this world down.  If only the cycle of violence could be broken and people look at each other and say to each other – you matter.  This moment with you in my presence matters.