Maundy Thursday

I had no idea there was a whole world of Historical re-enactments that goes on.  Over the past few years, I have met more and more people that participate in Civil War re-enactments.  I even have a pastor friend that was asked to do a Renaissance wedding, with the Knight in armor and his fair maiden, complete with noble stead.  The more people I met, connected with some sort of re-enactment group, the more I realized this was greater than just Historical Williamsburg.  Just a quick google search will show you that there are Historical Re-enactment groups for Vikings, for Ancient Rome, and for the Scottish Highlands. 

            When I ask people why they are involved in such groups, there are a variety of responses such as: I find it interested, it is fun, this is a part of history that fascinates me, I want to connect to my history and my heritage in a meaningful way. 

            Tonight, is, shall we say, a historical re-enactment.  This night, this gathering, this Holy feast takes us back to the life of Jesus as he gathers in the upper room with his disciples.  Just as we do a historical re-enactment of that meal, they too were doing a historical re-enactment of a Holy Meal – the Passover feast, remembering their own history, their own heritage of a God that liberated their people and brought them out of Egypt. 

            Why do we, as people, engage in re-enactments?  And why these stories?  Why is it so important to remember something through our actual participation?  Our scriptures are filled with lots of stories, lots of events.  God is continually connecting to God’s people, creating covenants, extending love, but we choose just a few, just a handful to re-enact.  And through these – hands on – experiences, through bringing our scriptural stories out of the past and into the present, we are given a deep spiritual connection to our ancestors, to our heritage, to our connectedness in God’s work in this world. 

            Part of why we re-enact these particular stories is because God calls us to remember.  As the Passover occurred, God marked this moment in the people’s history as a Holy meal, a time of remembrance, to remember always.  The people are told to tell their children, and their children’s children what God has done, how God heard their suffering in Egypt and brought them to freedom and wholeness.  It is a story to tell the next generation to remind them to be compassionate about others, once you were slaves, once you were aliens in the land, now you are free, now you are God’s holy people. 

            Although the Exodus from Egypt comes at a horrible cost, the Hebrew people are now free to leave their oppression. 

            As Jesus participates in this spiritual memory, it is still a significant practice for him and his disciples to remember that they are God’s people.  That God works to liberate people from oppression and calls God’s people to be compassionate care givers to others. 

            And Jesus brings this into their present day situation as he humbles himself and washes their feet.  He shows love and compassion to them.  He breaks bread with them, participating in this Holy feast together and then he gives them a new commandment:  To love each other as he has loved them.  He has loved each disciple as well as the mass crowds who gathered around him.  He heard their suffering and lifted them out of their oppression as he loved the leper, the sinner, the tax colletector, and the outcaste.  He loved them all.

            In all of this, he proclaims, by this – everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.  Discipleship.  They have already been his disciples, but now they are being prepared for a new stage, a time of public witness, a time of living out everything they have learned and seen and participated in as they followed Jesus.  What  a task, to let the world know they are his disciples. 

            This calling to discipleship is ever bit as important to us today as it was on that night of the last Supper.  We remember this meal, we re-enact this meal, we seek to embrace the new covenant n our lives, and we must then take it out into the world.  We cannot be afraid to let everyone know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ, as we proclaim God’s love for each and every person. 

            But discipleship takes work, and we need ot be comfortable in our beliefs, we need to be able to name our spiritual gifts and our spiritual calling, and we need to understand what our Holy passion is for this world.  Jesus spent time preparing his diciples and they still struggled but he did not give up on them and continued to teach and model and exemplified God’s love for this world.

            Passover, a Holy Feast of God’s liberation to a people once suffering under great oppression.  Communion, the continued story of God’s love as God continues to shine the light of love into the world’s darkest places.  And now it is our calling as disciples to bring forth that Holy story, not just re-enact it, but live it out as we share God’s love that knows no boundaries, but is extended to all.  Amen.