Shortly before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus gathered with His closest disciples in an upper room in Jerusalem to share the Passover meal together. During that time, Jesus washed His disciples’ feet and taught them deep truths of God’s kingdom.
Join us for a Maundy Thursday service of worship around the table of the Lord Eastbrook Churchon Thursday, April 14, at 7 PM in the Fellowship Hall. We will not be live-streaming this service. Instead, our team has prepared a Maundy Thursday Experience Guide for you, your family, or your household to participate with at home this year.
Here is a video that our staff put together on the meaning of Maundy Thursday.
I had the privilege of participating in a discussion led by Steve Carter with Mark Moore for Preaching Today entitled “Finding Your Story in the Easter Story.” This may be behind a paywall, but here is the description at Preaching Today about this resource:
It’s another Easter season, so we are preparing to preach on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. But what about the other days? How often do we neglect, in our sermons, to preach the entirety of Holy Week and help our listeners truly understand Jesus’ week leading to the Cross and his Resurrection?
Steve Carter, editor for Preaching Today, invited Mark Moore, pastor at Christ Church of the Valley in Arizona, to march us through the entirety of Holy Week.
In this powerful, insightful, and moving video:
Moore traces Jesus’ steps from meeting Zacchaeus (the Thursday before Palm Sunday) to Jesus’ Resurrection on Easter Sunday. His detailed retelling is filled with historical and geographical information to help us preach our Holy Week sermons.
He also helps us understand the importance of each day leading up to Easter Sunday.
Moore challenges us to preach the same powerful story that everyone is expecting to hear, but it has to be our story and our experience with the story.
Then stay tuned to hear how Steve Carter and Matt Erickson, pastor of Eastbrook Church in Wisconsin, are going to apply Moore’s wisdom in their preaching this Holy Week.
Since, we are in the middle of Lent, Erickson also gives us some tips about how to lead our churches through Lent. If you are interested, you can read more in his article “Finding Our Way Back with Christ.”
Join with us for worship this Maundy Thursday at Eastbrook Church as we remember Christ’s Last Supper with a simple reflection on Scripture and response. The Maundy Thursday experience is available today all day at any time online here or you can watch it below. You can also download a companion “Maundy Thursday at Home Experience Guide” put together by the Eastbrook Church staff.
Before He went to the Cross, Jesus gathered with His disciples for one final Passover meal. The basis for our engagement with Jesus’ passion this year is through Matthew’s Gospel, taking us to Matthew 26:17-30 for Maundy Thursday.
17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
18 He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
20 When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. 21 And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
22 They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
23 Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 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.”
25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Here is a Maundy Thursday message that I wrote and pulled together with tremendous amounts of help from others. (Thanks, everyone! You know who you are.)
Here is my latest video update for Eastbrook Church as we navigate the time of COVID-19. I will continue to re-post these weekly video updates here at my blog for those who have not seen it or who are not part of our church but could use the encouragement. You can watch it here or at the Eastbrook Church Vimeo channel.
In my video update, I mention Eastbrook’s Holy Week services and experiences for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. You can access it all here, and I encourage you to look at some of the resources and experiences ahead of time so that you can utilize them at home on that day.
For Maundy Thursday:
resources for older and/or younger children
recipe for unleavened bread and communion service
foot-washing ceremony
simple seder meal instructions
For Good Friday:
resources for older and/or younger children
fasting
observing silence from 12-3 pm
experiencing the Passion
You could also participate in an online “Way of the Cross,” a virtual walk through Jesus’ final moments..
Renovate 