WORSHIP RESOURCES
Maundy Thursday
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (A,B,C)
Do This in Remembrance
Additional Scriptures
Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; John 13:1-17, 31b-35
Doctrine and Covenants 164:9b.
Preparation
Create a worship center that draws attention to the Communion emblems and the image of the table. Reflecting on the imagery of the Last Supper, consider including candles, dim lighting, and items that symbolize the intimacy of a shared meal.
Place baskets at the exits for the offering.
Prelude
Welcome
At the Last Supper Jesus gathered with his disciples, knowing well that some had betrayed him, and knowing well that he was preparing for his own death. Amid the brokenness and suffering, Jesus calls the disciples into remembrance and the forming of a new covenant. He breaks and blesses bread to invite God’s presence into their midst, even in their brokenness. In their questions, despair, and betrayal, Christ still welcomes his followers to discover new life through him.
The word “maundy” is drawn from the Latin word for mandate. It’s important to remember that above all else, Maundy Thursday evokes us to remember Christ’s mandate to love one another.
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Reflection
Take a few moments to reflect on the brokenness in the world, in this community, and in your own soul. What new loving covenant is Christ calling you to? How can you take on the life and mind of Christ to find God’s presence in the brokenness you experience?
Hymn of Invitation
“Let this Mind Be in You” Sing three times. CCS 169
OR “Jesus Is Calling” CCS 578
Scripture of Invitation: Doctrine and Covenants 164: 9b
Song of Reflection Sing three times.
“O God We Call” CCS 195
OR “Wait for the Lord” CCS 399
OR “Spirit of the Living God” CCS 567
Dwelling in the Word: John 13: 12-17
Reflectively read through the text from John 13 three times. Invite participants to mindful breathing, centered presence, and holy curiosity as they engage in this practice. Leave space for pause and reflection between each reading of the text.
· The first time the text is read, is there a word, phrase, or image that speaks to your life experience in this moment?
· During the second reading, be mindful of the Spirit’s invitation in your life. What does this text summon you to?
· Consider the journey of Maundy Thursday, of Christ’s mandate to “love one another.” How are you called to embody this calling to love?
Hymn of Reflection
“Beauty for Brokenness” CCS 302
OR “Sometimes We Wait, Expecting God” CCS 304
Time to Share and Reflect in Community
Depending on the size of your community, take time to reflect in small groups or all together on the questions connected to this scripture passage from John.
Pastoral Prayer
After sharing naturally ends, have a pastoral leader in the community offer a prayer of blessing to conclude the sharing and transition to Communion.
Sacrament of Communion
Hymn of Preparation
“Eat this Bread and Never Hunger” Sing three times. CCS 530
OR “Coming Together for Wine and for Bread” CCS 516
OR “Let Us Break Bread Together” CCS 521
Invitation to Communion
All are welcome at this table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others might have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.
Blessing and Serving the Bread and Wine
Log in to Our Ministry Tools and search for Guidelines Lord’s Supper. If you have not used this library of resources, go to CofChrist.org/our-ministry-tools.
Hymn of Commitment and Calling
“Is There One Who Feels Unworthy” CCS 526
OR “We Are Pilgrims on a Journey” CCS 550
Maundy Thursday Prayer for Peace
Light the peace candle.
Prayer
Living Christ,
You summon us,
you call us.
But more importantly,
you abide with us.
In the face of betrayal,
suffering, hardship, confusion, and grief
we often choose to retreat.
We step away from the world as we lose our trust in it.
In those same human emotions and experiences,
You choose love.
You set the table for betrayal, grief, and suffering,
You see the God who is in it all,
sitting across the table from all our despair
with a gentle and loving gaze.
May we accept your invitation tonight.
May our willingness to be transformed exceed our natural fears.
May we find a seat at the table,
accepting the wine and bread you offer with courage.
May we rise from this table,
abiding with the world as you abide with us;
choosing the way of peace, the way of love.
In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
Reflective Song
Your community may sing this song or simply use it as a reflective moment.
You offer new wine
And we seek a vessel to hold it
O love divine, love that’s shared through bread that’s broken
Hallelujah. Amen.
The Spirit of Christ
Moves within and among us
From this table we rise
With hearts, stirred for justice
Hallelujah. Amen.
—Words and Music by Daniel Harmon, used with permission.
Disciples’ Generous Response
Statement
God’s astonishing compassion and love in the life, death, and resurrection
of Jesus is the ultimate example of generosity. God loves us abundantly and unconditionally. As we open our hearts to courageously and generously share by placing money in the offering plates or through eTithing, we reflect the movement of God’s astonishing love and compassion for the world. We especially uphold oblation in services when Communion is served. May our oblation offerings help us abolish poverty and end suffering.
Instruct worshipers to place their offerings in the baskets provided as they exit the worship space.
Sending Forth: Psalm 116: 1-2
Postlude
SERMON AND CLASS HELPS
Year C—Letters
Maundy Thursday
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Exploring the Scripture
Scholars tell us this passage is the earliest record of the Last Supper—the Passover meal shared by Jesus and his disciples just before his death. It is helpful to understand the background of the passage.
Paul had become aware that the community in Corinth was taking part in this meal in a way that didn’t reflect what he believed was intended. Hospitality was limited by status. Paul reminded them the meal wasn’t about status based on wealth. Rather, God’s love was available to everyone, regardless of status. Jesus showed hospitality at the Last Supper. He invited everyone to the table—even Judas, who soon would betray him.
According to this ancient account, a primary focus of the Last Supper experience is Jesus’s command to “remember me.” Maundy comes from the Latin man datum (meaning command). The word refers to the instructions Jesus gave at the Last Supper. Paul told them what he heard from others and what he heard in his encounter with the resurrected Jesus. As they gather at the table, he reminds this community. In remembering this purpose for the holy meal, they begin to understand its meaning and why it’s important to be handed down to others.
We are forgetful people. We remember so inaccurately. We need reminders that continue to call us back to what is important. This sacrament is such a reminder.
In the Lord’s Supper, Paul reminds the community it has been given the model for sharing the bread and wine as symbols of Jesus’s body and blood. All too soon, people will experience the loss of Jesus’s earthly presence. This sacramental reminder is an important ritual of hospitality and remembering. In Community of Christ, we remember our baptismal covenant, repent of our failings, and receive forgiveness at the Lord’s table as part of our continuing spiritual journey.
Stories of meals occur throughout the Bible. The Communion meal is shared with a focus on telling the story of God’s acts through the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. Practiced for centuries, it is a simple community meal, a table of welcome, generosity, and remembrance.
On this night, the night of Jesus’s betrayal by Judas, it also is a table of remembering one another in community. By celebrating this sacred meal in our communities, we proclaim the gifts of hospitality, humility, equality, and covenant with God and one another.
Central Ideas
1. This text is the earliest known account of the Last Supper.
2. Jesus extends hospitality to all (even Judas).
3. A primary focus of this sacred meal is remembering the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ and our covenant to follow him.
4. We repeat the Last Supper as a ritual to help us remember our covenant with God and one another.
Questions for the Speaker
1. When did you share a meal that created a lasting story? What made it memorable?
2. When have you experienced a table where you didn’t feel welcome? What might have improved the experience?
3. How do you prepare for the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper?
4. As you experience the sacrament, what do you remember?
5. How does this sacrament form community?
SACRED SPACE: A RESOURCE FOR SMALL-GROUP MINISTRY
Year C—Letters
Maundy Thursday
1 Corinthians 11:23–26
Gathering
Welcome
Maundy Thursday is the night on which the Lord’s Supper first was celebrated. The central theme of that first Lord’s Supper was one of humble service. Jesus washed the feet of the disciples and commanded that they do the same for each other. Jesus taught that he came not to be served, but to serve; to share the hospitality of God and the intimacy of breaking bread together.
Prayer for Peace
Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.
Loving and humble God, today we make ourselves vulnerable to your Spirit. You showed the disciples vulnerability as you stooped to wash their feet. How might we have the same courage to do the same with our friends and neighbors as we seek to create peace? You create spaces for each person at your table and feed us in a new way, allowing us to take peace into our hearts. Grace us with that peace so that we may share it. May the voices of servant leaders focused on peace be uplifted over the voices of hatred and division so that all may find their place at the table. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Prayer of Repetition and Reduction
Today we will repeat a passage from the Gospel of John as a Prayer of Repetition and Reduction. This passage is from John’s account of the Last Supper.
Invite the group members to assume a relaxed posture so they can focus on words that will be spoken. As you read each phrase, pause. Allow the group to rest in the words for two to three breaths before reading the next phrase.
John 13:6b NRSVue
Lord, are you going to wash my feet?
Lord, are you going to wash
Lord, are you going to
Lord, are you going
Lord, are you
Lord, are
Lord
Lord, are
Lord, are you
Lord, are you going
Lord, are you going to
Lord, are you going to wash
Lord, are you going to wash my
Lord, are you going to wash my feet?
Amen.
At the close of the prayer, invite participants to share their experience with this form of prayer.
Sharing Around the Table
1 Corinthians 11:23–26 NRSVue
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Scholars tell us this passage is the earliest record of the Last Supper, the Passover meal shared by Jesus and his disciples just before his death. It is helpful to understand the background of the passage.
Paul had become aware that the community in Corinth was taking part in this meal in a way that didn’t reflect what he believed was intended. Hospitality was limited by status. Paul reminded the people that the meal wasn’t about status based on wealth; rather, God’s love was available to everyone, regardless of status. Jesus showed hospitality at the Last Supper. He invited everyone to the table—even Judas, who soon would betray him.
According to this ancient account, a primary focus of the Last Supper experience is Jesus’s command to “remember me.” Maundy comes from the Latin “man datum” (meaning command). The word refers to the instructions Jesus gave at the Last Supper. Paul told the Corinthians what he heard from others and what he heard in his encounter with the resurrected Jesus. In remembering this purpose for the holy meal, they begin to understand its meaning and why it’s important to be handed down to others.
We are forgetful people. We remember so inaccurately. We need reminders that continue to call us back to what is important. This sacrament is such a reminder. In the Lord’s Supper, Paul reminds the community that it has been given the model for sharing the bread and wine as symbols of Jesus’s body and blood. All too soon, people will experience the loss of Jesus’s earthly presence. This sacramental reminder is an important ritual of hospitality and remembering.
In Community of Christ, we remember our baptismal covenant, repent our failings, and receive forgiveness at the Lord’s table as part of our continuing spiritual journey.
Stories of meals occur throughout the Bible. The Communion meal is shared with a focus on telling the story of God’s acts through the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. Practiced for centuries, it is a simple community meal, a table of welcome, generosity, and remembrance.
On this night, the night of Jesus’s betrayal by Judas, it also is a table of remembering one another in community. By celebrating this sacred meal in our communities, we proclaim the gifts of hospitality, humility, equality, and covenant with God and one another.
Questions
1. What was radical about the way Jesus shared meals with his disciples? What was radical about this meal and this hospitality?
2. How might the sacrament of Communion be an instrument to strengthen community? How might the way we prepare for the sacrament or the intention with which we experience the sacrament strengthen us?
3. In John, Jesus gives his disciples a new commandment at the Last Supper: to love one another. Paul scolds the Corinthians for their lack of such love. How might this sacrament call us to action?
Sending
Generosity Statement
Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.
—Doctrine and Covenants 163:9
The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response. You also may give at CofChrist.org/give.
The offering prayer is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response.
God who calls us to humility, we share our resources in response to the presence of your Son. May the offerings we share bring joy, hope, love, and peace into the lives of others that they might experience your mercy and grace. Amen.
Invitation to Next Meeting
Closing Hymn
Community of Christ Sings 470, “Shadows Lengthen into Night”
Closing Prayer
Optional Additions Depending on Group
- Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
· Thoughts for Children
Thoughts for Children
Materials:
· wet washcloths or wet wipes
Have you ever played outside and had very dirty feet? How dirty were they?
Let the children share with you about their dirty feet.
Who would you ask to wash your feet? A policeman? Your teacher? Probably not.
You would ask someone who loved you and cared for you, like your grandmother or your parent to wash your feet.
Jesus really loved his disciples, his friends. Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and told them that caring for others and serving others is a way we show our love for them.
On Maundy Thursday we remember that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to show them how to love and serve each other. Sometimes we practice serving others by washing their hands or feet.
I have a wet washcloth; I can wash your hand to show I care for you, and you can use the cloth to wash my hand to show you care for me.
If children are comfortable holding out a hand, gently wipe it with the wet cloth. Allow them to wipe your hand with the cloth.
We can find ways to serve others, too.
What are some ways you can serve others and show you care for them?
Help the children list a few ideas.
Today when you go home, think of kind things you can do to show others you care for them.
Thank the children for participating.