Apr 14 2022 Day 324 Galatians 3:1–4:31 - Maundy Thursday

There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.



Paul is still trying to convince the Galatians that they do not need to follow the letter of the old covenant; that would again enslave them. Rather, they are freed in the new covenant of Jesus Christ. The old covenant creates a way to separate – circumcised vs. uncircumcised, Jew or gentile. Christ creates a way to unite. Those previous distinctions, perpetuated by adherence to the law, disappear in Christ. Yes!

Today is referred to as Maundy Thursday in my faith tradition. The Thursday before Easter we commemorate the creation of the Eucharist, with Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. This is my body. Whenever you eat this, do this in remembrance of me.

The liturgy is another of my favorites, frequently beginning with a communal meal for the gathered people. There is a normal communion service, and then the altar area is stripped of all adornment, and the altar is washed. The clergy leave in silence, in the stark empty space. The service doesn’t actually end in a normal way; it is part of a three-day commemoration ending with a joyous celebration on Easter eve.

The service also includes a foot washing, based on Jesus’ act of washing his disciples’ feet. He said, ‘because I have washed your feet, so you should wash others’. ‘ This is perhaps my favorite act of the church year, not so much for the sterilized symbolic foot washing that occurs during the service, but because of what it represents. It is an icon for me of the very sentiment Paul expresses: there is no longer slave or free, for you are all one in Christ.

I had the great honor of coordinating a foot washing for some of Seattle’s homeless as part of a one-day service event. There were unbelievable connections made between strangers, as we washed the feet of the homeless, the addicts, the gang-bangers. Even though it was a secular event, we absolutely were one in Christ, and some of the folks whose feet were washed pointed out to us, “hey, didn’t Jesus do this?” Others asked if they could wash our feet. There were several times I held back tears.

It was a deeply moving day, repeated annually for several years and eventually passed off to a colleague who continues. To honor the service and sentiment, I have a tattoo on my foot that reads, “John 13:14”. This morning, I’m thinking about Jesus’ modeling such intimate and silo-smashing actions that I might follow, every day.