Maundy Thursday
I went to the Maundy Thursday service at St. Peter's Anglican Church tonite. Basically just down the street from me, I went to observe how Christians in other traditions observe the Passion week. I've let Easter, nevermind the whole Passion week or Lent, without much thought. It rolls around each year, "Oh, it's Easter break again." I have not had the gravity of week weigh on me.
Last week, I got an email from Brian Walsh, by way of my friend Brian Lim, urging me to "be there when they crucify your Lord." So, I tried to make this week a little different. I read the passion narratives - the whole narrative - every day. And today, I went to St. Peter's. Maundy sounds "cute", but I learn something new everyday: Maundy is from the latin Mandatum, the same root as the English word "mandate". The mandate is found in Matthew 22:37-39: "'Love the Lord your God wth all your heart and withi all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'" Maundy Thursday is when our Lord washes the feet of his disciples and has the last meal with his disciples.
I guess I'm a little awkward in high-church services, since services in my own church are much informal in comparison. Nevertheless, I joined in. I observed the foot washing ceremony and soaked in the solemn and reverent service. I remember being in the great cathedrals in Europe as a kid, and how I was struck with awe. Oh, how I wanted to convert, then!
Tomorrow, is the saddest day for Christ's disciples. Passion means suffer: Christ's suffering week. I've come to be a little annoyed at how happy, happy, joy, joy Christians can become during Easter. Our church's Easter cantata will likely end with the Hallelujah chorus. It is really the wrong time - let us have the time to reflect on Christ's suffering.
Allow me to quote from Brian Walsh's letter:
And in that quiet Madeleine [his daughter] started to sing,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble,
tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?The tears welled up in my eyes as this lovely little voice sang with such sorrow.
Were you there when they hung him on the cross?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when they laid him in the grave?
And it felt as if, somehow, she was there, and in her singing she placed me there as well....
Madeleine's singing asks us,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?Bono answers by singing,
I was there when they crucified my Lord,
I held the scabbard as the soldier drew his sword,
I threw the dice as they pierced his side
but I've seen love conquer the great divide.When loves comes to town I'm going to jump that train
When loves comes to town I'm going to catch that plane
Maybe I was wrong to ever let you down
But I did what I did before love came to townLove comes to town next week. And that love takes the shape of a cross. Go and embrace that love, but don't avert your gaze from that cross.
May the Lord grant you peace.
Comments
I, too, had an experience at my church, today [well, technically yesterday] which made me think, and be touched in a personal way, in a way that seemed a little closer to home than the perhaps more 'traditional' Easter service at MCBC that we're used to tends to move me. It's always good to explore, a little bit, what other forms of worship might do for us.
You mentioned something about a feet-washing part of the ceremony? And how it felt "solemn and reverent"? You also mentioned how you're a little bit annoyed at the 'happy happy joy joy' attitude we approach Easter with.
For me, as well, doing a bit more reflecting on the suffering of Jesus, his sacarafice for -- for US! -- .. and /why/ he chose to do that.. well, that had significance for me. Imagining.. -- it sounds more like something from an RPG, but it's real! -- that the Son of God, who is in fact.. sort of the real Truth of everything (thinking about the fact that everything was created through him.. and how he was there from the beginning of time, etc).. to not only become a *human*, to [I'd imagine] unwealthy-ish parents .. but for what reason? All his life, he knew of what his fate would be. And to bear all of *my* ugly sin, and its consequences, in his painful death.. imagine what that must've been like?
Anyhow, sorry, Ben; I'm kind of rambling here. I just thought I might put a comment, because I, too, felt something real significant by a service which helped me to think a little bit more somberly (and at the same time, more genuinely thankful and joyfully) about the Easter story. I'm real glad I went.
.. it struck me within the service, that, if I *really* got the significance of this.. how thankfulness should be the natural response. Here we have my God, my cosmic, eternal God, bearing MY ugly burdensome sins upon himself, though he don't deserve any of the condemnation -- so that *I* have a way to be embraced by God. So that I have freedom; freedom to love this life in the way I personally can -- freedom to not be alone.. to *have* this connection, this ability, to know the God who is *central*, the /authour/ of all joy in life, all fond memories, all nostalgic thoughts, all moments of growth.. of deep meaningful things that we only see glimpses of. To have this hope -- hope which tells me to keep on going, because I have this Coach who yearns the best for me.. ; hope that I'm not just some stupid moron who just lives and dies, but that my life has meaning.. and hope of learning to live more skillfully, hope that I can in fact learn and live up to my potential.. and grow in life more and more richly, because of what I learn and live about God. This idea of .. being embraced, included, accepted, brought in, *wanted* by God is one that I always really liked; it often has the power to move me, this idea of God's reaching out to me.. like a hug.
Bleh! Sorry! I'm talking to myself again ^^
I liked reading the quote from the letter. It makes me think of how other people, touched and transformed -- or at least curious -- about this remarkable Jesus guy on their streets.. how they might've felt. Thinking about that .. makes the Easter story a bit more richer. .. I don't know; I find that if I picture it like an anime or cut-scene in a movie or RPG, it hits me harder -- makes it more real to me, than a mere 'story'.
Etto.. I was awful long-winded here, eh? :-P
But in short, thinking about the Easter story in raw, down-to-Earth ways, rather than a strung-up, more contrived feeling cantata [and I'm afraid I might be bashing traditional means a little bit here.. which is wrong. The 'traditional' means benefits some people, and I oughtn't to bash them quite so judgementally] .. Let me rephrase. I just wanted to echo that I, too, benefitted by a service recently which brought a bit more of a closer-to-heart, raw and real perspective kind of experience of the Easter story.
Posted by: Silph | April 20, 2003 4:42 AM
I was trying to find a "Contact Me" link on your site but didn't see one. I was cruising around the web trying to find some info on a Columbus, Ohio rock band called The Honey's when I landed on your site. You apparently bought a CD by a Japanese band called The Honeys. Pretty interesting, I thought. I tried finding out more info about the Shanghai Honeys but couldn't find anything. You can point me to a URL or something with more info about The Honeys, can you?
If you have any interest, you can read more about the American band, The Honey's, by clicking on my name.
Posted by: Chip | April 21, 2003 12:35 PM
About the Honeys:
The Honey's CD I have is indeed a Shanghai band (and not a Japanese band). On their CD liners, I found these web sites: www.ewen.cc and China-fm.com. They opened for Damone, a Boston-based quartet. I spoke to Adam Wilkes, one of the promoters (of KellyWilkes Productions, who promote events in and around China) at the club.
Their name is actually in Chinese, but they're tacked on an English translation, as far as I know. Their page has a little more information (although it's in Chinese.)
Posted by: Dan | April 21, 2003 3:39 PM