Prayers for Holy Week – Maundy Thursday

Maundy  Thursday ( from mandatum, Latin for commandment) proclaims Jesus’ new commandment to love one another as he has loved us. It celebrates Christ’s example of humble service and self-offering, represented by the washing of feet and the sharing of communion.  The liturgy of the Maundy Thursday service begins with an emphasis on confession and forgiveness, concluding the penitential season of Lent.

The Institution of the Lord’s Supper

1 Corinthians 11:23 -26

23 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, 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

O God, your love is embodied in Jesus Christ,
who washed disciples’ feet on the night of his betrayal.
Wash us from the stain of sin,
so that, in hours of danger, we may not fail,
but follow your Son through every trial,
and praise him always as Lord and Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Photos by JBR