What "Maundy" Means

 

Maundy means commandment.

Not a finger waging or pointing or pontificating or preaching kinda commandment.

Not a heavy, drenched with guilt or dripping with shame commandment.

Rather, Jesus’s commandment is an invitation of inspiration to be love.

“No greater love have you than this, than to lay down, (or we could say put aside your agenda and needs, release and let go of your five-year life plan) for the sake of a friend.”

To lay down so that you are no longer white knuckling, tightly clinging to control.

Set down so that you might receive.

As you unclench your fist, you are offered a piece of bread and cup of juice.

As we receive, these are the words that fall from our lips, “What wonderous is this?”  We pause to realize that Christ didn’t just come to re-arrange the mental furniture in our minds or found a church or even just hang out on earth to see what it was like.  Christ came, Christ still comes, Christ returns to show us life.

Full and abundant life.

Overflowing and open life.

Life with broken bread that leave crumbs on the table.

Life with juice that spills and stains the cloth.

Life with twist and turns causing heartbreak and soul ache.

Life is holy, because the Sacred is found in a commandment of love given freely.

Life is holy because the Sacred sets aside power for a cross.

Life is holy because the Sacred stares openly at death.

There are countless invitations to follow another narrative that is not based on might or winning or controlling or cynicism and criticism or the balance in your bank account.

Christ commandment to love edits the story we tell ourselves in ways that offer us life.  So we prepare for tomorrow to let God author and edit our lives by meeting us in such a time as this.  Amen.