Maundy Thursday, Year A (2026)

Maundy Thursday, Year A

In the name of the Father, and of the +Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Brothers and sisters in Christ: grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chag pesach sameach! “Chag” means “festival” or “holiday”. “Pesach” refers to the Passover. And “Sameach” means “happy” or “joyous”… so “chag pesach sameach” means “Happy Passover”. And that’s appropriate for tonight, since this is the night when Jesus gathered his disciples to celebrate the Passover meal with them.

Most of the time, when we think of Maundy Thursday, we think about that “Last Supper,” don’t we? That was when Jesus instituted a New Covenant, and gave us the meal that we now celebrate as a Sacrament each time we come to His Altar. And when you read the Gospel account of that evening in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, all three of them are very focused on that meal.

But tonight we’re reading from John’s Gospel account, which doesn’t talk about the meal very much. Instead, John is focused on the footwashing. We haven’t done a footwashing in a few years, so we’re bringing it back tonight.

Just as a quick reminder, this day is named for this event. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “commandment”. You’ll hear that in the last verse of tonight’s Gospel reading when Jesus gives His disciples a new commandment.

The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volumes 1–3 Foot Washing

Foot washing in the [the ancient Middle East] is a common, understood, and acceptable practice. The wearing of open sandals, the dry climate, and dusty paths make it so. In the Greco-Roman world, foot washing was done for several reasons: (1) as a ritual; (2) domestically, for reasons of personal comfort and hygiene; (3) as an expression of hospitality, a gesture of greeting, or in preparation for a banquet; and (4) as a service by servants or slaves.

Foot washing as an obligation of hospitality occurs early in the OT—in

The meal we receive tonight is vitally important to our Christian faith, and to our life together as a church family. In that Sacrament, Christ comes as close to us as He can possibly get until the End of the Age. But in the footwashing, we get to see Jesus as He wants us to see Him: as a servant leader.

The Footwashing is not a Sacrament. I would submit to you, however, that I believe it *is* sacramental. That just means that it does not meet the requirements of a Sacrament (it does have the command from Christ to do it, and it does have a visible element, but it does not have a promise attached to it). Despite not being a full Sacrament, it points us toward the Eucharist (this took place during the first such meal), and it reminds us of that Sacrament. It also reminds us of Baptism as it, too, is a washing, similar in that respect to Baptism, and using water as the visible element. We don’t miss anything essential by not doing the footwashing, but it does give us some extras that I think are worth remembering every once in a while.

The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volumes 1–3 Foot Washing

Foot washing has been interpreted by various scholars and communities in sometimes contradictory ways:

It is a

I would add that as it was a visual demonstration of Jesus’ humility, the ultimate humility was Jesus’ death on the cross, so the footwashing points to that, as well.

Jesus finishes this act by saying,

John 13:12–15 ESV

12 ...“Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.

And then he says in John 13:34-35

John 13:34–35 ESV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So here’s the bottom line: we are to love one another (that is, our fellow human beings) and we are to be humble in doing it. There’s nothing that’s “beneath us”. If Jesus can do the lowest, dirtiest, nastiest chore in the house, so can we. Jesus set the example for us, and that should be our goal - to emulate his example.

Brothers and sisters: let us love one another. And let us pray that God will show us how best to do that when He blesses us with that opportunity.

[Instruction]