Holy Thursday Hermily
That girl can preach
In my house when I was a kid, every dinner meal started with the Grace prayer. As soon as my mom’s body made contact with her seat, we would launch into the prayer in unison: “Inthenameofthefatherandofthesonandoftheholysprititblessusolordandthesethygiftswhichweareabouttoreceivefromthybountythroughchristourlordamen.” I don't think I realized there were actual individual words to this prayer until I was in the 5th grade, but I knew how to do it, and when, and I knew it was a prayer that was important to my family, and that it meant dinner could begin.
When I look back, I can see that rituals were part of my family’s everyday life, part of who we were, and still are, as a family. The rituals that we have built into our lives over the years tell a lot about who our family is.
Rituals anchor us to each other and to the moment – and they connect us to our histories and our identities.
Rituals say something about the people who form and live them. They hold within them something that we value, whether that is a tradition, or a memory, or something else… they teach something about what’s important to the people who participate in them. Rituals tell our story.
God knows that humans are drawn to moments like these. In today’s readings, we hear about moments in the history of our ancestors in faith that became set into rituals.
In our Old Testament reading we hear God being very specific to the people of Israel about what to do for the first Passover; but we also hear God instructing them to plan on remembering that moment, to plan on celebrating their liberation from the Egyptians who had held them captive.
God says to the Israelites, this moment? This moment when you are about to be freed? It’s big. It’s a moment worthy of remembering with a ritual; It’s something that must be remembered because it says something about the people who were freed, and about their relationship with God. A God who says; I have freed you, and you are free. And this is our story.
In our New Testament reading, we read Paul’s very specific instructions to the people of Corinth about how to remember what Jesus has done for them; and not just once, but to plan on remembering; because “as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”
Paul says, this moment? This moment when Jesus freed us from sin and death? It’s big. It’s a moment worthy of remembering with a ritual; It’s something that must be remembered because it says something about the people who were freed, and about their relationship with God. God has said to the early Church and to us; remember this meal, and my promise of salvation. This is our story.
And although so much of our celebration on this day throughout our Church centers on that remembrance, that Eucharistic ritual? John draws our attention to something else. John reminds us that Jesus gave us not only his life, but a model for our lives, and a commandment to do as he did; to act as servants to one other. This is his mandate for his disciples and for us: “as I have done for you, you should also do.”
John says, this moment? This moment when Jesus gave us instructions on how to live our faith?? It’s big. It’s a moment
as worthy of remembering with a ritual as the Eucharistic meal; John says to this tiny Church in Greece and to us; Jesus has served you, has made you clean, and you? You are to do the same for others, because it is one of the best ways to remember who Jesus was— who Christ is— and our relationship with Him.
As much as the moment God freed our ancestors from slavery, as much as the moment that Jesus freed us from sin and death, as much as the Eucharist we share today; this is our story. This, this commandment to serve like Jesus, my fellow Christ-followers, is who we are.
And it’s worth remembering.