Day Forty Four - A king with a bowl and towel

Well, you live and learn! I was brought up by atheists and was told that the day before we ate Hot Cross Buns was called Maundy Thursday because the Queen gave out alms to selected poor elderly people called Maundy Money. I’m now 65, have been a Christian for over forty years and I’ve just discovered that “Maundy” has religious roots. If you already knew this, skip down the page a bit!

Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum meaning command and refers to John 13:34 “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (NRSV) Jesus says this during the meal, just after the foot washing, which also takes place during the meal, not as people arrive!

Other sources suggest that Maundy comes from maund an Old English word meaning to beg. Until 1701, British monarchs would wash selected needy people’s feet, but since then “deserving senior citizens” (BBC) have received money instead. Last year ninety-three men and ninety-three women were invited to St George’s Chapel in Windsor to receive a red purse containing two coins: £5 and 50p; and a white purse with specially minted coins (1p, 2p, 3p, 4p - all legal tender) adding up to the Queen’s age. This ceremony was cancelled and the chosen people were invited to attend this year instead. I’m guessing this year’s will also be postponed!

Those who use the Lectionary know that on Maundy Thursday the set readings are from John. Attempts have been made to write a composite of the Gospels – so that on Maundy Thursday we are not limited to the perspective of John’s gospel, i.e. foot washing, Jesus telling Judas to go quickly, Jesus promising the Holy Spirit and praying for his disciples. We could also mention:

• the sharing of bread and wine (all synoptics but not John)

• the kiss of betrayal (all synoptics)

• Jesus healing the ear of the slave of the High Priest (Luke only)

• the naked young man running off (Mark only).

To throw yet another spanner in the worship leader’s plan, some commentators suggest that the disciples and Jesus had not met to celebrate the Passover as the Seder did not begin to happen until after the destruction of the temple in 70AD.

Choosing hymns for this service is fraught – there are too many spoiler alerts! These traditional words by James Montgomery seem to fit the bill: “Go to dark Gethsemane, ye that feel the tempter's power; your Redeemer's conflict see, watch with him one bitter hour; turn not from his griefs away, learn of Jesus Christ to pray”. But the second and third verses take us to Good Friday. Similarly, Graham Kendrick has relevant lyrics: “not to be served but to serve” and especially “there in the garden of tears, my heavy load he chose to bear… ‘yet not my will, but yours,’ he said”. But by verse three we have scarred hands!

Fred Kaan’s words “we have a king with a bowl and towel” come a few verses after “we have a king who rides a donkey” and also mentions bread and wine. Tom Calvin seems to nail it: “Kneels at the feet of his friends, silently washes their feet, Master who acts as a slave to them”. Richard Gillard’s Servant Song mentions quite a few ways for Christians to serve each other but also drifts into Good Friday with “We shall find such harmony born of all we've known together of Christ's love and agony”.

Perhaps I’m just a woman of my time; for me nothing beats Rice and Lloyd Webber’s Gethsemane.

Elaine Kinchin