On Holy Thursday, there is a story to tell. Not just any story. It is the story of our faith. First, we remember God’s chosen people, our ancestors in faith, and how God saved them. (Exodus 12: 1-8, 11-14) It is a story of community and sacred meals and service. It is also a story of death and human tragedy. Most of all it is the story of God’s love and presence. It was in the Land of Egypt where God came to Moses and Aaron and told them how to celebrate the Passover / Seder Meal every year so that their descendants would know how it was that God brought them safely out of Egypt.
The Egyptians paid heavily for the injustice of their ruler. Pharaoh inflicted abuse upon the Israelites. But the Egyptian people paid for Pharaoh’s actions. There was blood in the streets and in the fields and worst of all there was blood in their homes. The Israelites rejoiced at their freedom from slavery just as people everywhere rejoice when they can make their own decisions, choose their own religion, and elect their own leaders. For all generations, the Jews have celebrated with a memorial feast. When they gather, they are not to forget the Egyptians. They always pray for their enemies as well as those they love. This year Passover will begin at sundown on April 22nd. There is still time for fervent prayers, and mediation. May Jews in the Holy Land remember when they were slaves in the land of Egypt and show mercy to the people of Palestine.
Jesus, being a Jew, learned the traditions from his family and when he grew older, he kept the feast as his ancestors before him. The Synoptic Gospels tell us that Jesus and his disciples were at a Passover meal when Jesus instituted a new memorial feast; one that would help his followers to remember his teachings and how he loved them. St. Paul was the first to record what happened. (1 Corinthians 12: 23-26). Writing to the Corinthians Paul said that on the night Jesus was handed over, he took bread, blessed, and broke it saying: “This is my body that is for you.” Like the Jews, Christians are called to remember everyone, not just those who gather with them at the table, but all people, especially those who are marginalized and suffering.
Jesus was aware that his teaching was not acceptable to those in authority. Every prophet in every generation who has stood up to the dominant powers has had to decide: Do I tell the truth and take the consequences or become silent and live with an uneasy conscience? Think of the many faith-filled prophets and martyrs who stood up against the odds to speak the truth. Think of Archbishop Romero of El Salvador who refused to be silent in spite of repeated warnings by the government. He was shot down at the altar while celebrating the Eucharist. Remember Chico Mendes who was gunned down at his home as a result of his efforts to protect the Amazon Rainforest from deforestation. Remember Martin Luther King Jr. who dreamed of racial equality and was killed as he worked to organize. Think of Rachel Corrie who was crushed in the city of Rafah as she tried to protect Palestinian homes from being demolished.
Jesus knew the consequences of his path. Yet he did not step down. He chose to spend his last days with his followers, eating, praying, teaching, and leaving them an example of how to live when he was no longer with them. (John 13: 1-15) He loved them. He showed them what to do as he tenderly washed the feet of his disciples. He asks us to do the same.
We live in precarious times. There is violence, war, disinformation, objectification, racism, prejudice, and hate on many fronts. We are bombarded daily with news accounts that are contradictory and confusing. Our own Christian story is redefined and used both for and against us. It has never been so important to know who we are and where we come from, why we are here, and what we are called to do.
Our sacred scriptures remind us every year on Holy Thursday, that we are God’s people. Not God’s only people, but descendants by faith to those people who were liberated from the land of Egypt. Each of us, as individuals and as a community, must claim our inheritance in our own lives, by the way that we choose to live.
It is likely that some of the Jews refused to listen to Moses, that they did not want to escape into the desert either because they had grown accustomed to their lives in Egypt or they were afraid to risk change. Responding to God is always a choice.
Remember, the Jews had gone into Egypt freely in a time of famine. The steps into slavery occurred over time. The laws of the land changed slowly. Limits were placed on their freedoms, perhaps with explanations concerning security risks or unemployment rates or religious freedom or the need for better accounting of assets. Whatever the cause, the Israelites did not begin as slaves though that is what they became. It is a story with a lesson for today.
Tonight, we remember the dangerous message of love that Jesus lived and died to tell us. Jesus was betrayed by the forces that oppress, only to triumph, through the power of Love. Because he loved us, he left us with ways to remember him always. This is the meaning of the sacred stories told tonight.
Thank you for taking the time to remind us of the meaning and history of this special service.