Now I Give You a New Commandment

Tonight we gather for our joint Maundy Thursday service at 6:00 PM at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 508 Indiana Ave., Chester.

"Maundy" comes from the Latin mandatum - commandment. On this night, Jesus gives his disciples the mandate that will define his community forever: "Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."

But before the commandment comes the demonstration. Jesus strips down, ties a towel around his waist, and washes his disciples' feet - all twelve sets, including the ones that would run away, and the ones that had already sold him out. He washed them all.

This is the love he calls us to. Not sentiment. Not affection when it's convenient. Love that gets low. Love that serves the difficult person and the disloyal one. Come to the table tonight not because you have loved perfectly, but because he has.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you knelt before us before you gave us any commands. Thank you. Teach us to love the way you loved - with our whole selves, asking nothing in return. Amen.