The name for this day comes from the Latin word "mandatum," meaning "commandment." It refers to the two "new" commandments our Lord gave to His disciples on this day. The first is, "Love one another”; the second is, "Do this in remembrance of Me." Our service today is “Part One" of what the early Church observed as "the triduum," a three-day remembrance of the events of our Lord's suffering, death, and resurrection: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. Tonight’s Maundy Thursday service is intended to bring us into the story of the Son of Man coming to serve us. This evening we will commemorate some of the events at our Lord’s Last Supper, including a foot washing as well as receiving Holy Communion in a way that recalls that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper as they were “reclining at table.” (Mark 14:18)

The sign over Jesus’ sacred head at the cross proclaimed the truth: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” To those with faith in His redeeming blood, there could be no more glorious throne. What kind of King chooses the cross over power and glory? The kind of King who has but one purpose and mission: to save sinners, to restore the lost, and to renew the broken. So Jesus’ cross wears a sign to explain who He is because no one expects the Son of God to be crucified and the sins to have disfigured Him until He became unrecognizable—that is, no one except those with eyes of faith!

God will not be mocked. God is jealous. He insists upon what is His due. Yet, for the sake of sinners, the King of the Jews stands silent before His accusers. He endures the mocking and taunting of words and actions that feign the honor He is due. Why would God allow us to mock Him? It is all about salvation. The Son of God stands falsely accused for us. He allows Himself to be mocked and abused. That is what He must do if He is to restore the lost sinners, reclaim them to life, and repair the wrong that sin did. He is mocked and taunted so that He might be enthroned and honored—so that you and I might be enthroned and honored.

“What I Did for Love: I Rescued You When You Ran Away” – Lent is a 40-day observance in preparation for Easter. “Lent” comes from a word meaning “spring.” In a real sense, this is a springtime for the soul, a time to clean house, a time for renewal, a time to focus on the sacrifice of God through the death and precious blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was willing to leave His throne in heaven, to come searching for you and rescue you. Jesus will meet you wherever you are at, that is true, but He loves you too much to leave you there – He desires more for you, a relationship with Him!

Some sins have been traditionally considered “hot”—sins like rage and outbursts of anger, such as Peter cutting off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Others have been traditionally considered “cold” sins. They’re the more calculating ones, such as Judas’s planned betrayal of Jesus. Our sinful nature manifests both kinds of sins, and we admit many varieties of betrayal. But whatever their classification, Jesus, God’s royal Son, came to bear them all to death and triumph over them in the Resurrection.

Another Lent begins. As we journey together through the next six weeks to the cross and empty tomb, we look at everything that took place from the vantage point of Jesus as King. Walk with us along the way, comparing and contrasting other kings with the King. We pray that you will find a renewed sense of awareness and appreciation for how the Lord is our faithful King, who for us and for our sake endured the cross, bore our shame, and suffered in our place. Tonight we remember how our King Jesus first marked us with the sign of the cross in our Baptism and how we wear ashes in the sign of a cross as the mark of His work in us, bringing us to repentance and restoring us by the power of forgiveness.

Stewardship is more than just numbers. It’s more than just meeting the bills of our church. It’s more than a percentage. It’s more than addition and subtraction. It’s about faith. Our giving recognizes that all we have and all we are is a gift from God. It acknowledges that we are stewards of God’s blessings – to be used for Christ’s glory and the extension of His kingdom. When we give to God, trusting in Him to provide for us, and use it for His will, it adds up to an eternal investment! In fact, through giving, we are greatly blessed by God! … We receive a ‘return on investment,’ of more than we give!