Maundy Thursday -- Meaning and Traditions

What does “maundy” mean?
The word Maundy is derived, through Middle English, and Old French mandé, from Latin mandatum, the first word of the Latin translation of the phrase “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another” in the teaching by which Jesus drew out for the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet (John 13:34).

What do we celebrate during Maundy Thursday?
Christ the Word’s annual Passion Week activities have always included Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday has been observed by the church from her earliest history. Just as Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter are commemorated as part of Passion Week, the church set aside Maundy Thursday to mark the day Jesus shared a meal with His apostle’s and gave them a “new commandment.” The early church celebrated the giving of this commandment with a service that included a time of confession and repentance to those in the congregation whom one had sinned against in the preceding year. In recent centuries, a service of foot washing is common as a gesture of the love Christians share for one another.

How will our Maundy Thursday services work?
On Thursday, April 5, we will hold services within a number of households in CTW. All of the homes will be following the same order of service and will enjoy a fellowship meal together. We are preparing a menu for the dinner and will ask participants to bring specific dishes to share with your group. You will be invited to a specific home and gather together with other families to worship our great Savior with music, confession of sin, prayer, and Scripture reading. We are hoping that the intimacy of these groups will be blessed by an outpouring of God’s Spirit as we worship our great Savior and meditate upon His sacrificial love for us.

If you have not already done so, please RSVP for our Maundy Thursday celebration using the Connections Card in Sunday's bulletin. For more information, please contact Tim Varner, 734-814-7985.