We cannot be together in person to worship, but we remain united in Our Lord even when we are apart.
We have prepared these resources to help you pray and worship at home on Thursday 9 April, when we would normally gather in the evening for the Eucharist for Maundy Thursday.
An Order of Prayer for Maundy Thursday at Home
Click here to download as a PDF for reading or printing out, or simply continue reading below.
Opening Prayer
God of our journey,
God of surprise,
God with us,
as the day ends and the shadows lengthen,
we draw close to You
to be with your Son,
just as those first disciples gathered in an upper room
all those centuries ago, little knowing what was about to happen.
On this holy night we come before you in trust,
in expectation,
even if we don’t know what to expect,
or what we should hope for.
God of the changing seasons,
God who calls us on down the road,
we listen in silence,
and wait for your voice…
Confession
For the times when we treat others as less than ourselves
Lord, forgive us and wash us clean.
For the times when we seek glory over servanthood
Lord, forgive us and wash us clean.
For the times when we are too busy to do what really matters
Lord, forgive us and wash us clean.
For the times, Lord Jesus, when we shut you out
Lord, forgive us and wash us clean.
For the times when we suggest that others are unworthy of your love
Lord, forgive us and wash us clean.
For the times when we revel in the dirt and the mess
Lord, forgive us and wash us clean.
For the times when we fail to follow you, as foot washers in the world
Lord, forgive us and wash us clean.
Lord Jesus, wash clean our hearts, minds, souls and bodies.
Help us to follow your example, kneeling at the feet of others.
Amen.
Collect
True and humble king,
hailed by the crowd as Messiah:
grant us the faith to know you and love you,
that we may be found beside you
on the way of the cross,
which is the path of glory.
Amen.
Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet – John 13.1-17,31-35
Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
Washing of the Feet Reflection
Jesus, my Lord. What are you doing?
You must stop this now.
Now!
Look, everyone will see.
You can’t do this to me.
Not me.
You’re the guest of honour,
not the servant.
As I lean on your shoulder,
whispering in your ear,
I glance down and see your own feet.
I don’t think I’ve ever noticed your feet before.
Not the soles of them anyway.
Not like this.
These are strong feet, I notice.
They bear witness to your active life, tramping
and travelling over rough roads and hillsides.
Bare, calloused, raw,
I see they are no prettier than my own.
Why would you do such a thing?
What are you trying to teach me?
Are you teaching me how to receive?
Is that it?
Is this a lesson in humility?
Or is it something else?
Is it about hospitality, learning to serve?
Is this what I need to learn?
Are we to serve too?
Are we to do this to others?
You know, I don’t know if I can…
But if you can, then I must.
As you wash my feet, I wonder who else you will do this to?
Will you do it to everyone, each one of us?
Surely not just me, Lord?
Will you do it to Judas?
Will you?
Are we to reach out to everyone?
To wash the feet of all?
The homeless?
The addict?
The diseased?
The weak and the hungry?
Those different from us?
Those from a different country?
Those from a different faith?
Surely not everyone?
And yet…you do.
Sieger Köder
Sieger Köder was born on 3rd January 1925 in Wasseralfingen, Germany. During the Second World War he was sent to France as a front-line soldier where he was made a prisoner of war. Once back from captivity, Sieger Köder attended the Academy School of Art in Stuttgart before training to become a teacher. After 12 years of teaching art and working as an artist, Köder undertook theological studies for the priesthood and in 1971 was ordained a Catholic priest.
During the years of his ministry as a priest, Köder produced some of his most prolific and inspiring works of art. He uses his paintings as Jesus used his parables, to reveal the depth of the Christian message through metaphors, shedding light and colour on life and human history.
Look at the image of Jesus
- What does his position in the picture tell us? Do you expect to see Jesus in this position? Why?
- Can you see the face of Jesus? What is his expression?
- Why do you think the painter shows Jesus’ face reflected in the dirty water?
Look at the image of Peter
- Look at Peter’s hands and face – what do you think he is feeling or thinking?
Look at the table
- What do you think the artist is trying to get us to think about?
- What connections can you make between what Jesus is doing and what the objects on the table represent?
Intercessions
Father, on this, the night he was betrayed, your Son Jesus Christ
washed his disciples’ feet.
We commit ourselves to follow his example of love and service.
Lord, hear us
and humble us.
On this night, he prayed for his disciples to be one.
We pray for the unity of your Church.
Lord, hear us
and unite us.
On this night, he prayed for those who were to believe
through their message.
We pray for the mission of your Church.
Lord, hear us
and renew our zeal.
On this night, he commanded them to love,
but suffered rejection himself.
We pray for the rejected and unloved.
Lord, hear us
and fill us with your love.
On this night, he reminded them that if the world hated them
it hated him first.
We pray for those who are persecuted for their faith.
Lord, hear us
and give us your peace.
You may wish to enter into a time of silence or to play the hymn ‘Servant King,’ which can also be found on the YouTube Holy Week playlist.
The Watch
Were we gathered in church on this holy night, the altar would be stripped, hangings removed, and lights extinguished, representing the abandonment of Christ by his followers. This would be followed by ‘The Watch’ – a time of silent prayer and stillness, symbolising Christ’s time in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Consider keeping watch at home this night, for a period of time.
- Find a place to sit or kneel.
- Find a point of focus – perhaps a cross, candle or icon.
- Spend a period of time, perhaps longer than you might usually, in silence – in God’s presence.
- You may wish to consider keeping silence until the following morning.
