Maundy Thursday Reflection

How many of you have a bucket list?

The whole idea became very popular based on a movie of the same name, in which two men traveled the world undertaking various adventures that they hadn't done in their lives. The adventures had the same theme—they were usually risky and filled with adrenaline, the kind of thing you might do if you found out you only had a week to live. They're wild adventures, and exciting.

Now, there's nothing wrong with a bucket list. There's nothing wrong with adventures. If you told me I had a week to live, I would totally go skydiving. Also, I wouldn't have done my taxes last week.

I think it's interesting to think about Jesus' bucket list. He knew exactly how much time he had left on this earth. He knew that it was growing short, that precious time would soon run out and he would be at the mercy of violent hands and people who strongly objected to everything he did. He knew time was limited.

So what did Jesus, the most powerful and resourceful man who ever lived, do with his last days?

He took a bucket, filled it with water, and washed the feet of the disciples.

His bucket list involved a literal bucket.

Now, think about all that Jesus could have done in those last 12 hours. We have spent the last 2,000 years debating many things about Christianity and God. He could have cleared all those up. He could have demonstrated his power in magnificent and certain ways. He could have healed countless more. He could have engaged in debate with skeptics and doubters. He could have called more disciples.

He could have done any number of things. But he chose a bucket, and washed the feet.

He was still teaching, even to the end, and he wanted to teach us about the nature of God.

Jesus wanted to teach us about God's strong desire to reach out to his children. Jesus wanted to teach us about his love, about his tender care. Jesus wanted us to know that God desires to wash us, that we might no longer be tainted by the dirt that we carry. Jesus wanted us to know that God sees us as a people worthy of his love and service. Jesus wanted us to understand the importance of small acts of love, that we might imitate these.

And then, after washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus sat down to eat the Seder meal with them. Jesus wanted to teach them about the importance of tradition, and how it was all leading up to Him. They would have taken their time over that meal, talking as friends, as companions. It would not have been anything grand or unusual, but Jesus chose to invest his last precious hours in the lives of his closest friends, trying to help them see the importance of connections, of companionship, of breaking bread together.

All of this he imbued with a deeper meaning, leaving behind the cup and the bread as reminders to us of his sacrifice, of his love.

But look at how ordinary these things are. His last hours weren't spent chasing adrenaline or adventure. They were spent in the company of his friends, and he was serving them, involved in their lives, talking and listening.

This is the life to which Jesus calls us. A life that may not seem to be extraordinary from the outside, but in the hands of Christ, our humble efforts are transformed. The time we spend selflessly serving one another is seen to reflect the selfless love of God, and the Kingdom shines through us. The time we eat with one another is transformed by the Holy Spirit into a holy sharing of our lives, and we are brought closer together. The food we eat and the cup we drink are to be reminders that what may seem plain to the eyes is extraordinary in the Kingdom, for they remind us of how Christ was broken and poured out. His death, ordinary from the eyes of the world, was an extraordinary sacrifice made for you, for me, so that our sins may be forgiven and that we may no longer be far from God.

Friends, Christ chose to spend his last hours reflecting the love of God for those around him, reflecting a willingness of God to serve others.

May we choose to spend our lives not chasing adrenaline in the hopes of finding meaning, but rather recognizing that in the ordinary opportunities to serve and love those around us, the Spirit transforms them into something far more extraordinary than we can even imagine.

Let us pray