Pathway into Lent

Pathway into Lent

          According to Wikipedia, “the Last Supper is the final meal that, in the Gospel accounts, Jesus shared with his apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion.^[2] The Last Supper is commemorated by Christians especially on Holy Thursday.^[3] The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as “Holy Communion” or “The Lord’s Supper”.^[4]

          Wikipedia also tells us, “The First Epistle to the Corinthians contains the earliest known mention of the Last Supper. The four canonical gospels state that the Last Supper took place in the week of Passover, days after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and before Jesus was crucified on Good Friday.^[5][6] During the meal, Jesus predicts his betrayal by one of the apostles present, and foretells that before the next morning, Peter will thrice deny knowing him.^[5][6]”

           That is a lot to absorb.  In a few days we will be observing Holy Thursday, also known as Maundy Thursday, or Sheer Thursday.   In my mind it is a most sacred time when Jesus honored the Jewish observance of Passover, spending it with His followers, those He loved, teaching them, loving them, bringing a new teaching and observances, such as Holy Communion, The Lord’s Supper.  Jesus was always bringing in the new.  Some noticed.  Some did not.  If we think back to the jubilant entry into Jerusalem, just days before, He chose, specifically, to ride an unbroken donkey, one which had not been ridden before, had not been broken before.  “The Gospel of John tells of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles, giving the new commandment “to love one another as I have loved you,” and has a detailed farewell discourse by Jesus, calling the apostles who follow his teachings “friends and not servants,” as he prepares them for his departure” (Wikipedia).  He was doing something new.  As His followers gathered in an upper room to celebrate Passover, He was introducing something new.  And in his predictions of betrayal not once but twice before morning, He served notice of something new about to happen.  In the midst of the old, He was bringing something new, teaching something new, showing unity, oneness, humility, a new way, predicting that which was to come, and doing so as He showed us it is possible to honor the old ways while embracing the new.

                    Holy Thursday and its history might mean something different to you, and that is as it should be, each of us honoring that which is holy to us, while opening our heart to that which is new, that which we hear from The Still Small Voice within, that which is delivered in signs, messages, visions, dreams, and apparitions.  The Holy Spirit is working within each of us to bring us to a place of wisdom.  Let us hear and embrace the messages sent to us from God, through The Holy Spirit, living within each of us.  Let us honor that which is of ancient times, without fearing that which is new, that which is yet to come.

           I share my thoughts to encourage you to ponder your own, making this sacred time one in which we remember and commemorate, with open hearts, allowing our spirits and souls to lift us up from the mundane into the divine.

           Thank you so much for walking this path with me.  Ash Wednesday began many weeks ago, in February, and now here we in the final week of Lent, just days before the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.  Having the opportunity to share with you has made this season unique for me, special in so many ways.  I hope it has brought you a deeper meaning of, and love for, the season of Lent.

The reading I have chosen today is from Matthew 9:17

The Reading

March 26, 2024

“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”  Matthew 9:17