Maundy Thursday for Dummies

Well, I just learned something new. You've seen all the Dummies books, right? There's Personal Finance for Dummies, Excel for Dummies, Anatomy and Physiology for Dummies,  Digital Photography for Dummies and just about everything else for Dummies. While the titles are kind of rude, they are often very useful books. I just learned that there is also Christianity for Dummies. I've not read the book and am not endorsing it or anything but I was intrigued that there was such a thing.

The part of the book I did read was about Maundy Thursday. You see, today is Maundy Thursday. It is a commemoration of a really important day in Christian History. Here's what Richard Wagner says in Christianity For Dummies...

"Within the midst of the Easter season, Maundy Thursday — the Thursday before Easter — is one Christian holy day that many Christians and even many churches often overlook, yet it symbolizes a critically important truth of the Christian faith: Jesus as a suffering servant and the call for his followers to do the same. It also draws a connection between the Passover sacrifice, a Jewish tradition, and Jesus Christ’s sacrificial role on the cross."

As I mentioned before, this week is called Holy Week for many Christians. It starts with Palm Sunday when we are talking about Jesus returning to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover, a Jewish day celebrating God's freeing of the Israelites (aka Jewish or Hebrew people) from slavery from the Egyptians. That event took place generations before, during Old Testament/Torah times. So, Jesus is in Jerusalem and he and his disciples had a Passover Supper together. They had probably each done this with their own families every year prior. This year it was to be much more than that, though they didn't really quite get it yet. You see, this event took place just the night before Jesus was to be crucified.

Jesus used this last night to give instructions to his disciples. He was preparing them for his death. I expect much of what he taught them didn't fully make sense until after the horror of his crucifixion took place. He told them more about his purpose and he prepared them for the Holy Spirit that would be with them when Jesus returned to heaven. He showed them how to become as servants to one another; he himself washed their feet. That takes real humility.

Tonight there will be many Christian Churches around the world who will be having foot washing ceremonies. It isn't really pretty. Humility isn't always pretty. 

Another very important thing he did, then, was to share the bread and wine with his disciples in a new way. This is where Christians get what we now refer to as communion. It is all about Jesus' sacrifice for us with the bread being his body and the wine being his blood. I know it sounds a bit ghoulish but it is really quite beautiful, a physical way to remember we have taken Jesus into ourselves. We refer to that event as the Last Supper. Christian churches around the world will also be serving communion tonight, as well as any given Sunday of the year.

It was also that night that Jesus gave a command (the word Maunday comes from the Latin word for command, mandatum) that is both beautiful and difficult to follow:

John 13:34-35

New International Version (NIV)

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.

I can't quite imagine what that night was like for Jesus. He loved these friends and he knew that they were going to have some rough times ahead of them, to say the least. He also knew that one of them was about to betray him. He knew that he was about to suffer a lot of physical and emotional pain. From the Bible we know that he didn't want to have to go through that. He did it out of obedience to God and out of love for us. That is such a great lesson to us for how we are to behave, basing our actions always out of obedience to God and love for one another. Easier to say than to do.

So you see, Maunday Thursday represents something very basic to Christianity. It ties together events from the Old Testament and the New Testament. It sets into motion changes that have a powerful impact on Christians now, all these years later. I've just barely touched on the main points. There is so much depth to the teaching from that night, I hope you will want to know more.

To read more about that Thursday, Jesus Last Supper and his instructions for his disciples and us, please click here, here, here or here. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each wrote about that night.

photos from freedigitalphotos.net by Stuart Miles, Evgeni Dinev, Dan and Vichaya Kiatying-Angsulee

Politics and Religion

In our country it has always been important to maintain the separation of church and state.  It is important to Americans that the government does not interfere with our freedom to practice our religion.  It is also important to us that any one religion not have the power to control our government.  I have never heard an American say that they want a government based religion.  I think the idea of separation of church and state is a value upheld by those of faith and those who deny a spiritual belief.

As it turns out, though, such an ideal is not always that easy to clarify.  I'll use an extreme example to more quickly get to my point.  What if a religious group believes in human sacrifice?  Clearly, our government would step in to uphold the laws of our nation.  I don't think many would disagree with that.  A more modern example would be rules and regulations regarding fire safety.  Another pastor's wife was recently telling me that their little congregation, having purchased an older church building, found they were required to spend $30,000 on a new sprinkler system in order to be allowed to worship in that building.  They may have preferred to spend that money to help a missionary or to buy new pews or something.  They did not have that choice.  They did not get to choose if they were willing to worship in a building without a working sprinkler system.  They were mandated to have a sprinkler system.  You see, church and state boundaries do cross.

Another example of the blurring of the lines between church and state regards marriage.  In our country's history we've seen the government step in to tell those of the Mormon religion that they can not practice polygamy, even though that was part of their religious belief.  Native Americans' beliefs regarding bald eagles conflicted with our government's protection of bald eagles.  Do you see what I mean?

Yesterday, I was asked if I believed that people should maintain separation of church and state when they vote.  The person went on to say that it was wrong for an individual to use their religious beliefs as the premise for how they place their vote.  I was kind of surprised by the question.  I was also in a hurry as I had patients waiting for me.  I don't really think it is always wise to discuss politics as work but I didn't want to just rudely blow her off.  My answer to her wasn't very well thought out but what I told her was that it is impossible for me to separate my beliefs from my vote.  How a person votes is totally based on their beliefs, religious or otherwise.

I thought about that quick little conversation off and on all day, and still this morning.  Separation of church and state is a very complicated and imperfect ideal.  I think it is an important ideal for our nation.  I think that in order to protect the rights of everyone, it is an ideal we must keep working to maintain.  I also think we need to realize there will be a blurring of those lines as well, such as the implementation of building codes, etc.

However, I don't think that it means we should not be allowed to draw upon our individual beliefs as we make our decision on how we vote.  That would be impossible!  Every day of our lives we are getting input from many sources such as family, co-workers, religious teachings and even the media.  All of that input can influence our values and beliefs.  To ask me to set aside my spiritual beliefs when I vote would be to ask me to go to the polls with no thoughts in my head.  I can't do it.  I am a whole person and I can't separate from myself.  Does that make sense?

Today, Americans have a chance to vote.  We have the right to vote as we wish on any candidate and any issue.  What goes on in our head, how we come to any decisions regarding our vote, is our own business.  With all the imperfections, with all the mess of democracy, with all the blurred lines, I am still grateful for the right to vote and the right to make my own decisions regarding that vote.

Death Can Bring Out the Best or the Worst in People

One thing I've learned as a hospice nurse is that the death and dying process can bring out the best or the worst in family members.  It is part of our job to educate and comfort family members as well as the patients.  We teach them what to expect, what symptoms may develop, how we will help them and things like that.  Sometimes we have to help family members understand each other.

There are times when family members cause a patient more pain and suffering than their disease process causes.  Two adult children arguing over a parent's possessions, while the parent is still present, is a heart-breaking event.  In some cases there may be one family member who has been the caretaker for the patient for months or even years,  only to be criticized by another who shows up near the end.  There are times when a hospice nurse has to guide people to being their best version of themselves.  Sometimes a hospice nurse has to remind people that they have the choice to forgive or hold on to their anger.  These are not things I expected in nursing, but I find satisfaction in the effort.

More often than not, though, I see examples of remarkable sacrifices and acts of love.  I encounter people who guide me to be a better version of myself.  I see spouses spending all day, every day, at the bedside of their loved one.  I peeked in to check on a patient this week to find her in her bed asleep, with her spouse in a chair pulled up close to her bed.  They were holding hands.  They were both asleep.  Is that not sweet?

I've seen adult children who do everything they can to keep their parent as healthy and happy as long as possible.  I've seen them sacrifice of their own time to care for them when they could not care for themselves.  I've often heard statements along the lines of "I will do whatever needs done."  Sometimes "whatever needs done" can be tasks that are not so very pleasant, tasks that are humbling for both patient and caretaker.  I hear family members telling me how remarkable their loved one was and why they would do anything for them.  I love that.

These are the things I'm thinking about today.  Thanks for "listening".

Pardon My Lenten Smile

So why am I starting my Ash Wednesday Post with a picture from Christmas?  Well, I think I am trying to remind myself that we don't have one without the other.  Tonight this church will begin to fill with people again, but they will not have the same spirit of rejoicing that we have for Christmas.  However, I think we need to remember that we don't have Lent if Jesus isn't born of a virgin.  That sweet little baby in the precious manger scene shown here is the same Son of God who came to be man and to die a miserable death to wipe away our guilt.  We need to know and appreciate the entire story, not just the fun parts.

We don't have Easter if Jesus doesn't first teach us who he is and who we are through him.  We don't get to Easter without learning the suffering that led to it.  And for me, it is all about Easter.  I can't wait for Easter!  But for now, I need to settle down and focus on Lent.

At our church this year we have a theme, "Christ in the Strangest Places".  We join with two other congregations for our Lent Services.  I can't wait to hear what they do with that theme!  I'll update you when I know more!

I grew up in the church, but not in one that observed Lent.  Lent isn't something mandated Biblically, but rather a tradition incorporated as a way to help us focus on Jesus' life and teaching, including his pain and suffering.  It is considered a "season" of the church calendar year.

Mostly what I knew about Lent as a child was that a lot of people did not eat chocolate.  I also noted that some of the fast food chains offered fish sandwiches on Fridays as some follow the custom of no meat but fish on Fridays.  I've learned that the whole idea beyond giving up something, anything, for Lent is to remind us that Jesus gave up everything for us.  Lent is not considered a happy time, but rather a thoughtful time.  I once had a button, though, that said, "Pardon my Lenten Smile".  I liked that.  I can't go around with a long face for 6 weeks!  Maybe that is because I know how the story ends.  As Cordelia said to me during that scary Strawberry Shortcake Movie,  "Don't worry Grandma.  Everything will be ok in the end."

One year Mike talked about adding something for Lent, instead of focusing on deprivation.  I liked that!  I like the idea of adding prayer time or adding more time for devotions or adding a good deed or something like that.  What do you think of that idea?  Do you have any good ideas for adding something to your life for Lent?