Maundy Thursday

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. ~ Micah 6:8

This is one of my favorite verses, one we should definitely be reminded of often, and attempt to live daily. Micah was convinced that the people of his time had lost sight of the vital ethical dimension of their covenant relationship with God. For him, many of the inhabitants of Judah were being exploited politically and economically. Does that sound familiar? Look around in America today, and then farther to places like Uganda, Rwanda, and Darfur etc.

Micah, who has been called the "prophet to the poor", wanted to cut through the forms of religious and social hypocrisy which he witnessed. God desired only that men and women "do justly," "love mercy," and "walk humbly." In these words, Micah anticipates Jesus' "great commandment" in Matthew 22:36-39:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

...and the "new commandment" which Jesus gave in John 13:34-35:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

The name Maundy Thursday is derived from the Latin word mandatum which means commandment and it refers to the "new commandment" of John 13:34. There is no better time for us than this Maundy Thursday to dedicate ourselves to making the commandment of love and concern for people the central theme of our lives. This is the night that Jesus and the disciples shared in the Last Supper, and where he chose to wash the disciples feet-a true act of service from the one who came to save. Religion, tradition and doctrine was not at the heart of Jesus-people were. He came to love and serve, and we should concentrate on doing the same.

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many". ~Mark 10:45