Maundy Thursday

Based on the Gospel reading: John 13.1-17;31b-35 - Delivered to St Mary’s Church, Shortlands on Thursday 14 April 2022

There were two important rituals introduced at what we call the Last Supper, the Supper that Jesus shared with his disciples, one was the institution of Holy Communion: do this in remembrance of me.  The other was the ritual of foot washing.

One we do every week, once at least.  The other we do not do at all or perhaps once a year as a tableau but very few churches – there are exceptions – do it as a regular part of their worship.

As a woman, I would like to tentatively suggest that we do not do it regularly because it is an intimate and physical gesture that women, more used to nappies and monthly blood, are less pernickety about bodily fluids.

But like all generalisations there are many and myriad exceptions to that sweeping statement – I think of the wonderful male nurses and carers I have experienced

I also remember when Deane was a potboy at a pub in Poole and part of this job was to clean the male toilets on a Friday and Saturday evening.

So, where to begin? We cannot understand Jesus’ extraordinary act of foot washing without bringing in the person of Mary Magdalene.

Please listen to the words of Cynthia Bourgeault in her wonderful and highly recommended book: ‘The Meaning of Mary Magdalene, firstly we are introduced to a theory that Mary Magdalene is fragmented throughout the gospels in the women we meet.  This is beautifully and skilfully argued in this book. So to the passage:

When Mary Magdalene is returned to her traditional role as the anointer of Jesus, a very important symmetry is also restored. We see that Jesus’s passage through death is framed on either side by her parallel acts of anointing.

At Bethany (Cynthia is casting Mary Magdalen in the role of Mary in John 12.1-8 at the house of Lazarus) she, Mary, sends him forth to the cross wearing the unction of her love. And on Easter morning he awakens to that same fragrance of love as she arrives at the tomb with her spices and perfumes, expecting to anoint his body for death. He has been held in love throughout his entire passage. As Bruce Chilton [1]succinctly summarizes: “She connects his death and Resurrection.” And she accomplishes this precisely by bracketing the entire experience in the parallel rituals of anointing. In so doing, Chilton adds, “Mary Magdalene established the place of anointing as the central ritual in Christianity, recollecting Jesus’s death and pointing forward to his resurrection.”

So in simple terms Mary Magdalene is the book ends of the Passion narrative – she anoints Jesus 6 days before the Passover Festival to prepare him for the Cross, (John 12.1-8), and she is the first witness to the resurrection. (John 20. 11-18) She ties together the whole narrative.

Cynthia Bourgeault goes as far as to suggest that it is Mary that teaches Jesus this ritual for the New Covenant and its place in the Gospel gives it prominence and importance.  It symbolises the New Instruction that Jesus gives to the disciples:

John 13. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 

34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

How is Jesus to instil this commandment in the hearts of his disciples – by standing up, putting a towel around his waist and kneeling before each one of them in turn in this intimate act.

Let us have a look at anointing more closely

Firstly, and super importantly, it establishes the full humanity of Jesus and validates the bodies of his followers. Those who have received Reflexology will know that the feet echo every part of the human body. Reflexology is used to heal part of the body through the feet.

Massaging the feet is also a warming up exercise in Pilates.

It is not surprising that Jesus, bringing wholeness and healing would use this symbolism. So by washing his disciples’ feet he is touching every part of their physical humanity – inside and out – and touching their emotions and spirits.

Secondly, Jesus uses anointing in his healing – not necessarily with oil or expensive perfume – in Bethsaida he uses spittle to heal the man born blind. (Mark 8.22-26).

To be fair, although we do not have a regular ritual of foot-washing, priests do anoint with oil at baptism, healing, and death. Here at St Mary’s you have used oil at your healing services.

But I believe the most important learning from the foot-washing comes here:

John 13.13You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord, and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 

Jesus’ final point is about true Servant Leadership – genuine Servant Leadership, not just lip service to a motivational technique for making more money.  Again, sweeping generalisation, I have met some committed, authentic servant leaders in my life and yes, their businesses are successful – but profits are born out of true compassion for their employees.

But in this servant leadership lesson there is something more powerful and supernatural going on.

The lesson is echoed in Jesus’ response to James and John wanting to sit at his right and left in Heaven recorded in Mark’s gospel[2] and in Matthew’s the request comes from their Ambitious mother!

In the world there are tyrants and bullies, my disciples are not to behave like that. We are to be servant leaders.

The important thing to note is this is not Christ Jesus being meek and mild or kind. This is turning the kingdoms of the world on their head. It is also turning the supernatural demonic kingdoms on their head.

It is completely counter-cultural for the disciples. It does not conform to the world; it establishes on earth as it is in heaven. It is the leadership model of the God of Love not the poor shadow that is currently many earthly leaders.

The God of Love through Jesus demonstrates empowerment, facilitation, and compassion. It is emotionally and spiritually intelligent.

It is the model that any individual Christian, any church, and the Church should understand and aspire to.

It is the leadership in the model of Christ that will bring Kingdom values into the worldliness of any situation that we inhabit: work, family, and ministry. By ministry include any activity done in or on behalf of the church or any other organisation as a paid role or as a volunteer. Every single conversation, interaction, relationship should demonstrate our understanding and commitment to these principles.

It is completely pointless to gather to consume the body and blood of our Saviour if we do not embody his demonstration of servant leadership to those not yet saved into the kingdom.

We are only obeying one half of what Jesus told us to do.

Let us pray that you and I are beacons of servant leadership in all that we do and ask the Holy Spirit to give us the grace and patience to achieve that desire.

God will give us the growth!

[1] Bruce Chilton p.52 Mary Magdalene: A Biography (New York, Doubleday/Image, 2005),

 Bourgeault, Cynthia. The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity (p. 267). Shambhala. Kindle Edition.

[2] Mark 10.42-45 NRSV

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday 17 April 2022 - delivered to St Mary’s Church, Shortlands. The gospel reading was Luke 24.1-12

Note: the church was well attended by visitors and occasional worshippers; my aim was to deliver a short sharp message with a choice!

There was a lot going on during the death and resurrection of Jesus.

 One question that we push aside is: why did Jesus really have to die?  He died so that God could work out his ineffable plan. He really died as you and I will die – as a human man.

 When Jesus died and was laid in the tomb, there were people and others (we’ll come to those in a moment), who thought they had won!

They thought they had messed up God’s ineffable plan! The ineffable plan of God’s salvation for the human beings that he created out of love and to be in loving relationship with him.

 Sadly people reject God and follow their own path – not realising that they substitute the love of God Almighty for a Devil, who we call the Prince of Lies, that only wishes them harm.

 At Jesus’ death, the forces of evil, the Prince of Lies and his minions believed they had out played the hand of God Almighty. By killing God’s Son, they were even more in control.

 The leaders of the Temple and the Government thought they had removed a nuisance and could return to normal.

 Sadly for them Christ Jesus was there at the beginning, and he will be there at the end for the great Reset. The Alpha and Omega, all time belongs to him.

 God knew exactly what he was doing, and Jesus was obedient.  His death allowed God to demonstrate his power.

 Jesus’ death took sin and disobedience to God Almighty and nailed it to that terrible cross. Not just for you and me but for all people.

 We celebrate today that Jesus’ death was not the end. God demonstrated who is boss in the earthly and heavenly realms by raising him from the dead. The Devil did not expect that!  Human kind did not expect that.  God’s power is without compare or competition.  And so is his Love.

 Power and Love. God’s power makes it possible to change the lives, and deaths of his people, all who choose to be his people. The golden thread that runs throughout time as recorded in the bible, becomes our golden thread of new life.

 But God never forces us.  What he does is give us a choice; to come back in relationship with him or to stay as we are.

 We can remain dead in the tomb wallowing around with our substitutes and shadows of life in all its fullness, perhaps living with guilt, shame or resentment.

Or we can choose to burst forth into a new life with the risen Christ.

 Right now all our sins, past, present, and future, all our guilt, regret, disappointment, broken relationships and shame can be nailed right now to that terrible cross.

 And in a moment, the power that raised Christ Jesus him from the dead gives us new life of promise and new possibility, and eternal life in his presence.

 This Easter can be so much more than Easter prosecco and chocolate, although I am open to that idea too!

 It could be the joy and peace of a risen life with Christ Jesus.  It could happen right now for those who have never known Him as their Saviour and those who have drifted away. Not complicated – just a choice. We just have to tell him that we believe and he will do the rest!

 And that is what we call the Good News!