A service of reflection and communion for Maundy Thursday
Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem before the Passover shows us a collision of identities and expectations; Jesus is welcomed as a king but acts as a servant.
Sometimes God uses our individual acts of service to be much more when joined together with what God is already doing.
The servant nature of Jesus shows us not only a demonstration of God’s hospitality, it shows us the direction of God’s hospitality.
Jesus comes not only to serve his people and bring salvation, but also because his heart longs for a desired outcome to take place in the hearts and lives of his people.
Jesus shows us that he is willing to sacrifice everything in order to serve the world he loves; service takes commitment.
Jesus begins his ministry of service from a place of emptiness; the call to serve is not dependent on what we have, but on what we give up.
For most of the book of Job, God remains silent. When God does finally speak up towards the end of the book, Job is left with just one response to give.
As Job finds a path through his moment of struggle, we see his awakening recognition of exactly what he needs: a mediator to step in and advocate on his behalf.
The story of Job forces us to confront a God we cannot always understand; like Job, we search for ways to relate to God in moments when we do not understand.