Develop a Discipleship System
Call to Worship
Just as the disciples gathered in a room with Jesus, so we gather in this place, ready to watch, listen, and pray on this Holy Thursday.
We come to remember and encounter Love Incarnate, who sets us free.
As Jesus kneels to wash the dirt from the disciples’ feet, we join in their surprise; we’ve never seen a Savior who acts like a servant.
We come to remember and encounter Love Incarnate, who sets us free.
As Jesus calls the disciples to wash one another’s feet, we receive with them a new commandment: to love one another as Jesus has loved us.
We come to remember and encounter Love Incarnate, who sets us free.
Beloved, come. Come to kneel as a servant, come to the table with your fellow disciples, come to worship Love Incarnate, who sets you free.
We come to remember and to worship God who has loosed our bonds and set us free to love one another as God has loved us.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024.
Opening Prayer
Holy God, source and sovereign, you put all power and authority into the hands of Christ— Christ, who washes our feet in humble service. Teach us to love one another as Christ has loved us, so that everyone will know that we are his disciples; through Jesus Christ, our Teacher and Friend, we pray. Amen.
Adapted from Presbyterian Church (USA) Resources for Maundy Thursday (page 1) posted at https://www.pcusa.org/site_media/media/uploads/theologyandworship/pdfs/resources_for_maundy_thursday.pdf.
Prayer of Confession
Merciful, Mighty, Matchless One,
You have loved us to the end.
There was betrayal in our heart,
Yet you loved us anyway.
You knew we would deny you,
Yet you loved us anyway.
In our selfishness, we balked, we objected, we disapproved,
Yet you loved us anyway.
We sought to point the finger at anyone other than ourselves,
Yet you loved us anyway.
Forgive us, we pray.
Renew our healing convictions,
Restore our call to service,
Rekindle our flame for justice,
That we may once again become your people of peace.
Offer silent prayers of confession.
Assurance
Receive the good news.
The One who created us has called us.
There is now no condemnation,
No shame at the table of God.
Only the love that makes us whole again.
Only the love we offer others.
In God’s name, we are forgiven.
In God’s name, we have been set free. Amen.
Adapted from Michael Anthony Howard on the Worship Ways website at https://www.ucc.org/worship-way/maundy-thursday-c-april-14-2022/.
Benediction
May you go now in the blessing of the Triune God to love your neighbors, yourself, and all creation with the love Christ has demonstrated for us this day and every day. Amen.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024.
Communion Liturgy
The following liturgy for Holy Communion incorporates the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet and giving his disciples a new commandment. If a separate foot-washing ritual is not an option in your congregation, consider setting up stations in your worship space where congregants can wash each other’s hands as they make their way forward to receive Communion. At each station, include a basin of water and hand towels that congregants can use after they finish washing each other’s hands.
As part of incorporating the foot-washing narrative into the Communion liturgy, place a pitcher of water, a towel, and a basin on the altar in addition to the Communion elements. Alternatively, place the pitcher and towel on the altar and use the baptismal font as the basin. It is recommended that the celebrant be joined by another pastor—particularly if you have a deacon on staff or in connection with your church—or a layperson who can assist during the liturgy.
Celebrant:
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts. (The celebrant may lift hands and keep them raised.)
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is right, and a good and joyful thing,
always and everywhere to give thanks to you,
almighty God, creator of heaven and earth.
In the beginning, you hovered over the waters and
poured out your love over the formless void,
turning chaos into life.
You formed us in your image
and provided for us from the fruit of creation.
When we turned away, and our love failed,
Your steadfast love never failed.
You set the Israelites free and brought them through the waters.
When they doubted and complained,
You provided manna from heaven and water from a rock.
Even when we betrayed and broke covenant with you,
You never abandoned us.
And so, with your people on earth and all the company of heaven
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
The celebrant may lower hands.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The celebrant may raise hands.
Holy are you, and blessed is your Son, Jesus Christ.
When we turned away from you and abused your gifts,
you gave us in him your crowning gift.
Divine Love poured out in human form,
Christ fed the hungry, healed the sick,
ate with the scorned and forgotten,
and taught us how to love by incarnating Love among us.
By the baptism of his suffering, death, and resurrection,
you gave birth to your church,
delivered us from enslavement to sin and death,
and made with us a new covenant by water and the Spirit.
Pastor/layperson takes the towel and raises the pitcher of water while the celebrant says:
On the evening in which he gave himself up for us,
Jesus rose from the supper table and took a pitcher of water.
He poured it into a basin, knelt down, and began to wash the disciples’ feet.
When he was finished, he sat down and spoke with the disciples, saying,
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.
Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
Pastor/layperson pours the water into the basin or baptismal font.
Celebrant and pastor/layperson prepare the Communion elements together.
The celebrant may hold hands, palms down, over the bread, or touch the bread, or lift the bread.
That same night, Jesus took bread,
gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
The celebrant may hold hands, palms down, over the cup, or touch the cup, or lift the cup.
When the supper was over, he took the cup,
gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said:
"Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
The celebrant may raise hands.
And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.
The celebrant may hold hands, palms down, over the bread and cup.
As Christ, Divine Love poured out for us,
came to show us how to love one another,
pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ,
redeemed by his blood and called to
love one another as Christ loves us.
For it is by this love that everyone will know
We are his disciples.
The celebrant may raise hands.
By your Spirit, make us one with Christ,
one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world,
until Christ comes in final victory, and we feast at his heavenly banquet.
Through your Son, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy church,
all honor and glory is yours, almighty God, now and forever.
Amen.
If you include stations for handwashing, direct congregants to go to one of the stations first to wash one another’s hands in pairs. Invite them to cup water in their own hands and pour it over the other’s hands while saying a simple blessing like, “You are a beloved child of God” or “May the love of Christ surround you.” Then, the pair will switch roles.
Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2024. Adapted from “The Great Thanksgiving for Holy Thursday Evening,” Copyright © 1972 The Methodist Publishing House; Copyright © 1980, 1981, 1985 UMPH; Copyright © 1986 by Abingdon Press; Copyright © 1987, 1989, 1992 UMPH. Used by permission.”
