Maundy Thursday Worship - Retreat House Spirituality Center
Opening from Rev Dr. Lil Smith
Why this night is so different?? This worship, this meal the same??
Prayer
Lord's Prayer
Scripture - John 13:1-17, 31b-35 - Foot Washing
Walking with Jesus and the Disciples to the Garden Meditation- With Tonya Minton We will be connecting the mind and body through this meditation. I invite you to put down anything in your hands and sit back in your chair or lay down if that is more comfortable for you. Put your palms facing up if that is comfortable for you, this is a posture of receiving. Relax, close your eyes or soften your gaze and bring your attention to your breath. breathe in and breathe out.....see your breath as it flows into your body and your chest rises and she your breath as your exhale and see your chest fall. follow the rise and fall of your body as you breathe. Now notice on each exhale how your body relaxes and relaxes a bit more. give your body permission to relax. relax the crow of your head, relax the back of your head relax your eyes, your ears, your nose, your lips your chin relax your face, relax your neck relax your shoulders, relax you upper right arm, you lower right arm your right hand your right fingers your right wrist right elbow your right shoulder, relax your left upper arm, relax your left lower arm, left hand, left fingers, left wrist, left elbow left shoulder, your right chest, left chest, right side back, left side back your spinal cord right hip, your left hip right tailbone your left tailbone your right upper leg right lower leg right foot right toes right ankle right knee right hip. relax you left upper leg, left lower leg left foot, left toes, left ankle, left knee left hip, relax your whole body X2.
Now imagine yourself in sitting among the disciples at the table with Jesus tonight. look around the room, what do you see?? What are the colors of everyone’s robes, what are the shapes of the foods on the table?? What do you smell?? can you still smell the fruit of the vine from the ceremony that Jesus just shared with you and the disciples. How do you feel and how do your feet feel.... relaxed from Jesus washing them?? Can you smell the water that was used?? Run your hand along the edge of the table and notice how the wood feels soft and strong at the same time from many years of use. What do you hear, try to pick out conversations around the table, what do you hear?? How do you feel right now?? You have eaten a meal maybe you feel full and satisfied, you have had your feet washed. You have been a part of something you have never done before. Maybe you have a feeling of expectancy?? -wait-
Now Jesus is wanting to take a walk to the Garden of Gethsemane. He seems a little sad even through you all connected over a wonderful meal. As you are walking along side the disciples and Jesus you remember what happened over that wonderful meal you just shared ...... Judas, Jesus using strange words during the meal and how he let you know how things were changing, Jesus strange behavior in washing your feel and the words he used. He was YOUR feet, all of the disciples feet. Notice that the other disciples are sad and seem a bit confused as you are. Jesus is anticipating what is going to happen to him in a matter of hours. It's confusing to you because you don't fully understand. You notice that the other disciples also seem to be feeling a bit confused. Jesus wants to go to the garden to pray. As you are walking together as a group the night feels perfect, it's warm but not too warm there is a breeze but not so much that you get cold, the sky is clear, and the stars are shining. you can hear the crickets chirping in distance. You are feeling content. Yet unsettled because you can see that Jesus is deeply distressed and troubled. He wants to go to the Garden to pray. You think that the Garden is a perfect place to pray because the beauty and life that is thriving there feels like God is very close. What do you see in the garden as you look around?? Can you see the beautiful new growth on the plants and trees?? What do you smell as you are walking?? Can you smell the fresh scent of the jasmine?? what other plants can you smell?? Can you feel the light warmth and coolness in the evening breeze?? Can you feel how full you are from your meal?? Can we feel how long of a day and week you have had?? Are your eye lids feeling heavy?? As you are walking along, Jesus asks you, Peter, James and John to wait with him while he prays. You watch him go and fall to the ground clearly burdened with excessive sorrow. If you listen closely you can almost overhear the prayer conversation between Jesus and the Father. Something about Jesus being arrested soon, him being tried, brutally mocked, beaten and it sounds like he is saying something about being crucified and being the weight of the sin for the entire world. You don't really understand, and you can't imagine the ultimate significance of the prayer and what is going on. You can hear Jesus saying how he knows the cost that he was going to pay for the sins of the world. Jesus prays for unity because he knew how hard this was going to be. He prays for Joy next; He knows that we will have many sorrows and sadness and heart breaking times and we will struggle to be joyful. He wants us to find joy in the midst of this. His prayer now turns to one of protection. protection from the enemy who wants to discourage, defeat, and divide us. Jesus prays for us to grow spiritually and to be in the presence of God and see his glory and experience his great love for us. As you listen to these beautiful prayers you feel a peace come over you like one you have never felt before. Sit and relax in the warmth of this place and the peace of being near Jesus and the disciples for a couple of minutes. -wait-
Feel gratitude for this time you have had with Jesus and the disciples and maybe say a silent prayer of thanks and pray for Jesus to have the courage, strength and bravery needed to carry out the tasks before him. -wait- slowly start to deepen your breath and feel the rise and fall of your body as you breathe. slowly start to wiggle your fingers and your toes. slowly stretch your arms and your legs and slowly stretch how your body needs to stretch. Slowly, Keeping your eyes closed or softly focused bring your hands together to the heart center and I invite you to join me in prayer followed by a few minutes of silence.
prayer----SLOW--
Heavenly Father, Holy Lord, creator of all, Thank you for this time, this space, these people worshiping together tonight, Thank you for these beautiful hearts who are searching for you. Forgive us when we fall asleep to Your ways and help us learn to forgive ourselves for the times when we have let fear, or confusion, or our own need to try to control our world - when we’ve allowed so many things to stop us from simply stopping, listening, and going to our own places of refuge and talking to you, but also listening to what You have to say to us. There are times when our hearts are so heavy, our heads so confused, our bodies so weary - and these are the times, oh God, these are the times we need to know You are still inviting us to come close and though we may not know what is ahead we take solace in knowing that you are always there and nothing separates us from you.
5 minutes of silence
Holy Communion - Rev. Dr. Lil Smith
Prayer and Blessing - Rev Dr. Lil Smith
This service can we viewed in it's entirety on Retreat House Spiritual Center Facebook page here.