Maundy Thursday
We gather together to remember this night Jesus spent with his disciples before he dies on Friday. We will share a meal together. Our meal will be served and have symbolic significance. And then, as recorded in John 13, we will remember and reenact what Jesus did in washing his disciples feet. We will hear the words, "for I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."
The Meal:
Lentils
are a traditional mourner’s meal for the Jews. In Jewish tradition, it is said that the lentil stew Jacob cooked (for which Esau sold Jacob his birthright, Genesis 25:29-34) was meant for his father Isaac, who was mourning the death of his father Abraham.
Raw celery
represents the bitter herbs reminiscent of the Passover meal. It symbolizes the bitterness and harshness of the slavery the Hebrews endured in Egypt. At the Last Supper, they alluded to the bitter suffering Christ was about to endure on the cross.
Applesauce with cinnamon and dried cranberries
is a substitution for haroset, a sweet, dark-colored paste made of fruits and nuts. It represents the mortar used by the Israelites while in bondage in ancient Egypt.
Unleavened bread
signifies Christ’s body, which was broken on the cross. Unleavened bread is served during Passover, commemorating the Exodus out of Egypt. Since the children of Israel left Egypt hastily, they did not have time for the bread to rise.
