'He loved them to the end': A Maundy Thursday to remember
An emotional service recalled Christ’s love, humility and the road to the cross.
The Holy Spirit was especially present at our Maundy Thursday service this week.
You know you’re in a powerful and meaningful service when even the clergy are holding back tears.
That’s what happened at Good Shepherd Anglican Church in Cornelius, N.C., as we gathered to remember the night Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and instituted the Lord’s Supper.
Our deacon began reading the Gospel — John 13:1-15 — and paused, overcome with emotion at the opening words:
“Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.”
She had to stop for several seconds to collect herself. Jesus “loved his own … to the end.” What a holy moment.
Later, as we prepared to receive communion, our assistant pastors’ voice cracked and quivered while reading the prayer of consecration, which includes these words:
“Drink this, all of you; for this is My Blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you, and for many, for the forgiveness of sins: Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of Me.”
It was a service not just remembered — but deeply felt.
Another powerful moment came during the foot-washing. More than 20 congregants stepped forward — not just to have their feet washed by pastors, as is customary — but to wash one another’s feet.
Husbands washed the feet of their wives, and wives of their husbands. Parents knelt before their children, and children before their parents. Friends humbled themselves before friends.
It was deeply moving.
A simple act of love, echoing what Jesus did for his disciples that night 2,000 years ago — and what he still does for us today.
What is Maundy Thursday?
Maundy Thursday in the Anglican Church commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples and marks the beginning of the Triduum, the three holy days leading to Easter.
Key elements typically include:
Foot washing, reflecting Jesus’ act of humble service in John 13.
Holy Communion, recalling the institution of the Lord’s Supper.
Stripping of the altar, symbolizing Christ’s abandonment and the approach of Good Friday.
Tenebrae or silent prayer, sometimes following the service, for reflection and mourning.
The term “Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning “commandment,” referring to Jesus’ command to love one another.
Stripping the altar
As the pastors quietly removed the candles, chalice and other sacred elements during the stripping of the altar, my mind turned to the Upper Room in Jerusalem — the site of the Last Supper.
When our deacon carefully folded the white altar cloth and replaced it with black, I pictured a restaurant server clearing a table after a meal, preparing it for the next day.
At the same time, I imagined Jesus and his disciples finishing their Passover meal, already making their way to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, Jesus would kneel in agony, pleading with the Father — and yet still surrendering to his will.
From there, Jesus was betrayed by Judas, seized by Roman soldiers, and brought before the Jewish authorities — events that set in motion his trial before Pilate, his brutal crucifixion, and, ultimately, his victorious resurrection.
Maundy Thursday leads us to Good Friday, which we will commemorate tonight. It’s the moment that shook the universe, when our Lord revealed the depth of his love for us by laying down his life and bearing the weight of our sin.