The Gift Of Love

April 14, 2022

Maundy Thursday

Hope Lutheran Church

Rev. Mary Erickson

1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 22:7-23

The Gift of Love

Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

If you could use only one word to describe Jesus, what word would you choose? There are many words that would aptly describe him. But the one we select as the best fit would speak volumes about who you think he is.

For instance, take the word “righteous.” This would definitely be fitting for Jesus. But if you were to choose this descriptor above all others, then you might picture Jesus as the keeper of all justice. “Righteous” would depict a Jesus who distinguishes between what is good and what is evil. “Righteous” describes Jesus as above all the keeper of the law, the eternal judge who separates the sheep from the goats.

But if the word you used to describe Jesus were “holy,” well, this would depict a very different savior. A holy Jesus sits high in the heavens. A holy Jesus remains unsullied by anything impure or profane. You worship a holy Jesus at a distance. But if Jesus is primarily “holy” he cannot be the brother who draws near.

If I had to choose one word and one word only to describe Jesus, it might be the word “giving.” It’s precisely this giving nature of Jesus that we celebrate on Maundy Thursday. On Maundy Thursday we remember and celebrate all that our savior Jesus has given us.

He could have been holy. He could have remained in the high heavens. He could have clung to his equality with God. But he chose to give us his very self. He chose to bridge the gap between God and us. And so he became fully human. The holy Son became our brother who drew near.

And on this evening, we celebrate one of the greatest gifts he gave us. He gave us this holy supper. And he gave us this holy supper, because he didn’t want his nearness to us to be only a thing in the past, something that happened “once upon a time.” Even now, whenever we celebrate this meal, he comes to us as our savior who draws near.

In our Lord’s supper he pours out his own self. He comes to us in this meal. And to whom? Who does he come to? To the righteous and deserving? Does he share his body and blood only with those who tow the line? Does he separate the sheep from the goats?

No! The words we hear every time we share in this meal give us a clue. Whenever we tell this story, we always preface it with these words: “In the night in which he was betrayed.” He gives this meal within the context of betrayal. In this same night, Judas will betray him; all his disciples will scatter; and Peter will deny he ever knew Jesus. He gives this meal to “goats” such as these.

The amazing thing is that he gives this meal in the night in which he was betrayed. He doesn’t give it to the deserving. He doesn’t give it to those who reciprocate his love. No, in spite of our inadequacy, in spite of our enmity with him and with each other, in spite of our inability to comprehend who he is or exactly how he comes to us in this meal, he gives! “Given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sin.”

At the end of this service, we’ll strip the altar. This stripping of the altar represents what happens after the supper “in the night in which he was betrayed.” After they finish their meal, Jesus and his disciples walk to the nearby Garden of Gethsemane. And Jesus walks to the garden knowing full well that here he will rendezvous with his destiny. Judas will identify him; he’ll be arrested and interrogated; the crowds who, only days before had shouted “hosanna!” will now cry for his crucifixion; he’ll be spat upon and derided, whipped and, at last, killed.

His giving does not end. The giving Lord gives even in his dying. For in dying, he gives us his life. He exchanges his life for our death. He gives his dignity for our humility. He gives his righteousness for our sin. He gives, and it is the measure of his love.