Tomorrow is Maundy Thursday.  I have struggled with Holy Week this year; trying to put together worship experiences that convey the human connection and congregational participation that is at the heart of worship in the midst of social distancing, when relying on technology to make that connection is key, has been difficult, at best.  How do believers come to the table when the table is a computer screen?  How do you wash one another’s feet when the act of physically being near someone can be harmful?

On Maundy Thursday we remember the mandate that Jesus gave his friends, to love one another as he not only taught them but showed them, once again, God’s intent for humanity. Love one another. Such simple words to say and yet such a profoundly difficult concept for us to live.  We read in the Gospel of John, Jesus “took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.”  It is in this most humble of acts that we see the self-sacrificing love that we are to offer. This year the way in which we express this love toward each other has shifted drastically; instead of being present, caring for one another in distinctly physical ways, we will express our love by remaining apart, by removing ourselves from our daily lives outside our homes in order to care for the most vulnerable among us.  Instead of eating together at a table, we will eat bread with our families or alone.  Instead of washing one another’s feet, we will wash our own hands.  Because these acts are acts of love in this time of global pandemic, they are holy.  We serve a God who is present with us regardless of our location.  As we gather in our homes, God’s presence will turn any kitchen or coffee table into an altar where we come to take the bread and drink from the cup and will transform ordinary elements of bread and juice into the tangible love that nourishes our soul and gives us strength to continue to do what it takes to care for one another. 

So ultimately, does it matter if all of my worship plans are changed for Holy Week?  No, God will show up, and I have a feeling, we will see God show up in amazing ways we couldn’t ever anticipate.