Today is Maundy Thursday, the liturgical calendar’s traditional name for Thursday of Holy week.  Also referred to as Holy Thursday it is observed in commemoration of our Lord’s Last Supper.  It is the anniversary of the institution of the ordinance of communion or as it is called in many traditions, the Eucharist.  And it is also in many Christian traditions a commemorance of the night Jesus washed His disciples feet and demonstrated the meaning of sacrificial love and servanthood.

There is a richness in the historical Christian observances dating back to the churches of the reformation (1500s) and rooted in Roman Catholic and Easter Orthodox practices going all the way back to the first centuries AD, that is sadly missing in modern day evangelicalism.  Traditional practices associated with days like Maundy Thursday have a way of inviting the believer into a more contemplative and sensate worship experience.  Some things are better felt than tell’t as they say.  In this regard the development of western evangelicalism has been too affected by rationalism to the point where the conveyance of Truth gravitates to more of an intellectual exercise than an appeal to all the senses.  

There are many practices associated with Maundy Thursday in the more traditional churches that aid the worshiper in more fully understanding and embracing what Jesus did for us on that day.  In the Roman Catholic tradition communion is the centerpiece of the service and the altars are stripped bare.  In the Episcopalian tradition special “Maundy money” is given to the poor.  In many churches the washing of the feet is a traditional component of Holy Thursday services.  This is true of both the Catholic and Eastern Churches also including many more protestant churches including Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian, as well as the Brethren and Mennonites.

Gary Thomas has written, what I believe will become a classic Christian book, entitled Sacred Pathways. In his book he looks at the differences we all have as individuals in terms of how we best connect with God and most meaningfully worship Him.  He confirms this uniqueness through describing nine different ways that people can experience God in a significant and life changing way.  He terms these pathways – the naturalist, sensate, traditionalist, ascetic, activist, caregiver, enthusiast, contemplative and intellectual.  He makes a strong case using individuals from the Bible to help the reader identify the unique way that God has created us to appreciate and worship Him.

My pathways are as an intellectual and contemplative. But I am thankful for my wife Susan who has been inspiring me to more fully benefit from a sensate and traditionalist approach to experiencing God.  As we approach Easter Sunday may I encourage you to take some time to more fully consider and enter into a deeper appreciation of what Jesus did for us those last days leading up to His resurrection.

Tomorrow we have a very special Good Friday service planned where we will convey Christ’s great sacrificial death on the cross in more than just an intellectual way.  My prayer is that together we can more fully experience and appreciate the depth of His love for us.  What “pathway” do you rely upon to most readily commune with God?