Maundy Thursday

At the moment, I am at the Guilford Church while people are setting up for the Maundy Thursday service. It is called "Maundy" because it was on this night that Jesus gave his disciples a new commmandment, and the word "commandment" in Latin is mandatum which in English somehow became "Maundy." This year, our interim pastor, Allyson Platt, has decided to combine the service with a simple meal of soup and bread. So they have set up tables for forty people. Hopefully, that will be enough. Here is how it looks (using Photo Booth on the computer):

Set-up for Maundy Thursday. This has been a fairly quiet week despite being Holy Week. Earlier today I went to a Foot Care Cinic at Putney Cares in Putney - an RN takes care of various foot issues - nails, callouses, etc. Yesterday, I had a dental appointment for cleaning. No cavities! Otherwise, it has been a stay-at-home week, reading a study of The Last Week by John Dominic Crossan and Marcus Borg. It is a thorough and provocative study of what was actually going on the last week of Jesus' life. It is provocative because it challenges some widely-held ideas. E.g., Jesus entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was not a "triumphal entry." It was an intentionally non-violent statement - a non-violent protest, if you will, countering another procession led by the Roman Procurator, Pontius Pilate, going on at the same time on the other side of the city, glorifying in the power and violent oppression of the Roman Empire. Pontius Pilate on his war horse vs. Jesus on his colt. So that has been interesting!