intro

Maundy Thursday is a time to remember Jesus’ vision of beloved community—where we are each vulnerable enough to wash another’s feet and have our own feet washed, to feed and be fed, to love and be loved. Below is a simple Maundy Thursday service outline. You are free to adapt the following worship outline to fit your community. As this is a very tangible service, it does not translate easily to online or virtual worship. If you are not meeting in person or need an option for those who cannot attend in person, we invite you to adapt this outline using the included suggestions to create an at-home worship guide. Print copies of your guide to send to families so they can worship in their own homes on Maundy Thursday.

Setting the space

We invite you to worship on Maundy Thursday in a more intimate setting, such as in a chapel, fellowship space, or individuals’ homes. As a reminder that the Last Supper was a full meal shared among friends, set a table in the center of your worship space with finger foods such as fruits, nuts, bread, crackers, and cheese for worshipers to take and eat throughout the service. You will also need the Christ candle, foot washing basins and towels, and elements for communion.

setting the mood

This worship outline comes from the Maundy Thursday service I used to lead as the co-pastor of a campus ministry. The first time we celebrated Maundy Thursday with the college students, most had never heard of this holy day in the Christian year. They may have heard of Lent or Ash Wednesday, but all they knew was that Lent was supposed to be a time when you give something up, repent, confess your sins, admit that you are dust and dirt. As an overwhelmingly LGBTQ+ group coming primarily from non- affirming churches, they had been living Lent their entire lives. Then, on Maundy Thursday, as they entered the chapel, they were greeted by a 16 foot banquet table full to the brim with nuts, fruits, and crackers. It was not at all what they imagined Lent to be. Instead, it was a celebration of community, intimacy, and interdependence. Ever since, it has been their favorite worship service of the year. As you set the space, be mindful of how this service can be an invitation to be fully loved by God, just as the disciples were those many years ago.

Music

If possible, have a single guitarist lead the music. This will allow them to lead the recessional at the end of worship as worshipers exit the worship space. We have not included specific suggestions for hymns, but a full list of suggested hymns for the season of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter can be found here. At-home worshipers can utilize the Spotify playlist we have put together.

GATHERING

Prelude

Light the Christ candle during this time if it is not already lit. Depending on your worship space, you might also process in food for the tables, communion elements, basins or pitchers of water, etc. At-home worshipers can prepare their worship space as music is played by lighting a candle and gathering their communion elements.

Welcome & Passing the Peace

Give a brief introduction to Maundy Thursday and the ancient rituals of foot washing and communion. Give any directions worshipers may need to know regarding the food on the tables, foot washing, communion, the recessional hymn, etc. Close the welcome by inviting worshipers to pass the peace of Christ to one another.

Opening Hymn

Call to Worship or Opening Prayer

PROCLAIMING THE WORD

Scripture: John 13:1-17, 31b-35

If you have pitchers of water to fill the foot washing basins, pour the water from the pitcher into the basin as this scripture is being read. Depending on your worship space, you could also begin the service with a full baptistry or font and take water from the baptistry or font to fill the basins using pitchers.

Reflection

Here you might deliver a short homily, practice visio divina with an image such as “By Our Love” by Hannah Garrity (or one of the images at the top of this post), read a Maundy Thursday poem, offer a time of silent or guided meditation, and/or practice lectio divina with the scripture reading.

Foot Washing

You might include the following in your bulletin and/or speak it aloud: “Foot washing is uncomfortable for many people, just as Peter was uncomfortable with Jesus washing his feet. We invite you to lean into this discomfort around vulnerability as we wash one another’s feet tonight.” At-home worshipers can use a large basin or a bathtub to wash one another’s feet.

Hymn

Begin this hymn as people move toward foot washing stations, then continue to play instrumental music underneath. You might choose to repeat the first verse once everyone has returned to their seats.

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26

This passage includes a version of the words of institution spoken during the celebration of communion. Depending on your particular tradition around the eucharist, you might weave this reading creatively into the celebration of communion as a responsive reading.

RESPONDING TO THE WORD PROCLAIMED

Celebrating Communion

Offer the liturgy around communion that is most comfortable for your tradition. When it comes time to serve, pass the elements around the table, as you might pass serving dishes around at a large family meal. For larger crowds, you might pass multiple plates and cups. Play music as communion is being taken.

Recessional Hymn

You might include the following in your bulletin: “Just as Jesus and his disciples left the upper room singing a hymn, we invite you to join us as we recess singing as we carry the Christ light out into the world.” Be sure to print the lyrics in a bulletin that worshipers can carry with them, or choose a hymn with simple repeating words. If you are worshiping in different spaces on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, you might take the Christ candle to the place where you will worship on Good Friday during this recessional hymn. At-home worshipers can simply close their time of worship with this hymn.

Rev. Anna Strickland (she/her) looks for the Divine in the everyday like treasure in clay jars and first encountered God in the integration of her spiritual self and artistic self. She is a native Austinite and graduated from the University of Texas where she now works in college ministry, especially serving LGBTQ students.