Lessons for April 5, 2007 – Maundy Thursday The first lesson Exodus 12:1-14 Now the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron while they were still in the land of Egypt: [2] "From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. [3] Announce to the whole community that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice. [4] If a family is too small to eat an entire lamb, let them share the lamb with another family in the neighborhood. Whether or not they share in this way depends on the size of each family and how much they can eat. [5] This animal must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no physical defects. [6] "Take special care of these lambs until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then each family in the community must slaughter its lamb. [7] They are to take some of the lamb's blood and smear it on the top and sides of the doorframe of the house where the lamb will be eaten. [8] That evening everyone must eat roast lamb with bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. [9] The meat must never be eaten raw or boiled; roast it all, including the head, legs, and internal organs. [10] Do not leave any of it until the next day. Whatever is not eaten that night must be burned before morning. [11] "Wear your traveling clothes as you eat this meal, as though prepared for a long journey. Wear your sandals, and carry your walking sticks in your hands. Eat the food quickly, for this is the Lord's Passover. [12] On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn sons and firstborn male animals in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! [13] The blood you have smeared on your doorposts will serve as a sign. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt. [14] "You must remember this day forever. Each year you will celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. (NLT) Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 L. I love the Lord because he hears and answers my prayers. C. Because he bends down and listens, I will pray as long as I have breath! L. What can I offer the Lord for all he has done for me? C. I will lift up a cup symbolizing his salvation; L. I will praise the Lord's name for saving me. C. I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people. L. The Lord's loved ones are precious to him; it grieves him when they die. C. O Lord, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, L. and you have freed me from my bonds! C. I will offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. L. I will keep my promises to the Lord in the presence of all his people, C. in the house of the Lord, in the heart of Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! (NLT) The second lesson 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 For this is what the Lord himself said, and I pass it on to you just as I received it. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took a loaf of bread, [24] and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." [25] In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant between God and you, sealed by the shedding of my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it." [26] For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again. (NLT) The Gospel Lesson John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love. [2] It was time for supper, and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. [3] Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. [4] So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, [5] and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him. [6] When he came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, "Lord, why are you going to wash my feet?" [7] Jesus replied, "You don't understand now why I am doing it; someday you will." [8] "No," Peter protested, "you will never wash my feet!" Jesus replied, "But if I don't wash you, you won't belong to me." [9] Simon Peter exclaimed, "Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!" [10] Jesus replied, "A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet, to be entirely clean. And you are clean, but that isn't true of everyone here." [11] For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, "Not all of you are clean." [12] After washing their feet, he put on his robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing? [13] You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because it is true. [14] And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other's feet. [15] I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. [16] How true it is that a servant is not greater than the master. Nor are messengers more important than the one who sends them. [17] You know these things—now do them! That is the path of blessing. [31] Jesus said, "The time has come for me, the Son of Man, to enter into my glory, and God will receive glory because of all that happens to me. [32] And God will bring me into my glory very soon. [33] Dear children, how brief are these moments before I must go away and leave you! Then, though you search for me, you cannot come to me—just as I told the Jewish leaders. [34] So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. [35] Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." (NLT)