DAY 37 - MAUNDY THURSDAY

Image by Jay Huang

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A GREETING
Save me, my God!
(Psalm 3:7)

A READING
During supper, Jesus—knowing that God had put all things into his own hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, rose from the table, took off his clothes and wrapped a towel around his waist. He then poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and dry them with the towel that was around his waist.
When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said, “Rabbi, you’re not going to wash my feet, are you?”
Jesus answered, “You don’t realize what I am doing right now, but later you’ll understand.”
Peter replied, “You’ll never wash my feet!”
Jesus answered, “If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.”
Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Then, Rabbi, not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus said, “Any who have taken a bath are clean all over and only need to wash their feet."
(John 13:2b - 10a)

MUSIC


A MEDITATIVE VERSE
“The truth of the matter is,
no subordinate is greater than the superior;
no messenger outranks the sender.
(John 13:16)

A POETIC REFLECTION
Quiet friend who has come so far,
feel how your breathing makes more space around you.
Let this darkness be a bell tower
and you the bell. As you ring,
what batters you becomes your strength.
Move back and forth into the change.
What is it like, such intensity of pain?
If the drink is bitter, turn yourself to wine.
In this uncontainable night,
be the mystery at the crossroads of your senses,
the meaning discovered there.
And if the world has ceased to hear you,
say to the silent earth: I flow.
To the rushing water, speak: I am.
- “Let This Darkness Be a Bell Tower” by Rainer Maria Rilke
Translation by Joanna Macy and Anita Barrows
found on the website for On Being

VERSE OF THE DAY
Once you know all these things,
you’ll be blessed if you put them into practice.
(John 13:17)

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"The Last Supper," by Stanley Spencer (1920).
We return to artist Stanley Spencer whose work was included in the first four days of this devotional. Here, the over-articulated bodies of the disciples are framed in the moment of hearing that someone will betray Jesus. The setting is a malt house in Spencer's native Cookham, England. The crossed feet of the disciples form a kind of ladder leading up to Jesus. The positioning of the feet also prefigures the moment after the meal when Jesus will wash their feet.

The Gospel accounts of the final days of Jesus with the disciples and others are filled with moments when the disciples cannot accept what Jesus is telling them. Jesus tries to warn his friends of what is coming and give them instruction on what it means. Among them they have different ways of hearing and not hearing him. In today's vulnerable exchange between Peter and Jesus, we hear Peter struggling to hold on to his own way of thinking.

Once again, it’s all about feet. It has been mere days since the dinner in Bethany with Mary’s gift of anointing and now Jesus' feet are once again a subject of discussion. This time it is Peter who is asking the questions. Peter can't bring himself to let Jesus wash his feet. Jesus replies that this is how it works in the kindom — all are equal. There is no more hierarchy, no more kings. Still not understanding, Peter suggests that if Jesus is going to bathe him then he will also wash his entire body. Since this would be absurd, he is hoping the absurdity will further prevent the foot washing. Jesus replies that the rest of Peter is already clean, returning Peter’s attention to the feet. Serving each other and making a commitment to community is how we deepen our faith.

When Jesus bathes the feet of the disciples, he is offering his own extravagant love. He is making each person significant through his attention and also making clear that no one is more important than the other. But Jesus perhaps also knows, as he looks at the gathered, that many of these will at some point also be killed for their faith. In this perspective, Jesus is anointing the feet of those who will experience hardship and also die because of their commitment to him.

How might you imagine in prayer today Jesus washing your feet? Would you stop him, not believing yourself to be worthy? Or would you allow yourself to feel the tender embrace of his hands?

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Image by Jay Huang

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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
For those who may wish to pursue an imagined narrative of the events of Holy Week as told through the eyes of Mary Magdalene, this blog was created in 2009 by Deacon Sherry and then republished in 2020.
Palm Sunday.
Holy Monday.
Holy Tuesday.
Holy Wednesday.
Maundy Thursday.
(A new day will be made visible here each day.)


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LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work. 
Thank you and peace be with you!

DAY 20

Image by Apasciuto

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A GREETING
God’s spirit made me;
the Almighty’s breath enlivens me.
(Job 33:4)

A READING
When God began to create the heavens and the earth—
the earth was without shape or form, it was dark over the deep sea,
and God’s wind swept over the waters.
(Genesis 1:1)

MUSIC


A MEDITATIVE VERSE
The Lord God formed the human from the topsoil of the fertile land
and blew life’s breath into his nostrils. The human came to life.
(Genesis 2:7)

A POEM
You who let yourselves feel: enter the breathing
that is more than your own.
Let it brush your cheeks
as it divides and rejoins behind you.
Blessed ones, whole ones,
you where the heart begins:
You are the bow that shoots the arrows
and you are the target.
Fear not the pain. Let its weight fall back
into the earth;
for heavy are the mountains, heavy the seas.
The trees you planted in childhood have grown
too heavy. You cannot bring them along.
Give yourselves to the air, to what you cannot hold.
- from Sonnet IV, Part One of "Sonnets to Orpheus",
by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy

VERSE OF THE DAY
The breath of a person is the lamp of the Lord,
searching all the inmost parts.
(Proverbs 20:27)

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"Radiating My Sovereignty" by Calida Garcia Rawles (2019)
Los Angeles-based artist Rawles paints figures immersed in water, fully clothed.
This painting retells the tradition of Lilith, a figure in Jewish mysticism who was believed 
to have been created at the same time as Adam (see Gen 1:27) and who left the garden 
after refusing to be subservient to him. Recasting the myth as an expression
of independence, the body and face express a oneness with environment.

The torso of the body is the container for our lungs, that which gives us breath and life. The lungs are never mentioned in scripture, but words for "breath" appear more than a hundred times. The Hebrew word "ruach," is "breath" and also "wind" and "spirit." God breathes as the first act of Creation, when "ruach" moves over the face of the deep.

The breath of God is breathed into each of us at our birth and stays with us until the end. During the years inbetween, our breath reflects our state of being: when we are anxious it shortens, when we are relaxed or happy it lengthens. We pant heavily in the act of childbirth, our breath freezes when we have fear. We can see our breath in cold weather, we make bubbles with it underwater when we swim. We sometimes learn to control our breath: when we practice yoga or tai chi or when we are learning to sing, the control of our breath becomes a way of managing our wellness, and expressing our innermost passion.

When we love someone intimately, our breath mingles with theirs: from parent to child, from partner to spouse, from caregiver to loved one. In the same way, God's breath is always within us, stirring us and nurturing us. The wind/breath/Spirit that brings new life also stays within to sustains us. We can draw in a deep breath, praying, "Spirit/wind/breath within," and breathe out again, "Spirit/wind/breath without."

One of the most satisfying ways that the torso of the body finds freedom -- is in swimming. When we swim our body rests and helps to keep us afloat. We hold our breath to go under the water and spray out when we surface. We are in our animal nature in water. Today's music video is the collaborative effort of three artists who had all been experiencing loss. Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson's gentle repetitive theme echoes the gentle stirring of water. The mother and daughter in the water connect and separate and rejoin. Irish filmmaker Clare Langan made the film in the black water of Iceland, so that her subjects could appear to float in an undefined space. Grief affects how we live in our bodies, and it also affects our breath. We shudder and sigh. We cry. Sounds that require breath to live.

In the poem by Rilke, we hear the invitation to "enter the breathing that is more than your own." What can be a spiritual practice today that might help you become more attuned to your breath? How will you use your breath as prayer?

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"Ice Cave," from the cinematic installation, "Earthbound," by Clare Langan (2026).
Langan is an Irish visual artist and filmmaker, who also made today's music video.
Her show will open in the Irish Cultural Center in Paris in April of this year.

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Scripture passages are taken from the Common English Bible.

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LC† From Dust, Still Holy is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work. 
Thank you and peace be with you!