A Maundy Thursday Prayer

Lord Jesus, on this night You knew what was coming. The betrayal, the arrest, the cross — all of it stood just hours away.

And what did You do with Your last free evening? You ate supper with Your friends. You took off Your outer garment, knelt down with a towel and a basin, and washed the road off their feet — even the feet that would run from You, even the feet already turned toward betrayal.

I would have spent that night on myself. You spent it serving.

So tonight I hear Your new commandment as if You were saying it across the table to me: love one another, as I have loved you. Not admire one another. Not tolerate. Love — the towel-and-basin kind, the kind that kneels.

Show me whose feet You are asking me to wash, Lord. The family member, the coworker, the person I'd rather avoid. Bend my pride until it can reach the floor.

In Your holy name, Amen.

When to Pray This

Pray this on the Thursday of Holy Week, before or after an evening service, or at your own supper table. It is worth reading John 13 slowly the same night and letting the scene play out.

A Verse to Hold On To

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." — John 13:34 (KJV)