Who's in the Conversation     A conversation among the following scholars and pastors
“In commemoration of the institution of the Lord’s Supper, we are invited to read these passages in communities of celebration and caring as we share our joys and sorrows.” Sheena Mayrant	“I hope the church’s observance of the rituals and acts of Holy Week can embody a full love for one another and strive to serve one another as equals.” Jill Marshall	“In John, we encounter the celebration of the ultimate feast of liberation with the breaking of bread and wine and washing of feet – our assurance that through Christ all will live!” Kim Hearn

The presence of a ritual unifies the four Bible readings for the day. The readings push the church to remember the meaning behind the rites or sacraments we perform. Additionally, it provides a lens through which to look critically at who we are in times of crisis and sorrow as we affirm and celebrate life together in community.

The psalm and the reading from Exodus show rituals from which the New Testament writers gained inspiration. In Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19, a psalm of thanksgiving, the psalmist “lifts up the cup of salvation” and offers a thanksgiving sacrifice to God (verses 13 and 17). These are images present in our understanding of Holy Communion. The chief concern of the psalmist is how one might repay God for the liberation and restoration which has been realized (verse12).

Exodus 12:1-4, 5-10 outlines the event and the festival of Passover, which is a communal event featuring “the whole congregation of Israel” (Exodus 12:3). It is also a time of thanksgiving and remembrance (verse14) for God’s liberating act. In each of these readings the act is an important sign of community, remembrance and the proclamation of God.

	What traditional rituals or new rituals will you enact this week to invite a communal and faithful remembrance, lament, affirmation and celebration?

Interestingly, just as the story of the Passover in Exodus is grounded in the story of the exodus from oppression, the story of the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 is grounded in the story of Christ’s betrayal. Both are pivotal events so profound in nature that a millennial later we continue to draw on their theological claims, imagery and experiences to articulate our understanding of God’s liberating work and the costs of the struggle for justice and freedom. Both Bible passages hold within them story and ritual, accounts of bondage and redemption, along with memories of the past and anticipation for the future.  Both invite us to gather together to lament and celebrate. The texts present a radical redefinition of community where people who were previously divided by families and clans are now united as a community of faith and mutual caring.

	Name the areas in which your congregation and the wider LGBT community need to be united as a community of faith and a community of mutual caring. What are some concrete signs you will look for as proof that the community is moving towards that end?

In the readings for the day, the instructions that precede the Passover meal and the Lord’s Supper remind us that God is concerned about justice where everyone eats and everyone gets an equal portion. God, also, dismantles systems of power and privilege. These texts push against the notion of radical individualism and privilege that pervades our contemporary culture.  Both meals place an emphasis on the sign of salvation — the blood. Blood is a reminder that justice, freedom and the struggle for inclusion comes at great cost. People with a deep and insatiable desire to be included in communities of mutuality understand the paradox of blood as a sign of profound sorrow and audacious hope.

	Name some social justice struggles with which your congregation has been involved. How has your religious community linked to the struggles for LGBT equality and justice?  What are some battles your community has won and what are some that must continue to be waged?

Yet, John 13:1-17 describes another act of community and mutuality, which we are not familiar — foot washing. For John, Jesus’ act of washing his disciples’ feet is foremost an act of love:  “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (verse 1). Jesus’ love for his disciples should not be sentimentalized; instead, his love is bold and potentially dangerous. “The end,” after all, is Jesus’ death. The foot washing is also an act of service. Culturally, Jesus, as their teacher and Lord, should not wash the disciples’ feet. His action shows the egalitarian nature of the community. Serving his disciples in this way shows the ideal for service that the community must follow. Jesus wants the disciples to have a share in him (verse 8) and follow his example (verse 15) of love, service and equality.

	Who in the community continuously practices acts of love and mutuality without seeking recognition?

The reading of these texts summons us to deep reflection and deliberate action on behalf of the outcast and oppressed. While these stories are told through the eyes of ancient people, they remain relevant today reminding us that we are helpless and hopeless without one another. These meals mark the beginning of a new way of being in community. They invite us to take stock of how we express care and concern for those on the margins of our congregations and society.

But beware, they are no ordinary meals and must not be consumed in the ordinary way. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper we should do so keeping in mind Christ’s revolutionary acts of welcoming strangers, socializing with the “other”, and taking to task the oppressive policies and practices of corrupt religious and political leadership.

    Prayerfully Out in Scripture

	God of our salvation and our freedom,         we thank you for this time of remembrance.     We thank you for this time of community.     Help us to find hope, mutuality and renewed faith ,         in the events of lament and celebration we recognize together in community.     Guide us into authentic community         where we express genuine care and concern for one another.     Give us the strength to take off the garments         of individualism, selfishness, self-service and pride         which hinder us from moving closer together.     Allow us to look to one another as you have taught us to do         in your own actions both in life and death.     May we remember your examples and may we be examples to others.     In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.     Bible passages are selected based on the Revised Common Lectionary,     © 1992 by Consultation on Common Texts. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Bible passages are selected based on the Revised Common Lectionary, copyright © 1992 by Consultation on Common Text (CCT). All rights reserved. Used by permission.