The Reverend Richard Terrell is a retired Priest who remains in active Ministry.
Recently he celebrated the Fiftieth Anniversary of his Ordination to the Priesthood.
He is the Co-ordinator of the Norton Festival which brings together the local community,
with support for the Parish Church and other local concerns.

Sermon

            If you were asked to name your favourite meal of the year you might come up with a variety of answers – Christmas dinner perhaps, a barbecue or a special family gathering.

            John chapter 13 told us of a special meal eaten by Jesus and His disciples before the Festival of the Passover and which Maundy Thursday records.   Jesus knew He was approaching His hour of both humiliation and glory.   So what did He do to make this meal memorable?   He acted as a servant and washed His disciples’ feet!

            This might have been considered ‘below Him’ but this act reminds us that His closeness to God brought Jesus close to people.   It is a fact that when WE are close to people we are close to God and He to us.

            There’s a wonderful story told about St. Francis of Assisi.   In his younger days he was very wealthy and nothing but the best was good enough for him.   He was an aristocrat among aristocrats.   But the status he had gained sometimes made him feel uncomfortable.

            One day, riding outside the city, Francis saw the terrible sight of a leper full of sores.   He would normally ignore such a hideous wreck of humanity but that day something moved him to act differently.   Francis dismounted from his horse, went to the leper and flung his arms around him.   Suddenly, as Francis embraced him, the leper turned into the figure of Jesus.

            As the disciples joined Him in this Passover meal Jesus knew He was about to be betrayed.   He could easily have shunned or avoided those who rejected Him.   He would have felt insulted and injured.   But He didn’t.   The astonishing thing about Jesus was the more people hurt Him, the more He loved them.

            Maundy Thursday marks the institution of the Christian family meal, the Holy Communion, and there are six words spoken at every Communion Service – Do this in remembrance of me.   But Communion is more than a sacramental rite of remembrance.   It is a coming together for a family meal that should be memorable because as we partake of the meal we do so ‘in remembrance of Jesus.’

            When God’s people come together for Communion, we are nourished for the spiritual pilgrimage we are on.   Taking part in this meal is of enormous spiritual benefit to the believer and reminds us to become Christ-like.   As we recall the Last Supper we are inspired to become involved with people and with Christ’s mission to the world.

            Something very important needs to be said.   Today, Maundy Thursday, recalls the institution of The Lord’s Supper – the Communion.   But we must not take this to mean the start of a particular form of Sunday Service.   When Jesus said “Do this in remembrance of me,” He wasn’t referring to the sharing of wafers and wine but giving an ordinary meal a special spiritual meaning and significance.

            Jesus was saying that we should remember Him as we take bread and wine.   We should remember Him during the everyday meals of life.   Every meal we eat should remind us of The Lord’s Supper in The Upper Room.   As we eat and drink we should remember Jesus and His act of service.

            We should not to separate what we do in church from what we do in the home.   We should not act any differently on a Sunday than we do on any other day of the week.   Every day and every deed, throughout our lives, should be done ‘in remembrance of Him.’

            On Maundy Thursday Jesus reminded His disciples that He was a servant.   We are reminded that Jesus lived and died for you and me.   He lived His life for you and for me and it was for our salvation that Jesus was about to die upon a cross.

            When WE do EVERYTHING ‘in remembrance of Him’ we live a life that is holy, a life that is a living sacrifice, a life of service.   The life that we live transforms us and that ultimately leads us to influence the world around us for the good.

            With a sacramental meal Maundy Thursday presents us with a poignant reminder of the eternal feast we shall enjoy in heaven when we help to bring forward God’s Kingdom by the life we live.   A life that is modelled upon the example of Jesus who, on the night before His crucifixion, reminded us that like Him we should be a servant to everyone.

            “Do this, He said, “in remembrance of Me.”

Preached at Norton sub Hamdon

Maundy Thursday 2nd April, 2026

MARTIN’S MESSAGE

Martin the Monkey sometimes accompanies The Reverend Richard and helps to re-enforce the Gospel message. He usually attends on special occasions in the Church Year and shares his thoughts with you.