April 13, 2017 Maundy Thursday

“Table Talk”

An Order of Service for Maundy Thursday

At

First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

206 Chestnut Street

Berea, KY 40403

April 13, 2017

7:00PM 

Setting:

Wall Lights on. All other Lights off. 

 Communion Table decorated for a group of disciple ready to talk with Jesus.

SERVICE:

Opening Scripture…………………………………………………____________
John 13:1-2      (reading is read from a microphone in the sound tech room)

(Slide 1…..words of John 13:1-2)
“It was before the Passover festival and Jesus knew that his hour had come and that he must leave this world and go to the Father. He had always loved his own who were in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the mind of Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to betray him.”


Hymn…………………………………………………………………………..384

“Here at Thy Table, Lord” 

(Dramatic Readers gather at their places around the table) 

Invocation…….…………………………………………………._____________

Stoles were designed by the Faith Builders Youth Group

(During this prayer youth will anoint the readers with stoles.) 

Dear God,
Tonight we remember and relive the night Jesus shared his last supper with his 12 closest disciples. For our inspiration we turn to the traditions and storytelling of “John” the gospel writer. Like Peter, Andrew, Thomas, James, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thaddeus, James, Philip, Simon, John and Judas. So, here at Jesus’ table, this sacred hour, come, let us feel thee near, in loving power. Call all our thoughts away from self and sin. Into your banquet hall we enter in. Amen




The Story

Narrator:
 It was at the end of a busy week.
They were sitting at a table in an upstairs room.
Some food had been eaten,
Some was still untouched.
The disciples talked and Jesus listened.
Then Jesus talked and the disciples listened.
Then Peter said:


Peter: Jesus….?


Jesus: Yes, Peter?


Peter: When are we going to see your Kingdom?


Jesus: Pardon?


Peter: When are we going to see the Kingdom that you talked about?
I mean, we’ve been with you for three years now, and, really,
we’re none the wiser.
I mean….I lost my job for you.
I lost all my money.
The only thing I wanted to lose
was my mother-in-law.
But you interfered,
so she is still with us:
and all this time
you’ve been talking about the Kingdom….


Jesus: You don’t think you’ve seen it?


Peter: No.
Certainly, you did that it would come like a thief in the night…
and I’m a very sound sleeper.
So, maybe I missed it.


Jesus: Peter, tell me what you remember.
Tell me just one thing you remember
from the time we’ve been together.


Peter: Eh….
(Pause) …eh….ask somebody else then come back to me.


Jesus: All right…..
Andrew….
What do you remember? Just one thing….


Andrew: The little boy, that wee little boy.


Jesus: Which wee little boy?


Andrew: The wee little boy with his lunch…the loaves and fishes.
I remember how you said,
“Have we any food?”
and everybody looked to everybody else.

And then he shouted,
‘You can have my lunch mister.”
And everybody laughed.

But you took him seriously…
and the smile was on the other side of our faces.


Jesus: Mmmm..hmmm….
What about you Thomas?


Thomas: That little girl.


Jesus: Which little girl, Tom?


Thomas: The little girl who ran through the crowd.

You remember…
That time you were talking to all the men
and they were eyeing each other up
to see who looked the most religious.

And then the little girl wandered
into the middle of them
with her face and hair covered with strawberry jam.

And her mother was going frantic
in case she was going to cry or wet herself.
And you lifted her up and said,
“Unless you’re like this little girl,
you will never get into the kingdom of God.

Oh, Jesus, do you remember the Pharisees faces?

Can you even imagine those old men dressed in kid’s clothes?


Jesus: I don’t exactly remember you being very enthusiastic
when I asked you to hold her, Tom.


Thomas: Oh, Jesus, I was never good with kids.


Jesus: James, what do you remember?


James: How you raked John and me over the coals
for asking if we could sit beside you in heaven.


Jesus: Did I really offend you?


James: No…its just that we should never have asked that question.
It was my mother who put us up to it.


Jesus: Mothers are sometimes like that, son.
Bartholomew, what about you?


Bartholomew: Oh, Jesus, when are you going to call me Bart
like everybody else?
Bartholomew is my Sabbath name.


Jesus: Sorry….Bart….


Bartholomew: I think I’ll always remember the day
when you said that prostitutes and tax collectors
would get first into the kingdom of Heaven.


Jesus: Why do you remember that ?


Bartholomew: Because it shocked me.
I thought you had said that just to annoy people,
until I saw you kneeling down
beside the girl in the square.

And then I remember what Matthew used to be…a
Tax Collector.


Jesus: Yes, indeed.
Matthew, what do you remember?


Matthew: I remember the day you met me.
I remember the day you came by my house
and ate at my table.

If you had stayed at the door and talked,
I would never have listened to you.
I would have thought
You were just another religious maniac.

But you came in and sat down and listened to me.

And I remember the look on the people’s faces
when I gave them back the money
I had swindled from them.

I remember the look
when I gave them back twice as much as I had taken.
And I remember how I cried.

I was giving away all my money and I cried,
because I was glad to get rid of it
and make room….for you.


Jesus: (Gently) I remember that day too, Matthew.
Peter, have you made up your mind yet?


Peter: No, I’m still thinking.


Jesus: All right…. 
Thaddeus, you never say much… 
Have you seen much?


Thaddeus: I remember you crying.


Jesus: Why?


Thaddeus: Because I had never seen a man crying….
Not in front of women and not in front of other men.


Jesus: Are you afraid of your tears, Thaddeus?


Thaddeus: No, not now.


Jesus: Jim, we haven’t heard from you.


James: I was just thinking of the day you told the story about the good
Samaritan.


Jesus: What makes you remember that story in particular?


James: It put me off being a priest for life.


Jesus: Really?
Remind me to tell you
the story of the Prodigal Son…
it might put you off drink for life.

Philip, what do you remember?


Philip: I remember the day
you asked the cripple at the side of the lake
if he wanted to get better.

I’m sure that if he could have walked,
he’d have jumped up and booted you.
I mean, he wasn’t exactly lying there to get a sun tan.


Jesus: Sometimes you have to ask hard questions, Philip.
Simon?


Simon: I’m thinking about another time
You were hard on somebody.

You remember the rich young boy
who loved his parents and behave well,
but he didn’t want to part with his money
when you asked him?

You were really hard on him.


Jesus: So I was, Simon.
You wanted me to apologize, didn’t you?

You wanted me to run after him and say,
“I didn’t really meant it.”

You wanted him to get into the Kingdom of Heaven
as easily as he got into everything else in life.

But it’s not like that….is it Judas?


Judas: I don’t know.
But if you want to know what I remember,
it happened only on Tuesday
when you let that woman
pour perfume over your head.


Jesus: The gift of the poor, Judas….you have to receive the gifts of the
Poor.


Judas: But that could have been sold for a fortune!


Jesus: I think we’ve had this argument already.
Peter, have you made your mind up yet?


Peter: The mountain top….
You and Moses and Elijah
having a conversation.

I still think somebody should have built a memorial of
that moment, or at least painted a picture of it.


Jesus: Peter, what you saw was for you soul,
not for a display cabinet.

Now, do you remember your original question?
 

Peter: No…what was it?


Jesus: You asked me
When you were going to see the kingdom.
And all that you and the others have said
proves to me
that you have at least glimpsed it.

For whever has seen me has seen the Maker.
And whoever has known what you have known,
has experienced the Kingdom.

It is not of this world,
But it happens in this world.

It happens without you…
And it happens within you.

It is still to come…
But it is already here.

The feast has still to be held…
But the invitations are going out.


Narrator:
 And then, as they were sitting back, chewing over his words, he took a piece of bread.


Words of Institution…………………………………………________________
I Corinthians 11:23-26
(Elders break bread and lift cup at appropriate times)


Communion Prayer………………………………Elder___________________


Invitation to the Table……………………………Elder____________________


Blessing……………………………………………….Rev. Lisa


Closing Hymn………………………………………………………………….569