Holy Thursday  

John 13:34-35  

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Today is Holy Thursday (or Maunday Thursday), the day we remember the Last Supper.  It was during the Passover, when Jesus and His disciples joined with people from all over Israel. They remembered when God brought deliverance and judgment to Israel when they were enslaved and made them a separate nation.  It was during this observance that Jesus declared that bread and wine represented His broken body on the cross and His lifeblood shed for sin, thus bringing about our Sacrament of Holy Communion.  On this night, when all had failed and, by any observance, evil would win, that Jesus said and did all this.

Our church will have a Tenebrae worship service tonight.  It's an ancient tradition that consists mostly of readings from Scripture and music.  During the service, the lights of the Sanctuary are progressively dimmed.  The purpose is to worship the Lord aware of the context of what He endured; that all this happened in the presence of fear, denial, betrayal and death, and it was in this context that Jesus commanded us to love one another and then He secured our salvation on the cross.  As we remember and worship, we note that the Holy Spirit is at work in our lives, and even the darkest moments do not overwhelm Him.  All this we remember when we gather in church tonight.