Maundy Thursday 9 April 2009

If you think about it, I suppose we all have meals which we remember for a long time. It might be because of the food - either because it was so good…or so bad. The same might be said of the company! Or perhaps it was the setting of the meal - historical, romantic, or just special.

One particular meal sticks in my mind. It was in a simple wooden café on the shores of a beautiful blue lake in the Jura mountains, on the French- Swiss border. The café stood at the head of the lake, and had wonderful views onto the glassy surface of the water, many metres below. It also stood on the corner of one of the many hairpin bends which zig-zag around the mountains, which is where my story comes in. The waitress had just served an appetising meal, along with a basket of wonderful, crusty French bread, when the whole thing was interrupted. Suddenly there was an almighty squeal of brakes, followed by a loud crash, as a car took the hairpin bend too quickly, careered off the road, and slammed into a concrete tub of flowers in the café's car park. Thankfully no-one was hurt, except for a dent in the driver's ego and a bit more concrete knocked off the flower tub. Because of that one surprising moment, the meal has been etched on my memory ever since.

It's rather the same with Jesus' last meal, which Christians mark on this day, Maundy Thursday. The food wasn't much to write home about - all simple fare. The setting was all very ordinary too - just a borrowed room. The thing that made the meal special was what happened. Jesus, the great teacher and preacher, took off his outer garment, wrapped it round his waist, and then went round the table washing the smelly feet of all his disciples - including the one who would betray him. As if that weren't disconcerting enough - he then told all his friends to do likewise. 'I have given you a new commandment', he said 'love one another like I have loved you'.

Centuries later, the Latin word for commandment 'maundatum', gave MAUNDY Thursday its name - and Christians are still remembering the commandment and trying to obey it.

It was probably a lot more peaceful than my meal in the café, but the shock it created is still being felt all these centuries later. It truly was a meal to remember.