We are gathered here this evening as Church and in union with the whole Church, to commemorate the Institution of the Lord’s Supper, which is also called the Holy Eucharist.
All three readings talk about a remembrance. In the 1st reading, the Lord instructed Moses and Aaron on the preparations of the Passover meal.
And the Lord also said, “This day is to be a day of remembrance for you, and you must celebrate it as a feast in the Lord’s honour.
For all generations, you are to declare it a day of festival forever.
Similarly in the 2nd reading, St Paul recalled that night of the Last Supper when Jesus took bread and wine and consecrated it into His Body and Blood.
Jesus gave it to His disciples and told them to do it in memorial of Him.
And so we are here this evening to recall how with the first Passover meal, Israel gained their freedom from slavery in Egypt.
And more so we are here this evening to partake of the Body and Blood of Christ as we follow His mandate to celebrate this in memory of Him.
The gospel also talks about the Last Supper. Jesus was at the table with His disciples.
The gospel began by saying that Jesus had always loved those who were His in the world, but now He showed how perfect His love was.
They were at supper, and then Jesus got up from table, removed His outer garment, and then taking a towel, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet and wipe them with the towel.
That action stunned the disciples, so much so that they couldn’t react, nor make sense out of it.
And could we make any sense out of it? What has the Eucharist got to do with the washing of feet?
Jesus was Master and Lord and High Priest at the Last Supper. He had already given His Body and Blood to His disciples. Why would He also want to wash their feet?
The meaning may be found in what He told Simon Peter: If I do not wash you, you can have nothing in common with me.
Jesus washed His disciples’ feet so that they will follow in His footsteps. Not just His disciples but we as well.
He washes away not just the dust of the feet; He also washes away the dirt of slavery and the weariness of the burden of sin that makes us drag our feet.
He washes our feet clean so that we can be free to follow Him.
From here, Jesus will walk on to face the cross and offer up His Body for us and pour out His Blood to save us.
Do we understand what He has done for us?
Will we follow in His footsteps?
We let Jesus wash us first, and partake of His Body and Blood.
And then may we do for others what Jesus has done for us.