Invocation
Though we cannot gather physically, Lord, we come together as Your people. Just as Your disciples were on the night of the Last Supper, we too are full of uncertainty and fear. May we hear Your voice speaking to us clearly right now: “Let not your hearts be troubled; trust in God, trust also in Me.” (John 14) Remind us that if we have seen You, we have seen the Father. Fill us with that vision, we pray. Amen.

Scripture Reading: from Psalm 118
5 When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; He brought me into a spacious place.
6 The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
7 The Lord is with me; He is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.
13 I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me.
14 The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.
15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!
16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done.
18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.
21 I will give You thanks, for You answered me; You have become my salvation.

Devotion by David Dunderdale
Psalms 113-118 are known in the Psalms 113-118 are known in the Jewish liturgical tradition as the “Egyptian Hallel.” They were read at the three great annual Jewish festivals. At the Passover, Psalms 113-114 were sung before the meal. Psalms 115-118 were sung after the meal. It is more than likely that Jesus and the disciples sang Psalm 118 in Matthew 26:30 where it says at the end of the Last Supper, “When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.”

As we are united in celebrating Maundy Thursday today, let us imagine ourselves with Jesus in that Upper Room. Let me invite you to lay your head on Jesus’ breast [John 13:23 RSV] and listen to the songs that Jesus sang, even if we don’t know the tune. We know the words.

As you lay there at table with Jesus, what was he thinking? Can we use our sanctified imaginations to wonder how these psalms/songs struck Jesus on that night as he prepared himself and his disciples for what was to come?

When in that final psalm they sang,
The stone that the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone
This is the LORD’s doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
[Psalm 118:22,23]

What was Jesus thinking? Was he sad? Was he hopeful? What did that look like?

That psalm ends with the favorite praise chorus of the whole Old Testament:
O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
[Psalm 118:29]

Would that chorus have been stuck in Jesus’ brain as he left Jerusalem and then walked up the Mount of Olives to Gethsemane? How often in the next 12-18 hours did Jesus cling to that chorus?

Since we cannot gather tonight with our brothers and sisters from Mt. Level to celebrate the events of this holy evening, could we join together in reading the Egyptian Hallel? Could we read, each one of us in our own home, Psalms 113-118? Before you eat dinner, could you read Psalms 113-114? After dinner could you read Psalms 115-118?

If you are with family, could you imagine together the impact of these songs on Jesus and his disciples in that Upper Room? If you are alone tonight, allow yourself to be that “disciple whom Jesus loved,” head upon Jesus’ breast, and imagine yourself tonight singing these songs with Jesus.

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Song of Response: “Forever”
Give thanks to the Lord our God and King,
His love endures forever
For He is good, He is above all things,
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise!

With a mighty hand and outstretched arm,
His love endures forever
For the life that’s been reborn.
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise!

Forever God is faithful, forever God is strong
Forever God is with us, forever…

From the rising to the setting sun,
His love endures forever
And by the grace of God we will carry on,
His love endures forever
Sing praise, sing praise!

Closing Prayer
Lord, you are our God, and we will give thanks to you; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Lord, we trust you. Your steadfast love endures forever. Even when we cannot see or understand, we know that you are good. We ask that you would bless us and keep us. Make your face to shine upon us and be gracious to us. Lift up the light of your countenance and give us peace, now and forever. Amen.