I talk a lot about the presence of Christ. I say it by habit: "Lord Jesus, be present here..." at the beginning of most sermons. I say it almost as a joke when things go wrong in worship: "We can mess up half the service, and Jesus still shows up!" I'm a priest, so making people aware of Christ's presence in their lives is my whole job description. But even I am surprised when Jesus comes right up close.
One Sunday morning I was preparing for the 8 am service. I wanted to be sure that everyone was in the chapel and settled before we began our worship, because I had some tough news to share about a death in our parish family. At a minute or two past eight, I went out the front door of the church and down the steps, feeling a little silly with my white robe flapping around in the cool morning breeze. I stood on the sidewalk, looking up and down the street for any stragglers on their way to church. I thought, "Is anyone else out here?" And I knew, as clearly as if it had been spoken aloud, that Jesus said to me, "I'm here." "Thanks, Jesus," I answered, and went back inside to do the hard work of the morning.
(This little image of Jesus is a detail from a painting by Marc Chagall.)
Maundy Thursday is a moment of sweetness between the intensity of Palm Sunday and the solemnity of Good Friday. Jesus reminds us that we are his beloved friends, and that as long as we gather to break bread together, he will come and be here with us.
