Maundy Thursday, April 17, 2025
“Enjoy (or Plan) a Meal with a Friend”
This last week of Lent 2025, or “Holy Week” as it is typically called, we have focused on accomplishing tasks that are primarily focused on others. In reference to Maundy Thursday, the day that Jesus celebrated the Lord’s Supper with the Disciples, our task today is to enjoy a meal (or plan a date) with a friend.
The manner by which we accomplish today’s Lenten Challenge is open-ended. There might be several reasons we are not in a position to enjoy the meal today. However, as an alternative, we can simply plan it with someone at some point in the near future. The purpose of this Challenge is not to share the meal today (although it would be cool since it’s Maundy Thursday). Instead, the purpose is to bless someone with your presence.
This might sound like a strange Challenge, but it’s really important. In nearly every culture, sharing a meal is a big deal. Think about it: Inviting someone to a meal is an offering and compliment to someone else’s self-worth. It tells the other person that they are important and valued, in addition to offering them an opportunity to develop a friendship. Asking someone for a date helps them to feel special, indeed.
We need more togetherness. We learned the importance of it several years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not healthy for us to spend our lives alone. Oh, I get it. We can do life by ourselves, but together is much, much better.
Enjoy (or plan) a meal with a friend or loved one!
“Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home[a] and ate their food with glad and generous[b] hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:46-47, NRSVue)
