Maundy Thursday

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
— John 13:34-45, ESV

“Maundy” means mandate, or commandment.  We name this day of Holy Week not after the foot washing Jesus gave His disciples, not after the last supper Jesus shared with His disciples that turned into the Lord’s Supper, but after the “new commandment” Jesus spoke to His disciples, then and now. 

Love has always lived in the word of God.  Love always poured from the lips of Jesus.  Love was nothing “new” on Maundy Thursday in terms of origin, but in terms of emphasis.  

Remember what Jesus accomplished during Holy Week.  He put a seal on the New Covenant.  He positioned Christianity and the Christian church to be the face of God for the whole world to see.  And just what is it that Jesus wants the world to see in us who call ourselves Christian?

Sound doctrine?  Yes, for you cannot be truly Christian or a Christian church if you do not have a reasonable and spiritual commitment to the sound teachings of the gospel and the word of God.  This is the structure, the skeleton of Christianity.  

Spiritual disciplines?  Yes, we must practice what we preach.  We need to see one another, and the world should be able to watch us, in worship, prayer, Bible study, doing our duty and showing our devotion to God.  These are the muscles of Christianity. 

But the “new commandment” does not invoke doctrine nor enlist list duties, save one.  Jesus emphasized love.  Love is the heart of Christianity.  

So, what does love look like?  It has been called a many-splendored thing.  I think it is a multi-colored thing.  Here are at least a few of the colors of love.

Love is black.  Black is the color of words.  I work with them every day.  I type them in black against the white backdrop of my computer.  I print them out, black words on white paper.  I speak them, in conversations and in sermons, in hopefully plain language, black and white.  

I am a closet fan of the Bee Gees, mostly of the really old stuff, like, “It’s only words, and words are all I have, to take your heart away.”  Words are what we have to show our love for one another, for all the world to hear.  Let us love one another with words of truth, words of encouragement, words of confidence, words of comfort, words of love.  

Love is white.  If black represents words we say, white is the color of words unspoken.  A white font on a white page cannot be seen.  A word unmentioned cannot be heard.  

I am jealous of my wife, Andrea.  My children and grandchildren love her more than me?!  They know my faults, all of them, but they do not think she has a single one.  Now, I know she does.  But, I never speak of them to my children or grandchildren.  Let us love one another with words we don’t say, by never engaging in destructive criticism, gossip, or even untactful truth-telling.  Silence is golden, silence is love, too

Love is brown.  Brown is the color of food, at least my favorite foods.  Fried chicken, a grilled steak, chocolate ice cream, all come in shades of brown.  Keep the green stuff, put brown on my plate!

Next to sex, sharing a meal is the most intimate pleasure you can have with another human being.  Please keep sex to yourself and your rightful spouse.  But break bread often with your brothers and sisters in Christ.  A great dinner party is love feast for fellow Christians, and a great witness when you invite a lost or unchurched couple to the table.  

Love is green.  Green is the color of money.  Sure, money is the root of all evil, but it is not evil in and of itself.  It can actually be very loving.

Gifts that sustain churches and ministries are all love offerings.  A slipped twenty, or hundred, or gift card, is a great way to say I love you.  Any giving is a love language any person is glad to hear.

Love is blue.  Blue is the color of the sky.  What is it we send daily into the heavens?  Our prayers.

Jackson Browne sang, “Keep a fire for the human race, let your prayers go drifting into space, you never know what might be coming down.”  We will never know, this side of Heaven, how our prayers make a difference in other lives.  God knows, and God loves it when we share love in private and public prayers.

Love is grey.  At least it is for us.  Grey is the exterior color of our remodeled church, the color of the lipstick we put on this pig?!  Andrea was told once, “You have a lot of grey in your wardrobe.”  She looks great in it, and so does our church.

When we gather as a congregation, we show love.  We show our love for God and the things of God.  We show our love for God’s people, “one another.”  We hope and pray and invite for the lost and unchurched to come and watch us worship, and see how we love.  

Love is red.  Red is the color of the heart, the color of life, the color of love.  “I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter,” sang Don Henley.  The heart of the matter is love, according to Christ.  

Our doctrine is diluted without love.  Our duty is a drudgery without love.  We must put our heart into it.  We must adorn everything with love.

Certain Christians commemorations have certain colors attached.  Christmas is cast in red and green.  Easter is cloaked in purple and yellow.  Maundy Thursday now has colors, too.  They are black, white, brown, green, blue, grey, and red.  I hope you can see them  I hope you will show them.  They are the colors of love.