MAUNDY THURSDAY

MAUNDY THURSDAY/GOOD FRIDAY RITUAL

This is a ritual that helps participants connect some of their own difficult experiences with ones that Jesus had near the end of his earthly life. The ritual invites people to think about Jesus’ experiences of betrayal by a friend, desertion, struggle to do the right thing, and willingness to die for what he believed. Participants are invited to reflect on times in their own lives that they have also been betrayed, deserted, or struggled.

I have done this ritual with groups of 5^th and 6^th graders, groups of Jr. High kids, groups of High School kids, and adults. The level of sharing usually deepens with the age, but what younger youth share is as powerful and important to them as what an older youth or adult shares.

Sometimes with younger youth they get fascinated by the mechanics of Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion, I’ve had deep discussions that came from talking about their questions as we moved through the ritual.

MATERIALS NEEDED

· A dark room

· A small low table

· four candles

· four Bibles

Set the four candles on the table in the middle of the room. Invite participants to sit around the table. Get volunteers who would like to read the scripture passages to mark their passage before you turn out the lights. When everyone is settled, turn out the lights and light all four candles.

Step 1:

Have the group sing the first verse of “Amazing Grace”.

Step 2:

Have the first scripture reader read Matthew 26:20-25.

Step 3:

Invite the group to reflect on how hard it must have been for Jesus to be betrayed by a friend. Ask them to remember a time in their own lives when they were betrayed by a friend, or a time when they betrayed a friend.

Step 4:

Ask if anyone would like to share those stories out loud. It is usually helpful if you have primed someone to start. Don’t push people if they don’t want to share out loud. It’s OK if no one shares and the groups just sits in silence for awhile before moving on.

Step 5:

After the sharing is finished, tell them, “Every time someone is betrayed by a friend in this world, or betrays a friend, it seems the world gets a little darker.” Have someone extinguish one of the candles.

Step 6:

Have the group sing the second verse of “Amazing Grace”.

Step 7:

Have the second scripture reader read Matthew 26:31-35.

Step 8:

Invite the group to reflect on how hard it must have been for Jesus to have been deserted by his friends. Ask them to remember a time in their own lives when a friend deserted them. Invite them to remember a time in their own lives when they expected someone to stand up for them but didn’t, or a time they should have stood up for someone but didn’t.

Step 9:

Step 10:

After the sharing is finished tell them, “Every time someone is deserted by a friend in this world, or deserts a friend, it seems the world gets a little darker.” Have someone extinguish one of the candles.

Step 11:

Have the group sing the third verse of “Amazing Grace”.

Step 12:

Have the first scripture reader read Luke 22:39-44.

Step 13:

Invite the group to reflect on how even Jesus wanted to do something else in the face of pain. Invite them to remember a time in their own lives when they were faced with a painful experience. Were they able to face it or did they run away?

Step 14:

Step 15:

After the sharing is finished tell them, “Every time someone has a painful choice to make, the world gets a little darker.” Have someone extinguish one of the candles.

Step 16:

Have the group sing the first verse of “Amazing Grace” again.

Step 17:

Have the first scripture reader read Mark 15:16-20.

Step 18:

Invite the group to reflect on how much love it must have taken for Jesus to let himself be crucified. Invite them to think about who and what they love and who loves them.

Step 19:

Ask if anyone would like to share those people and things out loud. It is usually helpful if you have primed someone to start. Don’t push people if they don’t want to share out loud. It’s OK if no one shares and the groups just sits in silence for awhile before moving on.

Step 20:

After the sharing is finished, tell them, “The light of love sometimes seems small and insignificant in the darkness, but as long as there is even a tiny flicker, there is hope, even if, like the disciples must have felt after Jesus’ crucifixion, there seems to be only despair.”

Step 21:

Invite everyone to sit in silence for a few moments, and then leave in silence.

Deepening Faith: Youth Ministry Resources and Some Miscellaneous Advice

Rev. Lizann Bassham, Front Porch Spirit Press