Swanson, John August. Last Supper, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56552 [retrieved April 18, 2019]. Original source: http://www.JohnAugustSwanson.com – copyright 2009 by John August Swanson.

Maundy Thursday is the day of no turning back day.

All the laments and "precatory prayers" of the psalms are sucked in and absorbed into His own body and soul — but not without promise or hope. It is like a reverse "big bang" where the energy of all that has gone wrong is concentrated into one event, one hour, one man and on Thursday, the decision to let it be is sealed with a sip of wine and a bite of bread followed by an agonizing prayer in a lonely garden of betrayal – but not without promise of hope!

Hope looms like a nagging word of encouragement, a persistent promise of purpose. Hope looms until it takes center stage.

Yes, it is Thursday. Tomorrow is Friday, Good/Bad Friday with an unmentioned Saturday of scattering, but Sunday is coming, the first day of the week and the eighth day of creation.

Tonight as we eat the bread and drink the cup, let us remember.

"Let this be recorded for a generation to come,
so that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD:
that he looked down from his holy height;
from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die,
that they may declare in Zion the name of the LORD,
and in Jerusalem his praise,
when peoples gather together,
and kingdoms, to worship the LORD."

Psalm 102:16-22 (ESV)

And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

Mark 14:22-25 (ESV)

This is the Word of God.
Thanks be to God.