Maundy Thursday

I just returned from attending Maundy Thursday service. It was the first time in 24 years that I was not the one officiating, speaking, inviting, distributing, and blessing. It was the first time in 24 years that I did not celebrate this night with others sitting around candlelit tables. It was the first time in over two decades that I did not spend this night surrounded by those I know well. I sat in a pew amongst strangers; the person up front did things differently. Yet, when I took the bread in my hands, when I sipped from the cup, I felt connected. Connected to the Divine, connected to Christ, connected to the strangers in that room, and connected to those whom I have served with in the past. It is a mystery how that happens. I am grateful for that mystery.