As the Christian calendar turns toward the solemnity of Holy Week, Maundy Thursday emerges as a day rich with meaning, ritual, and reflection in the Anglican tradition. Observed on the Thursday before Easter Sunday, it marks the beginning of the Paschal Triduum—the three-day journey through Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. For Anglicans, Maundy Thursday blends celebration and sorrow, drawing the faithful into the Upper Room where Jesus shared his Last Supper with his disciples. The Book of Common Prayer 2019 (BCP 2019) provides a liturgical framework that beautifully captures the essence of this day, emphasizing themes of love, service, and sacrifice.

The term “Maundy” derives from the Latin mandatum, meaning “commandment.” It refers to Jesus’ words in John 13:34, spoken during the Last Supper: “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” (ESV). This commandment to love is the heartbeat of Maundy Thursday, reflected in the service’s prayers and readings, which call the faithful to embody Christ’s self-giving love.

The Historical Development of Maundy Thursday

The observance of Maundy Thursday traces to the early centuries of the Church. By the fourth century, Christians in Jerusalem gathered to commemorate the Upper Room events, including the Eucharist and acts of charity. Early writers such as Tertullian (early third century) reference foot-washing practices, which became more formalized in monastic and cathedral settings by the fifth century. The pedilavium—the washing of feet—served as a concrete expression of the mandatum.

In the medieval period, the day gained royal and civic dimensions. English and European monarchs, imitating Christ the servant-king, washed the feet of the poor and distributed alms. This evolved into the Royal Maundy Service, which continues today in the Church of England (though the physical washing was later replaced by specially minted Maundy Money). The English Reformation preserved the day’s scriptural focus in the Books of Common Prayer. Thomas Cranmer retained the Eucharist and Passion narrative, while later revisions—including the ACNA’s 2019 BCP—restored the optional foot-washing rite and the dramatic stripping of the altar. Maundy Thursday thus links the Upper Room to the early Church, medieval piety, and our reformed liturgy today.

In the Anglican tradition, the liturgy invites worshippers to inhabit the narrative of Christ’s final hours, contemplating both the institution of the Lord’s Supper and the radical humility of foot-washing.

The Liturgy of Maundy Thursday

The service opens with the Collect:

Almighty Father, whose most dear Son, on the night before he suffered, instituted the Sacrament of his Body and Blood: Mercifully grant that we may receive it in thankful remembrance of Jesus Christ our Savior, who in these holy mysteries gives us a pledge of eternal life… (BCP 2019).

This prayer frames the Eucharist as both gift and call to gratitude.

The readings enrich the liturgy. The Old Testament lesson from Exodus 12:1-14 recounts the Passover, connecting Christ’s sacrifice to Israel’s liberation. The Epistle, 1 Corinthians 11:23-34, presents Paul’s account of the Last Supper and its ongoing remembrance “until he comes.” The Gospel—John 13:1-15 (or Luke 22:14-30)—narrates the foot-washing and Jesus’ new commandment, grounding the day in humility and love. These scriptures weave a story of redemption that the liturgy invites us to inhabit.

The Foot-Washing: A Sign of Servanthood

A distinctive feature of Maundy Thursday is the optional rite of foot-washing, or pedilavium. It recalls Jesus washing his disciples’ feet—an astonishing act of humility from their Lord. As John 13:14-15 records, “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do just as I have done to you.”

In many Anglican parishes, the ritual is participatory. Clergy may wash the feet of congregants, or members may wash one another’s, embodying the servant-leadership Christ modeled. Though optional, this tactile act reminds us of the call to humility and mutual care—a countercultural witness in a world fixated on power and status. Its roots in early Christian practice confront us with the truth that greatness in the Kingdom is measured by the depth of our service.

The Institution of the Eucharist

At the heart of the day is Christ's institution of the Holy Eucharist. The BCP’s Eucharistic Prayer echoes Christ’s words: “This is my Body… This is my Blood.” For Anglicans, the Eucharist is more than a memorial; it is a means of grace and participation in Christ’s ongoing presence through the Holy Spirit. The service balances reverence and accessibility, inviting all baptized, rightly-discerning believers to the table in thankful remembrance.

This emphasis ties Maundy Thursday to core Anglican identity, where Word and Sacrament belong together. The liturgy bridges the Last Supper with every celebration of Holy Communion, uniting the faithful with Christ and one another across time, including the whole company of heaven.

The Stripping of the Altar

As the service concludes, the tone shifts toward somber anticipation. The BCP directs the stripping of the altar—removing vestments, candles, and decorations—leaving the sanctuary absolutely bare. This may occur in silence or accompanied by Psalm 22, its words “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” foreshadowing the crucifixion, which gives us a glimmer of hope in the turn at verse 24.

The ritual symbolizes Christ’s abandonment and the stripping of his dignity in the Passion. It provides a visceral transition into Good Friday. In some parishes, the Sacrament is reserved for the next day’s liturgy. The custom, rooted in medieval practice and retained in Anglican rubrics, invites quiet reflection as we move from the Upper Room toward the cross.

A Call to Love and Service

Maundy Thursday celebrates the Eucharist’s institution, calls us to humble service, and prepares us for the sorrow of the cross. It challenges Anglicans to live the mandatum—to love as Christ loved, even to the point of laying down one’s life. The day invites us to enter the story of salvation not as spectators but as participants: washing feet, breaking bread, and readying our hearts for the Paschal mystery.

In an age that prizes self-promotion, Maundy Thursday offers a radical alternative. Whether in a small mission church or a cathedral, the liturgy returns us to the essentials: love expressed in service, bread shared in remembrance, and a cross embraced in hope.

Conclusion

Maundy Thursday unfolds as a sacred drama, drawing the faithful into the Upper Room and toward the foot of the cross. It is a day to marvel at Christ’s love, to kneel in service, and to await the silence of Good Friday. More than ritual, it is a way of life—a commandment to love that echoes from first-century Jerusalem through centuries of Christian witness into the worshiping life of the Anglican Church today. May we carry the mandatum into every corner of our lives until he comes again in glory.