Holy Eucharist with Foot Washing and Stripping of the Altar

The word “maundy” comes from the Latin “mandatum” meaning “command.” On this night we contemplate Jesus’ new commandment to love one another as he loves us. We follow his example of what it means to be a servant through the ritual of foot washing. At the close of this service, the reserved sacrament is carried out. Psalm 22 is then chanted while the altar is stripped, and the chancel space made bare, highlighting Jesus being abandoned, and his life stripped away. There is no dismissal: the music sets us up to wait.