Lesson video

Well, hello, there.

How lovely that you've been able to join me.

My name is Mrs. Hardy and we will be working together today to complete your learning in this lesson.

I'm sure you are going to do brilliantly.

Welcome to today's session from the unit "Holy Week: what do the stories say and what is their meaning?" This lesson is called "Maundy Thursday: other events." And in this lesson, we will be remembering what happened at the Last Supper, which Christians remember in Holy Week on a day they call Maundy Thursday.

We will find out about the events of the Last Supper and how they impact on the actions of some Christians today.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to say, I can explain what events take place on Maundy Thursday.

There is gonna be a lot to learn, so remember to focus and concentrate well.

I'm sure you will make yourselves proud by the end of the lesson if you remember to try hard and do your best.

Now, in today's lesson, there are some special words that we need to remember and use.

We're going to learn the meaning of them now.

Let's practise saying them together.

Shall we begin? I'll say the word first and then you will repeat it after me.

Let's do that a couple of times for each word.

Here we go.

Maundy Thursday.

Maundy Thursday.

Fantastic.

It's the Thursday of Holy Week when Christians remember the Last Supper.

Okay, next word.

Ordination.

Ordination.

Well done, everybody.

An ordination is a ceremony of consecrating to be a priest or minister.

So when somebody decides that they want to be a minister in the church, they go through an ordination.

Okay, the next word is holy oils.

Holy oils.

So what are holy oils? These are special oils blessed by a bishop and used in ceremonies such as baptism.

Okay, last word.

Service.

Service.

Thank you.

A service in this lesson means a positive act towards someone or something.

So well done, everybody.

Put those keywords in your head and remember to look out for them throughout our lesson today.

Thank you for joining in.

What fabulous start we've made together.

Our lesson's going to take place in two parts.

The first part will ask the question, what takes place for priests on Maundy Thursday? And the second part of the lesson will answer the question, what other traditions take place on this day? So let's get started.

What takes place for priests on Maundy Thursday? Before we begin, Aisha is going to explain what we mean by theology in religious education.

She says, "Theologians are interested in stories, texts and traditions.

We can better understand people's worldviews by examining what the deeper meaning of these stories, texts and traditions are.

We can also look at the difference they make to people today." So how is that going to work in our lesson today? In this lesson, we will be using the tools of theology to better understand different Christian worldviews about the actions of Jesus at the Last Supper and how they impact Christian's behaviours and activities today.

I would like everyone to start by having a look at this picture.

I want you to ask yourself what can you see? What do you think is happening in this picture and what are the reactions of the people in the background? Can you pause the recording and talk to the person you are with about your answers to those questions? Welcome back, everybody.

I hope you had a good discussion about what you think you can see in that picture.

Let's have a look how it relates to our learning today about Maundy Thursday.

So one day in Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday.

It marks the day of the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples.

During this time, Jesus washed the disciples' feet.

He broke bread and drank wine, telling them that it was His body and blood.

He them to keep having this meal to remember His death.

He told them that they should love one another.

So relate back to what you saw in that picture to what we've just heard in that list.

Can you see in the picture who is the Jesus character? Can you see Him washing the feet of the disciple? And the people in the background are trying to work out why He's doing it.

Let's find out a little bit more.

I want to introduce you to two people called Ann and Christopher.

This is Canon Ann Easter and her husband Reverend Christopher Owens.

They both have a Christian worldview and are priests in the Anglican Church.

Ann tells us, "Holy Week is important to us because we imagine ourselves alongside Jesus in the last week of His life on Earth." Now, in the Anglican Church, different people have different roles.

So for example, in the church, we have a person called a deacon.

A deacon is a helper.

It's a very practical role.

A deacon might look after the poor and the sick.

They might visit them, and for most, it's sort of an apprentice priest.

So you start to do these kinds of works and then you learn about more about what it is like to be a priest.

So it's the step before becoming a priest.

The next role we're going to look at in the Anglican Church is the role of a priest, just like Ann and Christopher who we met before.

Now, a priest leads their church.

They will link the people to God and God to the people.

Priests pray, they pray for the people and they show and tell the people what God is like by trying to live a good and generous life.

And by preaching and talking about Him in church.

They lead the church services.

They teach people about God and Jesus, and they also have the role of giving Holy Communion and of blessing people.

Now, the next person that we're going to look at is a bishop.

Now the role of a bishop is bigger than the role of a deacon and bigger than the role of a priest.

Because a bishop isn't in charge of just one church, a bishop is in charge of lots of churches.

So they might be concentrated in one area of the country and they will look after all of the churches in that area.

Now, a bishop is a particularly holy person who teaches and oversees the work of the priests and of the deacons.

A bishop is also allowed to lay their hands on people to make them priests or deacons, just like Jesus did with His disciples.

They're responsible for looking after all of the deacons and the priests in their churches, and they're also allowed to choose new priests and confirm people who want to join the church.

Now, every year on Maundy Thursday, Ann renews the vows that she's made at her ordination in a cathedral alongside other deacons, priests and their bishop whilst the congregation watches.

Let's have a check-in.

We're going to do a true or false.

Is it true or false that everybody at the cathedral on Maundy Thursday renews their vows? Pause the recording and talk to the person you are with or perhaps show them on the whiteboard what you think the answer is to this question.

Welcome back, everybody.

So what did you decide, is it true or false that everyone at the cathedral on Maundy Thursday renews their vows? Well, it's false.

Why is it false? Because only the deacons, priests and bishop renew the vows that they made at their ordination ceremony.

The other people in the church will watch the ceremony instead of renewing any vows.

Well done if you got that correct.

Ann's here to tell us a little bit more about the ceremony.

"On Maundy Thursday, we dress in our priest ceremonial clothes before travelling to the cathedral.

It is lovely to see lots of friends and colleagues all together! We sing hymns and pray and we listen to the bishop preaching.

Then all the deacons and priests stand to make our vows again together." Now, Maundy Thursday is a very exciting and emotional day.

Ann tells us, "We renew our vows on Maundy Thursday because that is the anniversary of the day that Jesus served His friends by washing their feet, like a deacon, then ministered to them by giving them bread and wine, like a priest.

It reminds us of our ordination day and why we felt it was right for us to be ordained.

We feel thankful that God called us to that work." So everybody, do you remember at the beginning of this lesson, we looked at that picture, the one of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples? And we know that that happened at the Last Supper, which was on a Thursday.

So when Christians remember Holy Week, they think about that Thursday, which we now call Maundy Thursday, and they want to emulate, they want to copy, they want to be like Jesus.

And Jesus showed them at the Last Supper that they should serve others, they should be of service.

So whether you might choose to be a deacon who helps out in the church and looks after people, or you want to be ordained as a priest and to be in charge of a whole church, or even go on to be a bishop and be in charge of lots of churches.

The reason that they choose to do that is because they're trying to copy Jesus.

And one of the examples of the things that they try and copy is what He did at the Last Supper.

Now, you might want to just pause the recording for a moment and have a little think about all of that information you just learned, or you might want to discuss it with the person you are with in a little bit more detail.

Welcome back, everybody.

I hope that you've had an opportunity to think more deeply about all of the information that you are learning today.

Let's do a quick check to make sure we're on track.

So here's my question to you.

Why do many priests renew their ordination vows on Maundy Thursday? Is it a, to remember Jesus dying on the cross? Is it b, it is the anniversary of when Jesus washed His disciples feet? Or is it c, it is the day that Jesus arrived in Jerusalem? Have a little think about what you think the answer could be and talk to your partner about it or perhaps show your teacher on a whiteboard the answer that you have chosen.

Pause the recording to discuss your answers and then come back to me.

Welcome back, everybody.

What answer did you put? Did you choose b? So the reason that many priests renew their ordination vows on Maundy Thursday is because it is the anniversary of when Jesus washed His disciples feet.

So before priests can begin their job, they have to make certain promises about how they're going to look after the people in their church, and that's at the ordination ceremony.

And the reason that they renew those vowels or go over those vowels again on Maundy Thursday is to relate it back to that story of Jesus at the Last Supper washing His disciples feet.

Now, in the Anglican Church, there are three different types of anointing oils.

There's the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Baptism, and the Oil of Chrism.

Now, these holy oils are blessed by the bishop on the morning of Maundy Thursday before the big ceremony begins later on for the renewing of the vows.

And the reason that they bless these oils today is so that over the course of the next year when these oils are needed to maybe help to look after the sick or when a baby is being baptised or when someone is being blessed, they take these oils and they use them in those ceremonies.

But it's on Maundy Thursday that the blessing of these oils takes place by the bishop.

Now, let's just find out in a little bit more detail what each of these oils do.

So the Oil of the Sick that's used to bless the sick and the dying.

So if you belong to an Anglican Church and you are not very well, perhaps you're in hospital, then the priest or the deacon will visit you.

And if it's the priest, then they will be able to use the oil to bless you.

Okay, but what about the Oil of Baptism? So this is used to prepare those who are going to be baptised.

So perhaps a baby is being baptised and welcomed into the church.

This oil will be used in that ceremony.

And last of all, the Oil of Chrism.

So this is used as a sign of the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

So the priest will use this to bless people who have been anointed with the Holy Spirit.

So remember, these are called holy oils.

They are blessed on the morning of Maundy Thursday, and then they are used in the church for the whole of the rest of the year.

Isn't that amazing? Let's do a check-in.

Can you tell me what words are missing from this sentence? On Maundy Thursday, the bishop blesses the, so that they can be used in church ceremonies throughout the year.

What could those missing words be? Can you write them down? And pause the recording and share them with somebody that you are with.

And let's see if you've got the same answer.

Hello again, everybody.

So what did you write down? Did you put holy oils? Because the correct answer is on Maundy Thursday, the bishop blesses the holy oils, so that they can be used in church ceremonies throughout the year.

Congratulations to you if you remembered that those were the missing words.

Now, at the end of the main service on Maundy Thursday, Ann and Christopher feel ready for another year of service where they can help and be of service to others and look after their local community.

Ann's gonna tell us a little bit more about that.

She says, "We remember the commandment given by Jesus to love one another.

To us, it means to treat everyone with kindness, respect and care." So thank you, Ann, for reminding us that at the Last Supper, as well as washing the feet of His disciples and as well as breaking the bread and drinking the wine and saying that it was His body and His blood, Jesus also gave His disciples a commandment.

And that commandment was that they have to love one another, take care of one another.

And Christians today, 2,000 years later, are still trying to follow that commandment.

What has Christopher got to tell us? He says, he agrees with Ann.

"Yes, Jesus taught us to love everyone we meet and to serve others.

Hopefully, we inspire others to do the same." Okay, I think we need a practise task.

Now, Alex is here and he is thinking about Maundy Thursday.

He says, "I know that priests renew their ordination vows on Maundy Thursday.

But I can't remember what else happens on this day." Can we help Alex and describe two things that happen on Maundy Thursday? And as a challenge, can we also make a link from them to Jesus and what we already know about Him and about what happened at the Last Supper? What you're gonna do now is you're gonna pause the recording and you can write down your answer to give back to Alex and tell him at least two things that happen on Maundy Thursday.

And if you can make a link about them back to Jesus.

Welcome back, everybody.

I asked you to describe two things that happen on Maundy Thursday.

And as a challenge, can you also make a link from them back to Jesus? Now, you might have said, Maundy Thursday is the day in Holy Week when Christians remember Jesus' Last Supper with His disciples.

At it, Jesus washed their feet and asked them to serve others.

You may have said, well, Jesus shared bread and wine and asked His disciples to remember Him when they ate this special meal.

Or you might have said, many priests renew their ordination vows that day to remember how they try to be of service to others.

I think we are ready to move on to the second part of our lesson today.

In this part of the lesson, we're going to answer the question, what other traditions take place on this day? Let's find out.

We're going to start off with this picture.

Have a little look.

What can you see? What do you think might be happening in this picture? Perhaps pause the recording and have a discussion together about it.

Hello there, everybody.

I hope you've had a good chance to discuss what you can see in this picture.

I've been having a look too, and I can see there is a big building.

It looks very special, very ornate.

It looks like it is a church because I can see a symbol of a cross in the background.

And those windows look like they might be big stained-glass windows.

And there're spires on the top of the building as well.

Now, in front of the building is a gentleman.

He looks very smartly dressed and he has a medal, which tells me that he's done something very special in his life.

And in his hands, he's holding a red and a white purse or a pouch.

I wonder what might be in them.

I wonder why he's gone to this special place and got these special pouches.

Let's find out.

So hers is a closer look at what this gentleman is holding.

Two pouches or purses, one white, one red.

And inside, we have some special money.

What we are going to find out next is how the ceremony that this gentleman has been at and how these purses or pouches relate to what we are learning about today, about the special events, the special activities, the special traditions that happen on Maundy Thursday.

Let's look again at the picture that started our lesson off.

It is a painting of Jesus washing the feet of one of His disciples.

Now we know that Jesus washed His friends' feet on the day before Good Friday to show that everyone should help others, no matter how important they were themselves.

And here we have those special purses.

On Maundy Thursday, kings and queens give out purses to deserving men and women who have been of service to their local community.

Now, this is a tradition that has been going on for many hundreds of years, and the idea is that the kings and queens are such important people.

But on Maundy Thursday, they want to be like Jesus and show that they are able to be of service to other people, just like Jesus was on that Last Supper.

Now, however old the King is, during that year, that's the number of people that will be invited to attend the ceremony.

So if the King was 70 years old, then he would invite 70 women and 70 men to take part in the ceremony, and they would go and visit a special cathedral.

There would be a special ceremony, and the King would give these two pouches or purses of special money to those visitors.

Now, they get chosen because they have been of service to their local community.

Perhaps they have helped people in their local community who were unable to go shopping themselves or perhaps they needed their garden tending to.

Now, let's just check our understanding of the information we've just heard.

We're going to do a true or false.

True or false? On Maundy Thursday, the King washes people's feet.

Is that true or false? Pause the recording, have a discussion, and then write your answers down to show your teacher.

Welcome back.

What did you put down as the answer? It's false that on Maundy Thursday, the King washes people's feet.

Why is it false? Because in the olden days, members of the royal family would wash the feet of poor people to remember Jesus' commandment.

But today, they give this special Maundy money instead.

On a Maundy Thursday, the King gives each person, a white purse, and this has special silver coins called Maundy money.

And he also gives them a red purse with other coins that are to represent giving money to help with food and clothing.

Now, actually, even though these people are given money, they don't spend the money, they keep it as a memory of this special day.

A special day when they got an invitation to go and visit the King and have this special gift given to them from him.

Let's do a check-in.

I want you to tell me which of these pictures shows a Maundy Thursday tradition? So we've got picture a, got picture b, and we've got picture c.

Now, I want you to have a think about which one of these is a Maundy Thursday tradition.

Pause the recording and then come back when you have an answer.

Welcome back, everybody.

What did you choose, a, b, or c? Well, the answer is b.

So b is a picture showing the Maundy Thursday tradition where people are invited to the cathedral to meet the lead of the royal family, at the moment, that's our King.

And at this ceremony, they speak to the King and they receive the Maundy money pouches from him.

Okay, a was the Last Supper.

Though, the Last Supper started the tradition of Maundy Thursday, but it only ever happened once.

And c is a very special tradition in the church, but it's a baptism.

It's not to do with Maundy Thursday.

Well done to you if you got that right.

Now, this is Fiona and she has a Christian worldview.

Her father received Maundy Thursday money from the King.

"My dad spent many years being of service to other people in his community.

He was an active member of his church and used to deliver hot meals to elderly people who needed help." Now, Fiona's got a little bit more to tell us about that special day.

She describes how her father felt.

"He said that meeting the King on Maundy Thursday was a wonderful privilege and he was delighted to have been chosen.

It was an event he would never forget." It's time for another practise task.

Alex is back and he's writing a description of the events that take place on Maundy Thursday.

Can you help him to complete his sentences? Now, I have to tell you, I think he's got a little bit stuck.

He's written, "On Maundy Thursday, Christians remember when Jesus" and then he stopped.

I'm hoping that you can help him by finishing that sentence off, but he is got some more.

"On Maundy Thursday, priests." Oh, I wonder if you can remember what it is that the priests do on Maundy Thursday.

But he hasn't finished yet either.

"On Maundy Thursday, the bishops." What was it the bishops did on Maundy Thursday in the morning, there was another special ceremony that they were involved in.

And lastly, "On Maundy Thursday, the King gives out," something, "And it's to reward people who." Let's see if we can give Alex the help that he needs.

Can you help him finish off these sentences that he started but then has got a little bit stuck on getting to the end? I really hope you'll do better.

Let's pause the recording.

Come back to me with your answers.

Welcome back, everybody.

Now, thank you for helping Alex to complete his sentences about Maundy Thursday.

Here's an example of something that you might have written.

So he started off by saying, "On Maundy Thursday, Christians remember when Jesus, and it was when He washed the feet of the disciples at the Last Supper." "On Maundy Thursday, priests renew the vows that they made at their ordination." So do you remember that Ann told us they go to this big cathedral and at the cathedral they have a special ceremony.

Then, he was talking about the bishops.

So he knew that the bishops did something special on Maundy Thursday.

What was it? "Well, they bless the holy oils that will be used in baptisms or when people are ill or for blessings all across the future year." And finally, we had, "On Maundy Thursday, the King gives out and it was Maundy money in two pouches and it was to reward people who had been of service." Now, you might have written even more than that, or you might have had some other ideas too.

Thank you for joining in, and well done for all of the learning that you have done in this lesson.

Here is a summary of what we have learned in today's lesson.

We learned that the Last Supper is remembered by Christians today on Maundy Thursday.

Maundy Thursday is a special date in the Christian calendar for deacons, priests and bishops where they renew their ordination vows.

On Maundy Thursday, the royal family give out Maundy money.

We also learned that in the morning of Maundy Thursday, a bishop will bless the holy oils needed for ceremonies in the year ahead.

And lastly, we learned that many Christians believe that service to others and their community is an important part of their faith.

So thank you, everybody.

I said at the beginning of the lesson that there was gonna be a lot of information that we were learning today, but you have managed it fantastically.

You've done really well with your check-ins and with your tasks, and I hope to see you again soon at our next RE lesson.

Bye for now!.