The Invitation to Remember
“Do this in remembrance of me…”
We hear these words from Jesus as he met to share the Passover with his disciples before his death on the cross. Having traveled with his disciples for nearly three years, this group had shared many meals together. Some of the meals were eaten with those the Pharisees called sinners. Some of the meals were eaten around a fire, where they may have been camped out for the night. Some of the meals were eaten in the homes of friends. Some meals were eaten with the wealthy, and others were eaten with the poor. I imagine that as the disciples looked back on their times with Jesus, they grew to appreciate all the meals they had shared together.
There is something about shared meals. I imagine that at the suggestion of my words you can remember the smells of some meals in your past. Thanksgiving meals likely bring many memories to your mind. Some of the memories recall the smell of pumpkin pie or turkey. And some of the memories bring to mind the places and, more importantly, the people with whom you shared the meal.
Some church traditions celebrate the Lord’s supper yearly. Some do it quarterly or monthly, and some share this meal weekly. Each have various reasons for their tradition. I grew up in churches that celebrated the Lord’s supper weekly, and in my youth, all of these churches had a communion table at the front of the church. Engraved on every table were the words: “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As a child, that table was a little intimidating. It seemed to be revered. The words on the table read like law, and honestly, some of the grown-ups I was around acted like the words were law.
The next time you are at a worship celebration and you have the opportunity to participate in the Lord’s supper, it is worth remembering that Jesus was the host of that last supper with his disciples, and it is Jesus who is the host of the Lord’s supper or communion today. We come to his table at his invitation.
I suspect that like me you respond better to an invitation than you do to a law. In this case the invitation comes from Jesus, who loves us so much that he gave his life on a cross to pay the price for our sins. It is Jesus who calls us to remember.
Many times in scripture we are called to remember. After the flood, God told Noah that he would place a rainbow in the sky so that we might remember his covenant. The Passover was established so that we might remember how God saved his people out of Egypt. Various Jewish feasts were given to remember and to express thanksgiving for all God had done.
As Christians gather to celebrate the Lord’s supper, we are not just called to remember what Jesus did 2,000 years ago, but we are also called to remember that he is with us now and that those around us are also a part of his body. Our celebration of the Lord’s supper connects us with Jesus and with each other as his body. Our remembering of the sacrifice made for us also connects us with our mission to love as Jesus loved and to share his life with everyone we meet.
Father, thank you for your instructions to “do this in remembrance of me.” Today we choose to remember your sacrifice on the cross for us. But we also choose to remember that you have called us together as your body, that we might share your love and life with others. Fill us with your Spirit so that we might share your love and light with the world today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Luke 22:15-20 ESV
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