A Call to Remember

Howdy from the Panhandle. In our church we observe the ordnance of the LORD's Supper or Communion every 5^th Sunday and so tomorrow we will take the bread and cup in remembrance.

Many shopping malls house a store called Things Remembered, which offers items that can be engraved to commemorate special occasions. Many people give engraved items in honor of a special day or shared moment. If you have received such a gift, you know what a treasure it can become. People like to remember happy times and significant events.

Memories are precious; they keep us connected to people, places, and events that have shaped us and influenced our lives. We may wish we could forget some things, but even life's unpleasantries can offer lasting lessons learned through adversity.

At the Last Supper Christ Jesus shared the Feast of Unleavened Bread, also called the Passover; with His disciples. Christ Jesus, the Master Teacher, used this opportunity to plant an important memory in His disciples gathered in that upper room. He shared this meal for their benefit and for ours. As Christ Jesus raised the bread and the cup in thanksgiving, He added new significance to this ancient ritual. Luke 22 records that Christ Jesus told His disciples to observe the Passover "in remembrance of me." He took an old symbol and filled it with new meaning. The meaning of Christ Jesus' words and actions is rooted in His command to remember.

Luke 22:14-20

14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."

17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."

19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

As Christ Jesus' followers, we also observe the Lord's Supper in remembrance of Him. Some congregations refer to this ordinance as the Memorial Supper to highlight the significance of Christ Jesus' atoning work on the cross and to call believers to remember His sacrificial death. Others call it Communion to highlight the believer's intimacy with Christ Jesus. Whatever you call this observance, one thing is clear: It is a time to remember.

1. Historical significance

The Feast of Unleavened Bread is the historical background for the establishment of the Lord's Supper.

Exodus 12 presents the final chapter in God's miraculous rescue of Israel from slavery in Egypt: the plague of judgment of the firstborn. For the angel of death to pass over a household, a family had to put blood from a sacrificed lamb on the door frame of their house and eat the Passover meal as the Lord had prescribed. This lamb and the meal of unleavened bread became the abiding symbol of Israel's deliverance from bondage.

As His disciples watched Christ Jesus and listened to His words that Passover, they would have understood the historical significance of His actions. What they did not fully understand until after the crucifixion and resurrection, however, was the transformation of what had been a Jewish feast of remembrance into a new symbol for remembering Christ Jesus' atoning sacrifice.

If you visit the battleship USS Missouri the “Might Mo”, now anchored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor your tour will end at the place on the deck where General Douglas MacArthur accepted the unconditional surrender of the empire of Japan on September 2, 1945. This historic event ended the hostilities of World War II in the Pacific theater, and marked the end of WWII. The signing of that treaty happened before many of us were born, but the events symbolized by that treaty shaped the world into which we were born and in which we now live. An event that happened more than 50 years ago still has significance. We still enjoy the freedoms secured by the heroic service of our parents and grandparents. 

The same God who acted in history to deliver His people Israel out of bondage has also acted in history to deliver us. We all know the elements used in the LORD's Supper are not the real body and blood of Christ Jesus. However they are powerful symbols that should cause us to remember that Christ Jesus really did suffer and die in a real, historical time and place. What Christ Jesus did centuries ago impacts our lives today and our eternity as well.

2. Redemptive significance

You should remember the LORD's Supper's redemptive significance. When John the Baptist saw Christ Jesus approaching, he cried out, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). John clearly established the reason for Christ Jesus' coming: as the fulfillment of what the Passover lamb had only foreshadowed. 

In Exodus 12, the lamb was sacrificed for the deliverance of one family; at the cross, the Lamb of God was sacrificed to deliver the whole world from the power and penalty of sin. The Passover lamb served as the substitute for the firstborn of Israel, but Christ Jesus was our substitute at Calvary. Without the death of the lamb and the spreading of its blood, the children of Israel would have suffered the judgment of God. Without the shedding of the blood of Christ Jesus and His substitutionary death, we would have no hope of salvation.

In his book “The Tale of the Tardy Oxcart”, Charles Swindoll relates the story of an eightyear- old Kenyan girl, Monica, who fell into a pit and broke her leg. Mama Njeri, an older woman, seeing what had happened, climbed into the pit to rescue Monica. In the pit a black mamba, the most poisonous snake in Africa, bit both Monica and Mama Njeri. Both ladies were rushed to a medical center; Monica improved, but tragically, Mama Njeri died. A nurse missionary explained to Monica that Mama Njeri was bitten first and thus received all of the mamba's poison. When the snake bit Monica, it had no poison left. The nurse went on to explain that Jesus had similarly taken the poison of our sin so that we can live. Monica understood and readily received Christ.

People have many ideas about who Christ Jesus is and why He came to earth. Christ Jesus said that He "came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10). When we gather around the Lord's table, the elements should speak to you of His sacrifice, His substitution, and your salvation. We celebrate our redemption in remembrance of Him.

3. Personal significance

You should remember the LORD's Supper's personal significance. Luke 22:19-20 record Christ Jesus' words: "This is my body given for you. . . . This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." Christ Jesus personalizes His statements by using the pronoun you. He told His disciples that He was going to suffer for them. He was going to die for them. True, Christ Jesus would die for everyone, for "the sin of the world"; but His disciples heard Christ Jesus say, "I am doing this for you!"

In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul gives instructions concerning the Lord's Supper and in doing so reminds the Corinthian Christians of two things: Their personal salvation in Christ Jesus and that participation in the Supper carries inward and outward aspects. Inwardly, participants are to examine themselves spiritually before taking the Supper (vv. 27-28). Outwardly participants proclaim through the LORD's Supper the Lord's sacrifice until He returns (v. 26).

Observing the Lord's Supper carries personal significance because Christ Jesus calls you to remember that He gave His body "for you." It also carries personal responsibility for you to participate with reverence, humility, and sincerity, understanding and in doing so you proclaim Christ's great act of love. Paul said that our observance of the Lord's Supper is to be done to help us to remember Christ. Perhaps we are never more the church, the bride of Christ, than when we gather at this table to worship by remembering Him. May we never forget