In Remembrance of Me

“And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’  In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
(1 Corinthians 11:24-25, ESV)

As Americans, we commemorate a lot of historical events. Normally, when a historical event is of such importance, we want to keep it in our memory, so we try to imprint it on the American psyche with a special date. Some of these dates turn into national holidays. And these holidays are annual moments of commemoration. The purpose of commemoration is to honor by remembering. Accordingly, the New World Dictionary defines to commemorate as, “to preserve or honor the memory of.”

As Christians, when we observe the Lord’s Supper we commemorate Christ; we remember and honor His name and His sacrifice for sin. The supper is a remembering of a specific event in the life of Christ. We preserve the memory of Christ and honor his name by remembering and reflecting upon what the bread and the fruit of the vine signify. Every time we observe the Lord’s Supper we do so in remembrance of Him as . . .

• We look up in adoration. Whenever we eat the Lord’s Supper we remember God’s mercy and grace as the loving Father sent His beloved Son to die on the cross for sin. 

• We look back in commemoration. Whenever we eat the Lord’s Supper we remember that Christ came into this world to save sinners. He lived a life without sin, yet He was rejected by His own, beaten and ultimately killed for our sake. Through His death, Jesus paid the penalty for sin and liberated those who trust in Him from the bondage of sin.

• We look forward in anticipation. Whenever we eat the Lord’s Supper we are eating and drinking in anticipation of the great marriage supper of the Lamb, at which a place has been reserved for all those who belong to Christ’s family.

• We look outward in proclamation. Whenever we eat the Lord’s Supper our actions proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

• We look inward in examination. Whenever we eat the Lord’s Supper we reflect upon our own lives, asking the Holy Spirit of God to expose our own sins, so that we might come into the presence of Christ with clean hands and pure hearts.

• We look around in consideration. Whenever we eat the Lord’s Supper we are forced to look around at our brothers and sisters in Christ being reminded that we are sitting at the table as a family.

Sadly, due to the COVID- 19, we have postponed celebrating the Lord’s Supper together in an effort to do our part to halt the spread of the Coronavirus. After much prayer and study, we are prepared to celebrate the Lord’s Supper once again beginning this Sunday morning, September 13. Our present plan is to celebrate the Lord’s Supper once a month for the remainder of 2020. Additionally, in 2021 we hope to celebrate the Lord’s Supper on a weekly basis. This seems to have been the regular practice of the early church. The first Christians met on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, for distinctly Christian worship – to commemorate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. One of the ways they did that was taking the Supper together each week.

As we prepare to come together to the Lord’s table this Sunday morning, let me help us prepare ourselves. Most important, know that how we participate in the Supper will look different. Rather than having a team distribute the elements, an elder will come to the section where you are seated and point you to the table where you may pick up the elements. Once you pick up your elements, please make your way back to your seat. We will wait for one another and eat the Supper together as directed.

As we prepare to participate in the Lord’s Supper this Sunday, I encourage you to examine your hearts as we come together to the Lord’s table in remembrance of our Lord Jesus. Come prepared to end our service in celebration of the salvation God has accomplished for us in Christ.

Love,

Pastor Juan