In Rememberance of Jesus

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” - Luke 22:19

What do you do to remember Jesus?

Most may ask, how could I possible forget Jesus? It may be true that we may not forget Jesus the way we forget many of the people we graduated kindergarten with. However, I am convinced there are other more subtle ways that we can forget Jesus.

We can forget his deity. In this mode of forgetfulness Jesus can become the every man, the friend and brother to us all. And while he is the friend of sinners and brother to those who believe, it is only because he was also fully God that we are able to call him brother and friend.

We can forget his humanity. Here we forget that Jesus really did live for 30+ years on this earth, enduring all that trials and temptations and simple inconveniences that we do. And we can also forget that he walked through those 30+ years without sinning, not because he was God, but because he was a man who relied fully on the Holy Spirit.

We can forget his ground-level compassion. I think its easy, at least for me, to take a high-level, fulfillment of God's plan view of Jesus' life, death and resurrection. And while this perspective is true, it is not all of what he was about. He took time to touch people, to talk with people, to celebrate with people and to weep with people. He came not only as a ransom, but also as a servant.

We can forget that he is praying for us. Whether it is Romans 8 or Luke 22 or John 17, Jesus' prayers for his people are the reason we are sustained in our faith. We may think we are spiritually mature, but the only reason this could possibly be the case is due to Jesus intercession on our behalf. Without that, we would be nothing.

So, what do you do to remember Jesus?

I could list several things, such as Bible reading, prayer, devotions, worship and communion that may help us. All of these and many others serve a vital role in aiding us in remembering Jesus. However, all of them can be empty and shallow if done simply as a means to an end. Bible reading isn't simply learning more about Jesus. Praying isn't simply getting our list in front of God. Devotions aren't simply collecting other people's opinions on Christianity. Worship is simply singing songs with adoring lyrics. Communion isn't simply eating a cracker and drinking grape juice with our like minded saints.

In each of these things there is an attitude of mind and heart that allows them to be the Holy Spirit's tool for us to remember Jesus. He can repurpose our Bible reading and help us to see Jesus in ways we may have forgotten. He can reshape our prayers so that we listen more than talk and come to remember that all of God's promises are Yes in Christ. He can realign our devotions in ways that bring out the reality that Jesus will never leave us nor forsake us, even in our forgetfulness. He can renew our worship, engaging our hearts and minds, allowing us to really adore the Father who loves us and the Son who died for us. And, He can reorient our communion. He can bring us to the point of knowing that we really are proclaiming something much bigger than ourselves and that while Jesus' death did save us, it accomplished and continues to accomplish so much more.

Now, what will you do to remember Jesus?

To God Alone be the Glory.

Communion: What's the point? - update

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1 Cor 11:26)

Note: I ran across a comment from D.A, Carson that fit great with the theme of this post. I've appended it to the end, for those who may have read this post already. SDG)

I know broaching the topic of Communion is a risky proposition. However, my goal is not to address the various perspectives on its grace imparting aspects or even seriously engage in the sacrament vs. ordinance differential. My question is this: whatever your viewpoint on Communion, why do it at all?

I having presented the question, I realize some of the varied opinions on Communion could tend to color our answers. With that being said, I think Scripture, as always, is the best place to seek the answer. I will grant that traditions can have an important role in affirming our faith (see Heb 11), but even traditions must submit to the Word of God. So the question remains, why do we have Communion at all?

I would submit that there are two Scriptural answers to this question. The first and probably most obvious is that it is a command.  Jesus, during the Last Supper and Paul later to the Corinthian church state emphatically that we are to continue to break bread and share wine together. Jesus says do this. Paul says do this. So we must do it. Paul even provides the end date when we will no longer need to celebrate Communion. It is when Christ returns.

The second reason we continue to share in Communion is because it proclaims Jesus' death. Yes Jesus (and Paul via quotation) say to do it in remembrance of Christ, which of course would include all of who He is. But consider what Communion symbolizes. Jesus' body broken for us. Jesus blood shed for us. Consider when Communion was instituted. It was during the Passover celebration. And Passover is a remembrance of the death of a lamb for the salvation of the first born son.

The bottom-line, at least for me, is that if our Communion time doesn't bring us back to the Cross, it is a wasted time. We are going through symbolic motions, but we've lost the track of what the symbols mean. What is wrong with taking a few minutes (or several minutes) and explicitly stating what we are actually celebrating? Isn't worth our time and effort to "proclaim the Lord's death until He comes"?

Subsequent to the original posting of this entry, I ran across the following thoughts from D.A. Carson:

"No less than the ancient Israelites, Christians are called to covenant renewal. That is one of the large purposes of the Lord’s Supper. It is a time for self-examination, confession of sin, remembering what the Lord Jesus endured to secure our redemption, and, together with the people of God in local assembly, a time to remember and proclaim his death until he comes. Thereby we renew our pledge of allegiance. If we permit the Lord’s Supper to descend to the level of meaningless rite, all the while hardening our hearts against the living God, we face grave danger. It will do us good, in solemn assembly, to review our sins and confess them, to grasp anew the Lord’s faithfulness, and to pledge fresh loyalty to the new covenant."

I now send forth this post with a deep sense of its many defects; but with an earnest prayer that it may do some good. (JC Ryle)

To God Alone be the Glory