Remembrance at the Lord's Table

Remember

Introduction

"It has been awhile since I have shared the good news in front of God’s people, one of the last times I remember, I was behind an orange hassock (a hassock is a piece of furniture that you are allowed to put your feet on, that was its purpose), I flipped the hassock on its side and I used it for a pulpit. I remember I was in my grandma’s living room, she was joined by my mother and aunt in attendance. I was excited to share with them what I had learned about the Gospel from my parents, Sunday school, and reading scripture on my own.

I’m Michael Blake, an elder candidate at CVBC, and I am excited today to have the privilege to share the Gospel with you during this time of remembrance, at the Lord’s table. My eight year old self, standing in a living room enthusiastically sharing the Good News did not fully grasp the gravity of those moments, but he was serious, it wasn’t viewed as a game or to pass the time, he was given the life saving faith in Jesus Christ that I possess today. If you wish to possess that gift, please ask someone here or seek me out, we would love to share more with you. I stand here today, serious, with a firmer grasp of the great responsibility it is to talk about Jesus and the joy only He can bring, this privilege and responsibility is part of God’s work, which carries the weight of eternity.

One of our calls today is to remember. Our text is from 1 Corinthians 11:23 - 28 , Paul writing to the church in Corinth:

“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 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.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”

“Do this in remembrance of me”, the Lord Jesus is commanding His church to remember. Remembering clearly is not always an easy task, especially when it is a memory I share with my wife, Kelly, the details do not always line up! Memory is not my strong suit, so I strive to defer to Kelly. When reminiscing I am aided by photographs, or mementos, such as a typed up bulletin my mother kept. We need to rely on memory in our daily life and work. We write things down or store them somewhere safe, if it is important or sensitive information. In my line of work as an IT Analyst, it is details related to systems, passwords (or more accurately, how to get to the passwords). Sometimes when we remember, it is painful... All these day to day memories do not have eternal meaning, and they will fade away.

But when God asks us to remember, to write His words on our hearts, it is for the purpose of the eternal Kingdom. “Do this in remembrance of me”, this command by Jesus, to remember, is not meant to just look back with a sense of nostalgia or recall some detail for a present need, it points to a bright future for believers when our Lord returns! “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”. God helps us to remember in many ways here, it has been written down, it has been entrusted to the body of believers to recall, and it involves all five senses to anchor our remembrance, so if you can see, see the bread and the cup, if you can hear, hear the Word of God, if you can feel, feel the bread and the cup, as you partake, smell and taste, and in humility remember, remember the Lord’s humility in His death on the cross, knowing He will be coming back! Let us remember together, now."