“DO THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME…”
As Jesus ate in that upper room with his disciples, I am guessing that he looked around at that perhaps somewhat “rag-tag” group of friends with such love and sadness … He knew what was coming and that this was most likely the last meal they would share. He wanted them to remember him! He wanted them to remember their years together and all he had tried to teach them …
What a brilliant thought to connect REMEMBERING with EATING — something they (and we) do all the time!
“Whenever you break bread, remember me… Whenever you drink of the cup, remember me...”
I like to think of the word “remember” with a hyphen — Re-member… Remember means “to recall;” Re-member goes one step further to mean“ to put back together again.” So — when we re-member Jesus as we share the bread and cup together, we are not simply “recalling” who Jesus was, but inviting Jesus actually to BECOME A PART of our very selves.
This Sunday Christians all over the world will celebrate communion wherever they are gathered… in medieval churches or state-of-the-art meetinghouses… in mud huts or on a hilltop… in a storefront or in homes — and in countries where Christianity is illegal — perhaps even in hiding…
Whether sharing a rustic homemade loaf and wine, Wonder bread and grape juice or Japanese rice patties and a grape, companions of the Spirit everywhere will be RE-MEMBERING together. How AWESOME it is that as we break bread in NORTH MADISON, CONNECTICUT, we will be surrounded by the entire global body of Christ!!
The final hymn we all will sing in our Sunday service will be ONE BREAD, ONE BODY. Originally composed by Fr. John Foley in 1978, it has become a well-known and well-loved classic. Click here to listen — and to reflect…
How is RE-MEMBERING this Sunday going to motivate change within you?