Remember. . .

Lord, please bless this message to our spirits and do Your work in our lives, In Jesus name.  Amen.

At the Passover Feast, before His crucifixion, Jesus instituted the sacrament of Communion.  He was preparing to undergo the greatest reconnaissance mission that the world would ever see.  Luke 22:19 describes the scene, “Then He took a loaf (of 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’” (Amplified Bible).  There is great richness in meaning for us in this passage.  The literal meaning of the word remember is to bring scattered things back together. . . or to “re”: to do again. . . “member”: make whole.  So in remembrance, we are honoring the reminiscence of a past event or person.  We revisit this time and place in our minds.  This is a worthy act in itself, but the key is the difference that this remembrance makes in our current behavior.  When we remember our fallen service people on Memorial Day it is an honor, but it should cause us to think beyond cook-outs and blow-out sales.  After the 21 gun salutes and the neatly folded flags that are placed in display cases the reality is, there are lives that have been sacrificed. There are families that must go on without their loved-ones, and broken lives that need healing.  When we, as Christians, remember Jesus in communion, we are given a charge of responsibility to forgive.  He desires that we all are healed, and the key to healing is forgiveness.  When you stand at the cross at look into the pain-etched face of Christ, and know that He suffered this injustice for your salvation it is much easier to forgive.  Jesus is saying, take my hand and forgive as I have forgiven you.  To receive Communion without taking this personal inventory and forgiving and repenting of known sin, is taking it unworthily.  Remember those who have given their lives for our country, honor their memory and bless their families.  Remember Jesus Christ who gave His life for every man’s freedom and honor Him by forgiveness.  This is the only way to truly live in Freedom.