Remember Me

As Americans, we have Memorial Day to help us remember those who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. As Christians, we have Communion to help us remember Jesus' sacrifice for our freedom. Memorial Day observances are often somber occasions because they are to honor those who have died in service to their country. Communion should be much more than a somber memorial for someone who has died. Recently, I have been reflecting on Jesus’ instructions when He instituted the Lord's Supper.

What it is, exactly, that we are to remember? Jesus said to “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19 NIV). He says “remember me.” He does not specifically say “remember the cross,” “remember my sacrifice,” or “remember my death.” He says to remember me. We are to remember Jesus. While remembering Jesus certainly includes remembering His sacrificial death for our sake, could there be more involved in the phrase “remember me” than just “remember my death”?

To remember Jesus, perhaps we should remember who He is:

• The Lamb of God, who takes away our sins (John 1:29)
• The Son of God and our Great High Priest (Heb 4:14)
• The King of all Kings and Lord of Lords (Rev 17:14; 19:16)
• Immanuel –God with us (Matt 1:21-23)
• The Ruler of all Creation (Rev 3:14)
• The One who is worthy of all honor and glory and praise (Rev 5:12)
• Our friend (John 15:13-15)
• Our Great Shepherd (Heb 13:20)
• The only way to the Father (John 14:6)
• The Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End (Rev 21:6)

And we should remember what He did:

• He humbled Himself and became a human being, God in the flesh  (Phil 2:6-8)
• He stood up against every temptation and never sinned (Heb 4:15)
• He healed the blind, the lame, the diseased and afflicted, the deaf (Luke 7:22)
• He raised the dead (John 11:43-44)
• He walked on water (Matt 14:25)
• He miraculously provided for people out of His compassion (Matt 15:32ff)
• He reached out to sinners and loved them (Luke 5:31)
• He enabled us to have peace with God and gave us access to God’s grace (Rom 5:1)
• He showed us what love truly is by laying His life down for us (1 John 3:16)

Maybe we should remember what He said:

• “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30)
• “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” (John 14:23)
• “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
• “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20)
• “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.” (Matt 5:11)
• “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
• “Do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

These are just a few of the things I thought of that might be included in Jesus’ instructions to “remember me.” What did I leave off that you would have included in such a list? This is definitely a much bigger list than what we tend to focus on during Communion, but then we serve a big God whose love for us is beyond comprehension. As my good friend Brandon Bradley says, “God is bigger than you know and better than you heard, and His grace is more than you can imagine.” So next time you celebrate the Lord’s Supper with your church family, remember that, while Memorial Day is a memoriam for fallen heroes, Communion is a joyous celebration of thanksgiving, and an opportunity to remember, and to remind each other as members of the family of God, who it is that we love and worship and serve.

Mile Markers

What tangible things do you have that remind you of a meaningful event in your life? Maybe it's a photo album of your wedding. Maybe it's a very significant letter or email that someone sent you to encourage you. We all keep some sort of reminders to keep certain events real and fresh in our memory. 

God has always given certain mile markers to His people to help them remember. He had the Israelites write things down (Ex 17:14), learn songs (Deut 31:19), wear special tassels (Num 15:39), erect altars (Josh 4:4-7), and observe special feasts (Ex 12). He gave us the Lord’s Supper so that every time we share in it, we remember that Jesus died for us, rose again, and is coming again. He gave us baptism so that we can always go back to a physical event when we were buried with Christ and born again into His family.

I will confess that I have been struggling recently with a certain mile marker that I am very privileged to have. I even found myself almost wishing it never happened –that maybe it was a mistake. But none of this thinking can change the fact that this mile marker was set up, it happened, and it marks who I am. No one can change it, wish it didn’t happen, or make it disappear. I have audio and video recordings, photographs, and a signed certificate as physical reminders of it so I know it was real and I can always go back to revisit it.

I was ordained as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ last June. Unfortunately, this important mile marker was quickly followed up by the ending of a ministry assignment when we moved to Colorado. That change has now been followed up by nearly six months of frustration, discouragement, and lots of "no" while trying to discern where God has planned for me to serve Him in ministry here. So I started thinking that maybe being ordained was a mistake. Maybe it should never have happened. It was supposed to be a mile marker, not a dead-end sign. Or maybe it was a gift to help solidify what I have been called to, to give me strength in the wilderness -- a gift given at just the right time. 

If I did not have this mile marker to look back on, it would be so much easier to just quit, to give up in the midst of my frustration and travel a different pathway –to just forget the past few years ever happened and go back to an office job and just attend church on Sundays. It would be so much easier. But the fact is, this mile marker did happen. I was ordained into ministry – I have been set apart for service to God. This stake was driven into the ground at just the right time so that in my time of frustration and discouragement, I would have it to look back on in order to help me remember who I am and what I am called and set apart to be.

Thank you so much to all who participated in or were present for the ordination service --to all who made this mile marker possible. Yesterday, I went back to that mile marker. I listened to the recording of the charge into ministry that was given to me, and I was reminded of a few things:

• “God’s timing is always perfect…You have been called by God”
• There will be seasons of fatigue, weariness, and discouragement, but keep your focus on the goal. Go back to the day you were officially set apart. Listen to the charge and to the words of encouragement.
• “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up” (Gal 6:9 NIV).
• “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Cor 15:58 NIV).
• You are not here by accident – it is all part of God’s grand design. God orchestrates events we don’t understand.
• Remember today, June 8, 2014, the day you were officially set apart as a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I hope that this can be a call for all of us to look back on our mile markers to remember who we are and whose we are, and to know that God has created each of us to do good things for Him, things He has planned long ago (Eph 2:10), whether or not we can see them right now. 

Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to pray, knock on doors, ask, and search for what God’s plan for me in Colorado is. Pray that I will stay strong and courageous and not give up, and please let me know if there is any way I can pray for you and for your faithfulness to the mission to which God has called you.