|
|
|
For
I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the
night 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, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup
is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance
of me."
(1 Corinthians 11:23-25 NLV). For most people, today is a holiday.
Memorial Day has come to mean many different things to people. It may a time to
get ready for summer, to get boats ready and cottages cleaned for some, but
it’s also the time for remembrance: patriotic parades, when we remember the
heroes and sacrifices of each generation that has gone to war. There may be
lonely vigils at graveside, where loved ones go to shed a tear, plant some
flowers, say a prayer, and remember their loss. The
Bible is filled with thoughts of remembrance: God says, “Remember the Sabbath
day, remember the covenant, remember your creator …” The people say,
“Remember our sins no more, remember that this nation is God’s people,
remember the wonders the Lord has done, remember Jesus Christ, remember the one
who remembers us. ”At the Last Supper, Jesus said, “Do this … remembering
…” Our whole religion, our Bible, is built on remembrance: we are to
remember what God has done for us; we are to remember what we are to do for God,
we are to remember what we are to do for one another. However,
I want to point us more forward than backward today. The sacrifices that so many
people have made on our behalf to secure our freedoms were given that we might
enjoy our future. Every war that our
nation has been involved in was fought that we might preserve our freedom for
future generations. Of course, I would not minimize the grief felt by those who
have experienced the loss of those who died in these wars. But, I believe we do
them no honor by looking backward. We
honor them by celebrating our future. Their deaths have meaning in what they
have secured. This is the theme of Jesus’ words to the disciples as He
instructs them to remember what He did whenever they celebrated communion. Like
so many others, Jesus died for our future. Isn’t
it strange to you that so many of our memorials point us backward? Perhaps it is
a subtle way of keeping us from enjoying the life that has been purchased for us
at so great a price. Honor our dead and their courageous sacrifices. But, make
their deaths meaningful by remembering what they died for! Celebrate the life
you now have in freedom. As citizens of this great nation we have freedom from
oppression. As citizens of heaven
we have freedom from death and hell! Is there anything greater than these two
things to cause us to celebrate! |
|
