Miriam Thurlow writes:
As disciples we are called to remember.
As we read the account of the Last Supper in Luke 22:7-23 Jesus instructs us to ‘do this in remembrance of me’. Jesus also tells the disciples the cup is the new covenant, which is poured out for them. And so, in Communion we are reminded it is a new covenant we are invited into. Jesus knows He is headed to the cross where His precious blood will be spilled in the most horrific way through crucifixion on the cross. But His blood makes the way for the new covenant, the invitation into salvation, freedom, forgiveness, family and fulfilment
And God’s people have always been a people called to remember, which we see as we read through the Old Testament. We see this in the call to keep feasts like Passover to remember God’s faithfulness and provision for His people, and to tell of it to the next generations.
But what are we doing when we remember today? When we celebrate communion today it is not just about recalling something that happened in history, it involves all three tenses: Past + Present + Future. The cross, Jesus dwelling with us in the present, and our confidence in Him as our future hope.
But why are we called to remember? What’s the point? I want to suggest a 3-fold answer:
1. We are reminded of God’s faithfulness
In the Old Testament people built altars to God to remember what He had done for them. In Exodus 17 Moses builds one to remember ‘The Lord is my banner’. If you built an altar, what would yours say? The Lord is my comforter? The Lord is my strength? The Lord is my provider? The Lord is my wisdom? The Lord is my solid ground to walk on when the world is uncertain? The Lord is my advocate? The Lord is my… how would you finish that sentence?
2. We respond in thanksgiving
For what other response can we have as we are reminded of God’s faithfulness! I jest, but have we started taking God’s faithfulness for granted? We know we can trust in it, but has it stopped moving us, has it stopped capturing our hearts, have we fallen asleep to it? How are we building thanksgiving into our daily rhythms with God?
3. We move forward with courage
A call to remember is not simply a call to look back and reminisce, nor is it a static call to stop everything to remember. It is a call to move forward with courage because of what we remember. Because we have been reminded of God’s faithfulness and responded in thanksgiving, then we are propelled forward to tell others of God’s faithfulness so they might know it too. And God’s faithfulness is the source of our courage. What is the next step the Holy Spirit is inviting you to take?
Let’s be disciples who remember. Those who are reminded of God’s faithfulness, those who come in thanksgiving, and those who move forward with courage.
Reverend Miriam Thurlow Associate Vicar CCBN