Remember

Last year, Mom and I spent a week in Daytona together. On one of those days, Mom and I went to the Holy Land Experience in Orlando. It was amazing. Our first “experience” was in the upper room.

A character playing the role of Jesus entered the room and spoke. He shared some of the teachings of Jesus and then led us in a special service. The special service we know as The Lord’s Supper or Communion.

I was drawn back in time and thought of the events that took place.

The upper room was prepared. 13 Jewish men sat at the table to observe the Passover Feast. To remember the events of that night long ago when the Hebrew Nation was released from slavery and allowed to leave Egypt for the first time in 400 years.

In the midst of the meal, Jesus instituted a special observance. The Lord’s Supper…His Supper.

This initial Supper is recorded in three of the four gospels. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22 give us the details of the meal and the context where Jesus first shared in this symbolic meal.

Jesus took the bread, gave thanks and broke it. He then gave it to His disciples. “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then in the same way He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to the disciples. “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

In all accounts, Jesus tells the disciples that He would not eat or drink of this new covenant until He was with them in His Father’s kingdom, at the great wedding banquet.

There is one other location in Scripture where we find the account of the Lord’s Supper. It is in 1 Corinthians 11:20-34. The gospel of Luke and the 1 Corinthians passage give us six more words. “Do this in remembrance of Me.” Perhaps you’ve seen these words on the front of a Communion Table at the front of a local church. They are a reminder that we are to do this…in remembrance of what Jesus did for us.

A few other mentions of this remembrance can be found. They show us different names for this observance. Let’s see what they say.

Acts 2:42. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Here we see it called breaking of bread.

Acts 20:7. “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.”In this passage, the Lord’s Supper is mentioned as to break bread.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 21. “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons.” The Lord’s table is yet another reference.

Regardless of the term we determine to call our special time with God, we are called to proclaim the Lord’s death until His return, be reverent, to partake in a worthy manner, to examine ourselves, and to remember. (1 Corinthians 11:26-29; Luke 22:19)

What a special week. The week we remember all that Christ did for us. His teachings, His actions, His love. They all point us to the cross and empty tomb. During that holy week, on Thursday, He met with His closest friends and celebrated the Passover meal with them. Won’t you join me this coming Lord’s Day to remember?

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna