Scripture: Luke 22:14-19
I recently traveled to the East Coast to visit relatives that I had not seen for quite some time; it had been over ten years. I needed to see their faces and remember the special moments of our past together as children and now as adults growing older into the golden years. My visit was during the Memorial holiday, so we visited the burial sites of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and those that were veterans. This was definitely a set-aside time to remember and honor the military sacrifices made by others. The memories of each loved one was as fresh as when they were still alive. We chuckled at my cousin Lew’s memorial headstone, it had engraved on it the Dallas Cowboys football star symbol and the Batman symbol on it. We laughed as we remembered how Lew was a dedicated Cowboys fan and loved watching the Batman shows when we were young. The laughter somehow brought healing memories to the grief of losing him suddenly at age 50 in the midst of a successful career as Law Officer. As we reminisced on each loved one that day, there was an assurance that we would be united because of our relationship with Christ Jesus. After all, they would have wanted us to remember them and the love they had for us. The truth was that once we walked away from the burial sites, their physical beings would remain behind. There was nothing unique about the memorial cemetery, it was a place reminding us that life as we know it on earth will eventually come to an end. However, we did not walk away with sadness; instead, the focus was shifted to our hope in another memorial, a Unique Memorial from 2000 years ago.
Listen to what Luke tells us in chapter 22:14-20, (paraphrase version) about this unique memorial. “The hour had come and Jesus sat down with the twelve apostles to eat the Passover meal with the. He told them about His coming suffering and this would be His last Passover meal with them until it was fulfilled in the Kingdom of God. Jesus took the cup and gave thanks, passed it to the apostles; He then took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “this is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me’”. Jesus instituted the first Memorial Day, a unique memorial celebration.
Jesus Christ is a “Unique Memorial” because He is the only One who sacrificed His life for others and is a “Living Memorial”. Yes! He lives. We are to remember Him, He is our Savior, Redeemer, Lord, Living Word, Bread of Life, Healer and Provider. Jesus is the great “I Am”. His attributes and who He is are eternal, and He only made one request of the apostles that Passover evening: “do this in remembrance of Me”. That same request applies to all Disciples of Christ today. Are we remembering Jesus as “a Living Memorial”, and how are we remembering and honoring Him. Don’t underestimate the word “living”. In Christ it means to be a living member of the family of God. We are called to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Our memorial is indeed unique, for Jesus is a “Living Memorial”. His burial tomb site is empty, unlike others from ancient times to present times. Jesus Christ is the only “Unique Living Memorial”.
Prayer: Lord, we remember You as our Living Memorial. We honor You by presenting ourselves as living sacrifices in truth and spirit, and love, as Your Hand-written poetry to all humanity. Amen. (Copyright July 2017)