Once we come to faith in Him, we receive the promised Holy Spirit. “Do this in remembrance of me” reaches beyond communion to remembering Jesus in how we conduct our relationships with fellow believers.įirst, we must realize that Jesus’ words have no effect in our lives if we don’t know Him as Savior. How Can We Remember Jesus When Interacting with Fellow Believers? Now, anyone could come to Him and never be hungry or thirsty. He truly is the “bread of life,” as He spoke of in John 6:35. In doing so, we remember that Jesus died for our sins and rose to new life, proving that He has authority over death. We need to “feed” on these words as God calls us to do. But thou art the same Lord whose property is always to have mercy.”īut it’s not enough to hear these words. Again, the Book of Common Prayer offers a great example with the words, “We are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table. They may also paraphrase the passage during Communion, saying “the body and blood broken for you” as congregants take the bread and wine.Ĭongregants can be encouraged to confess their sins and pray for one another before taking the bread and wine (or grape juice, depending on the church). Non-denominational churches often do something similar-perhaps not quoting the full service, but a section of it-before Communion. In the Book of Common Prayer used by Anglicans and Episcopalians, the rector is to hold the bread and say, “On the night He was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. How Can We Remember Jesus When Taking Communion?ĭifferent churches have different ways to include the “do this in remembrace of me” passage in their communion services.Ĭongregants in a liturgical service hear this passage each week while preparing for the Eucharist (“Thanksgiving”). In many churches today, this happens every Sunday as people reenact the Last (or Lord’s) Supper. He wanted them to remember His sacrifice for them every time they celebrated their salvation through the body and the blood. They didn’t know it at the time (before the crucifixion), but at the Last Supper, Jesus encouraged them to follow a pattern. How could that be? How could the one they came to believe was the Messiah who was supposed to save them from the Romans and usher in peace as their King be the one who was now talking about dying for the world? Literally giving up His body and blood. He would be that sacrificial lamb as a “once and for all” sacrifice. Soon they would learn that Jesus was the new covenant. ( Some theorize that the wine was added to Passover celebrations after the Jews returned from exile, a change the Pharisees may have officially instituted).ĭid any of the disciples understand that a new covenant was being launched that evening? That a new covenant was needed? It wasn’t that the old one didn’t work and God had failed, but that Jesus was the fulfillment of the law of sacrifice for sin. At the meal with Jesus, we know that these items were there, but also wine. The typical meal was lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs. While there was an order to the Passover meal celebrated yearly, the celebration during the “Last Supper” would be monumental. Why was the focus taken from remembering God’s actions to release the enslaved Israelites to remembering Jesus? When Did Jesus Say “Do This in Remembrance of Me”? It was the time of the Passover when the Jews memorialized the very night that all the remembrances talk about–the night He brought His people out of slavery in Egypt over a thousand years before. The setting is the final meal Jesus and the disciples would celebrate together before He is handed over to be crucified. The passage in which Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me,” is found in Luke 22:19-20. From Genesis to the prophets near the end of the Old Testament, we hear God reminding the people, “I brought you up out of Egypt.” In essence, remember who I am and remember who you are. They were sometimes called to set up memorial stones, as Jacob did after his wrestling match or his vision in Genesis. With stories on their lips of mercy, compassion, and deliverance, God’s people were to commemorate, praise, and pass it on. Thus the inhabitants of the Old and New Testaments were often called to remember what God and Jesus had done. Maybe it is because our Good Shepherd knows that we are dumb sheep and are likely to forget Him. God places a great premium on remembrance.
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