Wednesday, July 04, 2007
In Remembrance
Remember, to live in the hearts we leave behind is not to die." ~ Thomas Campbell
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." 1 Corinthians 11:24 (New International Version)
The fourth of July is a day when the America’s gather together in celebration of its independence from England. It is also a day when we call to remembrance all those who died in war to help insure that America remains free.
Some of us celebrate by attending parades, watching fireworks and gathering together with family and friends to enjoy the fruits of our labors. We eat, drink and make merry. Unfortunately, many of us don’t know why. We do what we do out of tradition; the tradition of celebrations that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Unfortunately, the same holds true for many of the traditions we celebrate in the church, including the Lord’s Supper. Many who came up in the church traditionally observe the celebration of the Lord’s Supper because that’s what we have been taught to do. We eat the bread and drink the wine, in celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But do we truly understand the significance of what we are doing?
The bread that we break and eat as a part of the ceremony is representative of the body of Christ. The message of the bread is one of us being set free from or delivered out of our sin through Christ’s death on the cross. The body of Christ was broken for our sins. The wine is representative if the Blood of Christ. The blood of Christ was shed to wash away our sins. We practice this ceremony to remind us that Jesus Christ was broken and bled so that we could be reconciled to the kingdom of God.
So even though we practice certain ceremonies, celebrate with various holidays, we must always remember that it is not only out of tradition that we do these things, but they have a much deeper meaning. They represent our freedom; freedom from tyranny and freedom from sin and eternal death.
Be Blessed
Prayer:
Father God, we come kneeling before the mercy seat asking for Your favor. Lord, we ask that You would continue to cover us and hide us under the wings of Your salvation. Dear Lord, we ask that You would touch the hearts and minds of all Your Saints. So that we may always remember to whom we belong. We thank You Father for keeping us safe from all hurt, harm and danger yet another day. Father God we thank You for fresh grace and mercy. We thank You for watching over our loved ones. We thank You most of all for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose body was broken and whose blood was shed so that we could be reconciled unto the Kingdom of God. Thank You Lord for He who was sacrificed so that I could be saved. It is in His name we pray, Amen.
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." 1 Corinthians 11:24 (New International Version)
The fourth of July is a day when the America’s gather together in celebration of its independence from England. It is also a day when we call to remembrance all those who died in war to help insure that America remains free.
Some of us celebrate by attending parades, watching fireworks and gathering together with family and friends to enjoy the fruits of our labors. We eat, drink and make merry. Unfortunately, many of us don’t know why. We do what we do out of tradition; the tradition of celebrations that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Unfortunately, the same holds true for many of the traditions we celebrate in the church, including the Lord’s Supper. Many who came up in the church traditionally observe the celebration of the Lord’s Supper because that’s what we have been taught to do. We eat the bread and drink the wine, in celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But do we truly understand the significance of what we are doing?
The bread that we break and eat as a part of the ceremony is representative of the body of Christ. The message of the bread is one of us being set free from or delivered out of our sin through Christ’s death on the cross. The body of Christ was broken for our sins. The wine is representative if the Blood of Christ. The blood of Christ was shed to wash away our sins. We practice this ceremony to remind us that Jesus Christ was broken and bled so that we could be reconciled to the kingdom of God.
So even though we practice certain ceremonies, celebrate with various holidays, we must always remember that it is not only out of tradition that we do these things, but they have a much deeper meaning. They represent our freedom; freedom from tyranny and freedom from sin and eternal death.
Be Blessed
Prayer:
Father God, we come kneeling before the mercy seat asking for Your favor. Lord, we ask that You would continue to cover us and hide us under the wings of Your salvation. Dear Lord, we ask that You would touch the hearts and minds of all Your Saints. So that we may always remember to whom we belong. We thank You Father for keeping us safe from all hurt, harm and danger yet another day. Father God we thank You for fresh grace and mercy. We thank You for watching over our loved ones. We thank You most of all for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose body was broken and whose blood was shed so that we could be reconciled unto the Kingdom of God. Thank You Lord for He who was sacrificed so that I could be saved. It is in His name we pray, Amen.
