This week we’re celebrating the last Passover meal with Jesus and His disciples.

“On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread,  and when he had given thanks, broke

it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also

he took the cup, after supper, and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as

you drink it, in remembrance of me.’” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

Jesus wanted His disciples to remember this moment – even if they didn’t fully understand it at the

time. On the night that He would be betrayed, Jesus wanted to give the disciples a memory that would

stick.

The Jewish Passover is deeply rooted in the events of the exodus from Egypt. It was a time to remember

the night they put the blood of a lamb on their door -- a time to remember the night when the angel of

death passed over their homes -- a time to remember when they were at the edge of the Red Sea and

saw the Egyptian army coming in the distance -- a time to remember that God parted the Red Sea

allowing them to walk across on dry ground.

“Remember this day when you came out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery, for the Lord brought you

out of here by the strength of his hand” (Exodus 13:3).

Ray Vander Laan, in his That the World May Know series, tells us that “remember” is a word in Hebrew

that “implies an intense focus in a way that would allow that memory to shape you as you reflect on it.”

It wasn’t just a memory, it wasn’t just a moment, it was a life-changer. Jesus gave them (and us) a

memory we must never forget.

Those of us who have grown up in the faith can become casual about the observance of the Lord’s

Supper in our churches – not thinking much about its importance – not really remembering what it

means. Oh, we know what it means to some degree. But is it still shaping us as we reflect on its

significance?

Are we remembering what we were before we knew Him – that we were actually slaves to sin? Are we

remembering the sacrifice of our Savior? Are we remembering the grace that allows us to be forgiven,

begin again and serve Him with joy?



Beloved friends, when we observe the Lord’s Supper and hear the words, “Do this in remembrance of

me,” let’s remember – really remember -- and let’s allow that memory to continue to shape us to

become more like Christ.

By Judy Shrout