Do you remember the day you were set free from the penalty and power of sin? For me, it was the weekend of June 13, 1971. Richard Nixon was president, the final Ed Sullivan Show had just aired, and Carole King’s “It’s Too Late/I Feel the Earth Move” was about to hit #1 on the Billboard Charts.
It’s fun to remember the good ol’ days – for the most part. We laugh as we recall the hairstyles and fashions. We grin when we see bell-bottoms and mustaches making a comeback. And when teens admit the ’70s had the best music, we can’t help but smile.
Next month will mark my 55 years as a blood-bought believer. I was 13, and a youth group trip had just changed my perspective on life. I distinctly remember the feeling I had when I knew I wanted to follow Jesus and tell others about Him. The Holy Spirit met me, convicted me, and filled me. I was forever changed from the inside out.
For all of us believers, Sunday is our spiritual Memorial Day. It’s the day we set aside to remember the One who gave His life for us. As we gather for worship and praise, we also connect with and encourage our church family.
God understood the importance of remembering. Before Jesus came to earth, the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt was the most remembered and celebrated event in history. The Old Testament consistently records God reminding His people that He rescued them from Egypt. He even established the Passover to help them remember. In the same way, Jesus established the Lord’s Supper to help us recall His sacrifice, which freed us from the penalty and power of sin—and one day, from its very presence. What an amazing celebration that will be!
If you’ve participated in the Lord’s Supper, you’ve probably heard someone read Paul’s words in Corinthians, where he quoted Jesus: “The Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 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.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26 ESV)
Just as the gospel (the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus) and church unity formed the core around which all of Paul’s writings were woven, the Lord’s Supper lies at the center of our worship and celebration. The Lord’s Supper makes the gospel tangible. When we call it Communion, we highlight its power to unite the church to Jesus and to one another.
We can never be good enough or do enough to deserve being saved. The bread and the cup remind us that it took Someone stronger and better than us to save us. Better yet, Communion reminds us of God’s love for us as individuals. God not only throws a giant blanket of love over all of us; He tenderly wraps each of us in a blanket just our size and then holds us close. It’s His holding us close that brings us closer to one another. If given the proper attention, the Lord’s Supper reminds us to love God and love people.
I’ve taken the cup and bread without appreciating their significance. I’ve let it become routine too often. But the older I get, the more wonderful things I have to remember. Every day brings another reason to thank Him for all He’s done.
When we look back, we can laugh at how we used to think, knowing that God was with us through it all. We can grin when we recall the day we traded our old fashions for Jesus’ robe of righteousness. When others admit our new God song is the best, and put their trust in the Lord, we can’t help but smile. No, we may not always feel the earth move under our feet, but it’s never too late to remember we have been set free.
It’s fun to remember the good ol’ days!
