The Lord's Supper Vol 11--"In Remembrance of Me"
Paul, in I Cor 11, and Luke in Luke 22 both give us the familiar phrase from Jesus: "Do this in remembrance of me". In discussing the Lord's Supper with others these past couple of years, I occasionally get some criticism about the sharing I think should be happening. One friend said "We aren't supposed to do all these things, we are supposed to do it in remembrance of Jesus." Let's talk about that.
The luncheon we shared, after my Dad's funeral, was all done "in remembrance of Daddy". We ate, drank, watched a slide presentation, laughed, cried, hugged, looked at old photos, talked about old times, grieved and celebrated--- all in remembrance of Daddy. The "in remembrance" was not the THING we did, but more the frame of reference for the things we did, a theme and mindset. It's the WHY, more than the WHAT. Without a doubt, remembering that Jesus loved us enough to die for us and bury our sins is an integral part of that WHY, but the whole process comes to life when we share it with others. Could I have had a funeral luncheon after my Dad's funeral all by myself? Yes. I had a meal like that before the funeral, while I was writing his eulogy. I wept and grieved and remembered and wrote. It was a necessary part of the process, but very different from the time I shared with my family. The sharing time gave us all strength and brought us closer together. Breaking bread together gives us strength and bonds us together in a similar way, all the while experienced in the frame of reference Jesus called "In remembrance of me".
The examples we have and the church traditions we know of all have in common the fact that the church came together to take the Lord's Supper. Like the Passover meal, it was a sharing event more than a private event. Jesus told us we could go into our closets to pray, but he didn't say that about the family reunion meal we call the Lord's Supper. The sharing of the meal between brothers and sisters may involve tears or laughter or both, all in remembrance of Jesus. It is a miracle of the Spirit that we, who are many, become one as we share the Bread of Life, and that remembering endears us both to Jesus and our brothers and sisters. The prayer, laughter, tears, hugs, eating, drinking, communication, sharing, eye contact, love and soul-searching we do during the Lord's Supper all are framed in the remembrance of Jesus.
The luncheon we shared, after my Dad's funeral, was all done "in remembrance of Daddy". We ate, drank, watched a slide presentation, laughed, cried, hugged, looked at old photos, talked about old times, grieved and celebrated--- all in remembrance of Daddy. The "in remembrance" was not the THING we did, but more the frame of reference for the things we did, a theme and mindset. It's the WHY, more than the WHAT. Without a doubt, remembering that Jesus loved us enough to die for us and bury our sins is an integral part of that WHY, but the whole process comes to life when we share it with others. Could I have had a funeral luncheon after my Dad's funeral all by myself? Yes. I had a meal like that before the funeral, while I was writing his eulogy. I wept and grieved and remembered and wrote. It was a necessary part of the process, but very different from the time I shared with my family. The sharing time gave us all strength and brought us closer together. Breaking bread together gives us strength and bonds us together in a similar way, all the while experienced in the frame of reference Jesus called "In remembrance of me".
The examples we have and the church traditions we know of all have in common the fact that the church came together to take the Lord's Supper. Like the Passover meal, it was a sharing event more than a private event. Jesus told us we could go into our closets to pray, but he didn't say that about the family reunion meal we call the Lord's Supper. The sharing of the meal between brothers and sisters may involve tears or laughter or both, all in remembrance of Jesus. It is a miracle of the Spirit that we, who are many, become one as we share the Bread of Life, and that remembering endears us both to Jesus and our brothers and sisters. The prayer, laughter, tears, hugs, eating, drinking, communication, sharing, eye contact, love and soul-searching we do during the Lord's Supper all are framed in the remembrance of Jesus.
posted by G'ampa C @ 2:24 AM
4 Comments:
At 12:40 PM,
pawatson said…
Calvin, I copied your blog and gave it to our minister here in Murray. He is going to look at it and may even comment as soon as I give him the blog address. On Sunday evening, they are having a guest speaker who is talking about the Lord's supper. I look forward with interest to see what he says. I miss the group.
At 8:42 PM,
G'ampa C said…
Patsy-
Thanks for your support. I'm not sure my ramblings are up to scrutiny of the trained professionals, but on the other hand... I am convicted that my conclusions are sound. I have taken the Lord's Supper all these years "having the form of Godliness but denying the power thereof".
While I have had some negative input and have been ignored by a few folks I hoped to engage in meaningful conversation, most of the comments have been positive and supportive. It has also been a good outlet to put my thoughts into real words.
We miss you, too, Patsy. Travel safe. Love you.
C
At 9:51 AM,
pawatson said…
Calvin, I assure you that John will read what you say with love and there will be no meanness. He was interested when I told him about how we sometimes come to the front for communion during service and asked about the logistics of how we handle the children. I explained that each family makes the decision as to whether their children participate. He liked that idea. I hope he interacts with you. My e-mail to him came back, so I am going to have to find out what was wrong there. Today I take my Dad to Freed-Hardeman. Mom isn't up to the trip. Golden Years reunion. A light schedule - in view of the age of the attendees! Miss you too.
At 8:42 PM,
Jamie Carroll said…
Calvin!!! my long lost papa!!!! I wanted to tell you...i don't have your phone number and have been going NUTS since i got back...believe me??? I miss you...Can't wait to TALK TO YOU!!!! i'm so in A-town first thing possible.
AND...i had no idea you had this blog...THANK YOU...I LOVE IT...Hallelujah for the TRUTH in it...i'll catch up as i can on all that's posted, but whew, it's a breath of fresh air to read it!
My love to you and family...
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