Awake in the DawnSample

DO THIS TO REMEMBER ME

WORD

Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it.” -1 Corinthians 11:23–25

THOUGHT

Without Christ’s coming and without Christ establishing the new covenant, all of humanity would have been hopelessly lost in the entrapment of sin, separated from God. In the moment recorded in the Scriptures above—Holy Communion—our remembrance of his provisional gift overflows with sincere, humble gratitude, for his love and mercy are immeasurable.

By participating in Holy Communion, we remember the empty, shallow, fruitless vanity of our once self-focused lives. We remember the helplessness we felt when attempting to redeem ourselves from the result of our sins. We remember the moment of our own salvation, a moment that transformed a familiar story in history into a personal, experiential encounter with the living God. We remember when our prison bars were destroyed, allowing us to escape into the genuine freedom of a life with Christ.

Yes, we remember when compassion and perfect affection led us to repentance; and we remember the escape from darkness through a threshold of grace by the power of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only way to salvation.

PRAYER

With a heart full of love and gratitude, Lord, I remember. For without you, I would be absent of hope and life. You, I worship, you, I honor and adore, and before you alone, I bow. Amen.

May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.