COMMUNION: IN REMEMBRANCE
A man was working in his backyard one day, when his neighbor began talking to him over the fence. He said, "Yeah, my wife and I went to one of those seminars yesterday, you know, where they teach you ways to improve your memory and such."
His neighbor commented, "Really. What was the name of the speaker?"
The man answered, "Ah, ah, what's the name of that flower that smells so good and has thorns?"
"You mean a rose?"
"Yeah, that's it." He called over his shoulder, "Rose, what was the name of that speaker we heard yesterday?"
We humans often have a hard time remembering things. My memory has gotten so bad I figure that within a few years I'll be able to hide my own Easter eggs.
The Lord knows how short our memories are, so throughout the Bible we find Him reminding us of things again and again, and even doing things to help us remember. We have memorial offerings, writings, and tassels. There are rainbows, books, and stacked stones. Jesus used parables and items around Him in those parables, to help people remember what He taught; but in the whole Bible there is no reminder more important or significant than the one He established the night before His crucifixion. It is Communion, the Lord's Supper, our Memorial Meal. In verse 19 of the passage we just read, Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of Me." The whole meal is a reminder of Him, and the two elements of the meal remind us of three important things about Him.