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(was in church a couple of weeks back.. this was the communion message in a way i'd never heard it before.. was very exciting for me)
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1 Cor11:
24 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."
25 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "this cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Do this in remembrance of ME. Not in remembrance of what I'm about to do, (for he was about to go to the cross) or even in remembrance of what I've already done (the miracles and teachings), but in remembrance of ME.
There are two main aspects of praise and worship - one is for what God does, and the other is for who he is. This is alluded to in Ps 150 vs 2: I like the King James Version
Praise him for his might acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. And there are a number or other verses, particularly in Psalms, that speak of these 2 aspects.
I was looking at one of our banners one day and saw on it a lion's head, symbolizing Christ. And then i thought of the irony of how Jesus could be symbolized by both a lion and a lamb, and i thought of that verse about how one day the lion would lie down with the lamb, and wondered if they were linked somehow.
When a man goes to war, he puts off who he really is, and becomes something else. A butcher, a father of three, becomes a corporal, a newly married lawyer becomes an infantryman, a metalworker who never married becomes a sergeant, a young man, just 18, who sells shoes, becomes a machine gunner, and a forty something office cleaner becomes a quartermaster. They may talk about who they used to be before the war, but for as long as the war is on, they lay all that aside and accept the roles given them by the army. (Only) when the war is over, do they take up their real selves again.
So what of our Lord? All our life we have only known him in war-time.
Lion, lamb, counsellor, fortress, high tower, shelter, and many others, all describe who Jesus is in wartime. But don't forget that this is not who he really is - that one day he will put off these things. One day, when the war is over, he won't need to be our shelter in time of trouble or our high tower, anymore. He won't need to be the lion of the tribe of Judah who goes out at the head of the army, he won't even have to be the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. All these things will be ut off. The lion really will lie down with the lamb, and we will at last know him as he really is - the awesome, loving caring, merciful, gracious Son of the most high.
So when you eat the bread today, and drink the juice, and recall the request he made: do this in remembrance of me, remember; but not just what he did, as amazing as that is. And not even just who he is to us now 0 lion, lamb, counsellor, fortress, as amazing as that is. But remember who he really is. The beautiful Son of our most amazing God.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Cor11:
24 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."
25 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "this cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."
Do this in remembrance of ME. Not in remembrance of what I'm about to do, (for he was about to go to the cross) or even in remembrance of what I've already done (the miracles and teachings), but in remembrance of ME.
There are two main aspects of praise and worship - one is for what God does, and the other is for who he is. This is alluded to in Ps 150 vs 2: I like the King James Version
Praise him for his might acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. And there are a number or other verses, particularly in Psalms, that speak of these 2 aspects.
I was looking at one of our banners one day and saw on it a lion's head, symbolizing Christ. And then i thought of the irony of how Jesus could be symbolized by both a lion and a lamb, and i thought of that verse about how one day the lion would lie down with the lamb, and wondered if they were linked somehow.
When a man goes to war, he puts off who he really is, and becomes something else. A butcher, a father of three, becomes a corporal, a newly married lawyer becomes an infantryman, a metalworker who never married becomes a sergeant, a young man, just 18, who sells shoes, becomes a machine gunner, and a forty something office cleaner becomes a quartermaster. They may talk about who they used to be before the war, but for as long as the war is on, they lay all that aside and accept the roles given them by the army. (Only) when the war is over, do they take up their real selves again.
So what of our Lord? All our life we have only known him in war-time.
Lion, lamb, counsellor, fortress, high tower, shelter, and many others, all describe who Jesus is in wartime. But don't forget that this is not who he really is - that one day he will put off these things. One day, when the war is over, he won't need to be our shelter in time of trouble or our high tower, anymore. He won't need to be the lion of the tribe of Judah who goes out at the head of the army, he won't even have to be the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. All these things will be ut off. The lion really will lie down with the lamb, and we will at last know him as he really is - the awesome, loving caring, merciful, gracious Son of the most high.
So when you eat the bread today, and drink the juice, and recall the request he made: do this in remembrance of me, remember; but not just what he did, as amazing as that is. And not even just who he is to us now 0 lion, lamb, counsellor, fortress, as amazing as that is. But remember who he really is. The beautiful Son of our most amazing God.
