Sermon
Lest We Forget
Theme
Communion
Object
A piece of string, a pad of Post-It Notes, an electronic pocket scheduler or Palm PC (If you don't have one, you could use a regular pocket calendar.)
Scripture
The Lord Jesus, on the night 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, after 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." 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
Do you ever have trouble remembering things. Of course you do. Children haven't changed much since I was your age. I can remember when I was a boy and my mother would ask me, "Did you clean up your room?" I would usually answer, "I forgot." Or she might ask me, "Did you take out the trash like I told you to?" "I forgot" was my usual reply. I still have trouble remembering now that I am grown. I am always forgetting something that I was supposed to do.
People have a lot of ways to help them to remember things. One of the oldest memory tricks is a simple piece of string. Sometimes I tie a string around my finger and every time I look at the string, I remember that I was supposed to...hmm, I forgot what it was I was supposed to remember. That's why someone invented post-it notes. With post-it notes, you can write down what it is you need to remember. The only trouble with post-it notes is that I sometimes forget to look at the notes! Now, here is a really hi-tech way to help you remember things. It is an electronic pocket scheduler. You can put in what you are supposed to remember and set an alarm. When it is time for you to do it, the alarm goes off and you can read on the display what it is you are supposed to do. I can't use my pocket scheduler right now because the battery is dead and I keep forgetting to buy a new battery for it.
Being forgetful isn't new. It has been around since just about the beginning of time. The night Jesus was betrayed, he was eating with his disciples. He knew that he would soon return to his Father in heaven. He wanted to make sure that his disciples would remember him after he was gone, so he did something that would help them to remember. As they were eating, he took a piece of bread and he broke it and said, "This is my body which is broken for you. When you eat the bread, remember me." Then he took a glass of wine and held it up and said, this is my blood which is shed for you. When you drink it, remember me." It has been almost 2000 years since that night and we still use that same way to remember Jesus. When we take communion, we eat the bread and drink the cup to remind us that Jesus suffered and died on the cross so that we might have life. As we eat the bread and drink from the cup today, we remember him.
Dear Jesus, we remember you today. We remember that your body was broken and your blood was shed so that we might have life everlasting. Thank you.
