Sermon
In Remembrance of Me
Theme
Jesus left us a picture by which to remember him.
Object
A family photo album, high school yearbook, or some similar item
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
Activities + Resources
This morning I brought one of my family photo albums. I love to look through my photo albums and remember all of the important people in my life and to think about all of the good times we have had. I would like to share a few of those memories with you this morning.
This first picture is a picture of my mother when she was a young woman. She was a beautiful woman and this picture helps me remember what she looked like when I was a little boy. This is a picture of my daddy. Daddy was very dark-skinned and had coal black hair. As you can see, he had a wonderful smile that I think of when I remember my dad. Here is a picture of my grandmother as a young woman, and then another taken just a few years before she went to be with Jesus in heaven. These next pictures are pictures of my sisters. And this one...wow! What a beautiful baby. Can you guess who that is? It's me! Here are a couple of pictures when I was in about the 4th or 5th grade, the same age as some of you. Looking at these pictures sure brings back a lot of wonderful memories.
When Jesus went back to heaven to be with his Father, he left behind a picture for us to remember him by. It isn't a picture in an album that we can look at and remember what Jesus looked like, but it is a picture to help us remember what Jesus did for us. We call it "The Lord's Supper." (Communion)
Just before Jesus was crucified, he called his disciples together for a meal. He took a piece of bread and he told the disciples that the bread was to remind them of his body that would be hung on a cross for them. Then he took a glass of wine and told them that the wine was to be a reminder of his blood that would be shed for them on the cross. He told them that whenever they ate the bread and drank the wine, it was to remind them of what he had done for them. We still eat the bread and drink the wine today, and when we do, we do it to help us remember what Jesus has done for us.
Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us this picture to remind us of what you did for us when you died on the cross. Help us to remember and be thankful.
