Jesus said, don’t forget about me.
Okay. He didn’t say those exact words, but it’s close.
Here is what he did say, a phrase you may have heard repeated monthly before communion: Do this in remembrance of me.* Receiving the bread and the cup, sensory reminders of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus – we were instructed to do this.
The Lord’s Supper is not the primary focus of this post. Instead, step back with me and notice two dynamics of his short statement:
Jesus wants his followers to remember him. It’s really important. When he fades into the background of our lives, we lose our way. Our bearings. Our purpose.
He instructed his disciples to do something in order to remember him.
Thus our title for this post: how’s your spiritual memory?
I’m splitting our reflections into two parts, with the conclusion coming next month. Today we’ll unpack a short Bible verse, which provides for us a simple, unscientific, but extremely helpful memory test.
Here’s the verse:
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced. Psalm 126:3 (NRSV)
What prompted the penning of this Psalm? What were the great things that God had done for them? We can’t be sure, because we don’t know when in history it was written. But it’s always good to be able to confidently and practically make the same proclamation. So, let’s do it.
Part 1: The Lord has done great things for us
What are the great things the Lord has done for you?
I hope you won’t simply read past the question. Please stop and make a list – in your mind, on your device, or written down. Think back over the last year. Ten years. Your lifetime. It’s really important to him that you remember his active presence in your life and be able to verbalize it.
What a joyful feeling to recall when you called out for God’s help, and he provided a path that led you out of the psychological swamp that had you surrounded. Or the time when you asked him for wisdom and counsel in the midst of a delicate or painful dilemma, because you didn’t know what to do. And then you received it from a delightfully surprising source!
But maybe nothing comes to mind. If you can’t think of anything more than…
1. the assurance of an entrance pass into heaven when you die, and
2. the blessings of a comfortable life on earth…
… this is a good indication you’re suffering from spiritual memory loss.
Take heart. God still loves us despite our fuzzy recollections, and is thrilled when we come to our senses, wake up**, and call out to him to provide shelter in the midst of our storms.
Part 2: The Lord has done great things for us,
and we ____________ (fill in the blank)
As we age, our memories fade. We know that. But some great work can be done to keep our memories fresh – in all aspects of life, including our spiritual lives. What can you do to remember what God has done? What are you willing to do?
Here are a couple of suggestions related to Jesus original instruction.
The Lord has sacrificially loved us and promised to be with us forever,
and we receive the bread and the cup.
May you never lose sight of the importance of having someone serve you the Lord's Supper. Side note: If you’ve discontinued being in regular fellowship with other believers, and therefore no longer receive communion, that decision is not helping you to remember Jesus.
The Lord has forgiven our sins, and invited us to follow him,
and we remember our baptism.
During my tenure as Lead Pastor at River Ridge Covenant Church in Olympia, Washington, we added something to our monthly observance of the Lord’s Supper. We set up another table with a bowl of water, where congregants were invited to touch the water with their hand and bring some of the water to their forehead. This was done to remind them of God’s forgiveness and the call to walk as ones who have been resurrected with Christ to live a new life.
Here are a few personal ways the Lord has blessed me and my family, and steps I have taken to keep those memories alive. They might spur you to recall what God has done for you, and to act in ways that will assist your ability to recall.
The Lord delivered us, led us and provided a tremendous place
to serve and live following a difficult season,
and I recorded it, and hung a painting in my home office.
Two years ago, in another Blue Spigot post, I shared the story about how being called to serve River Ridge Covenant was a incredible answer to prayer. God brought us to the Evergreen State, which brought life and beauty to our souls.
I was recently given an original painting by Derek Stinson, who with his wife Colleen were good friends and neighbors during our dozen years at the church. It depicts a trail leading to Pinnacle Peak in Mt. Rainier National Park. I hung it in my office, and it reminds me of God’s kindness to us in 2006. But it also pushes me forward, remembering to live daily into our church’s mission statement: “we believe that everyone is called to a lifelong, upward path of discipleship where we love, grow, serve (repeat)”. ***
The Lord has given me many faithful friends who have walked with me through life,
and I have written down their names & pray for them on Tuesday mornings.
The wood carving in the picture of two people in a riverboat comes from Gemena in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which I had the pleasure of visiting in 2011. It reminds me primarily to pray for Tim Smith, my closest friend for sixty years, who served alongside Helen as Covenant Missionaries in Africa for decades. But it also prompts me to pray for friends in the faith with whom our lives have been deeply intertwined. Clive, Don, Marion, Peg, Hilda, and many others: you have blessed me immeasurably, and thank you!
The Lord has poured out his merciful love and answered a desperate prayer,
and I keep numerous blue spigots to remind me to show grace to others.
The Gift of a Blue Spigot. What an amazing event! I had to write about it, and I also keep several spigots in sight. One is mounted on a plaque, one by the chair in which I sit for morning worship, another hangs from the rear-view mirror of my car. May I never forget that God has called me to keep the grace flowing – to everyone, including crazy drivers.
Whatever you do, I hope these practical steps will assist you. Journaling, taking pictures, holding onto keepsakes, re-visiting significant places in your spiritual journey, speaking with friends – there are many ways to recapture your memories and keep them fresh in your mind.
Yes, the Lord has done great things for you! And be assured that God will be smiling on you as you seek to remember the great things he has done for you. And may you cause you to rejoice!
In next month’s opening of The Blue Spigot, we will explore the why question – why does it matter? What difference does it make to remember all that God has done for us?
Benediction of Blessing
May you be intentional about following Jesus’ instruction to remember him.
May you be given eyes to see the great things the Lord does for you.
May you rejoice with and record somehow what you have experienced, and may they be etched in your memory banks forever.
* Luke 22:19, I Corinthians 11:24
** Wake up! is a frequent call to believers from Jesus and from the Apostle Paul. See John 4:35, Ephesians 5:14, I Thessalonians 5:6-8, Revelation 3:2-3.
*** Proverbs 15:24 provides the biblical basis this declaration: The path of life leads upward for the wise; they leave the grave behind. (New Living Translation).
Credits: Photo of Woman Thinking by Kristijan Arsov on Unsplash
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
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