Just don’t forgeT ME
The greatest compliment you can give someone is to remember them. Whether it be remembering their name, their birthday, or an accomplishment, there is something said about the honor given to another when you remember them. Jan and I were enjoying dinner with friends when they both got a little choked up as they remembered mother and father who had passed away. There’s nothing wrong with that, in fact, just the opposite is true - as the memory of mother and father live on. There’s a sense we all want to say, “Just don’t forget me,” and when we make sure we remember them – their lives and their accomplishments, we honor that person.
The Bible is full of examples of God giving orders to set up memorials so his people would not forget.
Deuteronomy 4:23 (ESV) Take care, lest you forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make a carved image, the form of anything that the Lord your God has forbidden you.
Deuteronomy 6:12 (ESV) then take care lest you forget the Lord, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
Deuteronomy 8:11 (ESV) "Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,
Joshua 4:4-7 (ESV) 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. 5 And Joshua said to them, "Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, 6 that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, 'What do those stones mean to you?' 7 then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever."
God wanted to make sure that once the promised land was conquered, the people would not forget the way God had led them, provided for them, and had given them the promised land. In a sense, it was also to help the people know they were not to forget those who had conquered the land on their behalf. The memorial was established to help those who enjoyed the land of promise not to forget what led into their enjoyment.
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (ESV) 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 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 also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Jesus has given us the Lord’s Supper as a memorial, a time of remembering Him, so we don’t forget Him and know that God remembers His covenant. After all, He is the reason we have anything from God and He is the source of all blessings. It’s not too much then, that He asks us as His followers to remember Him or to make sure we don’t forget Him.
Why do we need such reminders in memorials? Because life goes on and we tend to forget. The memory of loved ones who have gone before us, the memory of those who have paid a price for the things we enjoy tend to get lost in the blur of the past. Taking time to remember keeps the person and their accomplishments alive and helps each of us feel appreciation. The memorial says to each of us, “just don’t forget me” and taking time to remember gives us a renewed appreciation of life and all that we enjoy.
Happy Memorial Day.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker
Bob is the pastor of Christ Community Presbyterian Church, Clearwater, Florida. See www.ccpconline.org for church information and listen to Bob’s latest sermons.
FCA Endurance – Clearwater – We have registered and are forming a Clearwater Huddle of the FCA Endurance team. We will be announcing a “start up meeting” in the coming month. Check my website for updates and/or send me an email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please pass the word to athletes in the Clearwater area. For information about FCA Endurance see www.fcaendurance.com .
