Editors’ note: 

From our core team of volunteers to each of you, may God bless you with a hope-filled and deeply meaningful Easter. 

Whether you choose to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection according to the Catholic or Orthodox tradition, or in some other way mark the miracle as a disciple of Jesus, we hope you’ll take time to enjoy this short series of quiet time devotionals as a special seasonal gift from us to you. Prepared by our own Sharon Gauthier — elder’s wife, women’s minister in Chicago — may these devotionals enhance your Easter with lasting joy in Christ, whatever you may be facing, wherever you are in the world.  

In Remembrance . . . 

Scripture Reading: Luke 22:7-20 (also in: Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26)

Shortly before His death on the cross, Jesus shared a Passover meal with His closest companions.  It was at that meal that our Lord called His disciples to eat this special supper from that point forward “in remembrance” of Him. As the Easter season approaches, I find myself reflecting on the concept of memory and remembrance.

Recently, my husband and I celebrated our wedding anniversary with a three-day getaway.  Even though we stayed only a few miles from home, it was such a refreshing time of celebrating memories.  We reminisced about some of the most memorable times of our relationship: the day we first met, our first date, our earliest feelings of being in love. Interestingly, as we traded joyful memories, our love and appreciation for one another grew.  Not that we had ever stopped loving one another.  However, to be honest, amid day-to-day distractions and the busyness of life, I can take our relationship for granted. Sadly, without similar times of remembrance I can do the same with my relationship with God. 

Whether we’re remembering an anniversary, a birthday, a baptism day, a graduation day, or even a day of loss, memories can be life-changing.  Sad or hurtful memories may bring pain, bitterness, or even anger.  Frightening memories may spark insecurity and dread.  Happy memories may inspire courage, joy and hope for the future.  Indeed, memory is a powerful force.

In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul chastises the church in Corinth for not properly recognizing the importance of communion as a time of remembrance.

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: 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.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 (NIV)

The theme of remembrance surfaces many times throughout the Bible.  In one of the earliest references to remembrance, in Genesis 9, God sets the rainbow as a reminder.  It would represent an everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures that never again would a flood destroy all life.

We see remembrance mentioned often through the journey and history of the Hebrew people in scripture. God commanded Moses to preserve a portion of manna so that generations to come could remember the miraculous way God provided food for His people (Exodus 16:32-34). God ordained festivals for the Hebrews throughout the year to remind the people of His great compassion and provision (Leviticus 23).  The Lord even had the Israelites take stones from the middle of the Jordan River, which they crossed as dry ground, as a way to remember God’s mighty power and promise when they entered Canaan (Joshua 4:21-24).  Over and over again God gave reminders to His people so that, in the face of challenges in the present, they could remember God’s victorious power throughout their past and thus have faith for the future.

Memory is defined as “the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information” (Oxford Dictionary). In social science terminology, “Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain, and later retrieve information” (Kendra Cherry, “What is Memory?”   https://www.verywellmind.com).

There are three main processes that come together to produce memory: encoding, storage, and retrieval. Encoding refers to the initial step of obtaining information, which can come through our senses (visually, through sound, etc.) or through its significance and meaning.  The more significant and real an experience is to us, the more likely we are to remember it. Storage encompasses how our brains “file” the information, which can be short-term or long-term. Through retrieval, we recall the stored information; thus we “remember.”

As Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples, the memory of that moment was encoded into the hearts of those present through their senses—the sight of their Lord, the sound of His voice, the taste of the meal, and the significance of the moment. They stored these precious thoughts in the long-term recesses of their minds. As they witnessed the resurrected Lord, they certainly retrieved these life-changing memories.

After the resurrection, recollections of the meal must have flooded their minds, so that every time they shared this simple supper of unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine, they would reflect on the death, burial and resurrection of their Lord. The taste of the bread would remind them of the One who broke the bread with them and then offered His body as a sacrifice on the cross.  The cup would remind them of their Lord’s reference to His blood, which must have seemed puzzling at the time, but they ultimately understood as they saw blood flowing from His body on the cross.  It’s no wonder, then, that Jesus’ followers gathered every week to partake of this same meal in remembrance of the Lord.

Celebrating the resurrection is not a yearly event. I dare say it’s not even a weekly event that we recognize only during communion each Sunday.  For followers of Jesus, celebrating the resurrection and remembering Jesus’ sacrifice should be an every day, every moment remembrance.  As Paul so eloquently explained it, he carried around the death of Christ in his body each day (2 Corinthians 4:10).

So why do we remember?  Memory makes us grateful. Memory builds our faith. Memory gives us hope.  Our Heavenly Father gives us the beautiful gift of remembrance and He gives us tools of memory retrieval so that we will never forget His goodness, power and love.

May we each take time, not only this Easter season but every day, to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins and the victory that we have over sin and death because of His great love.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How has God used memories in your life to strengthen your faith or encourage you in hope?
2. If you are a follower of Jesus, reflect back on the time in your life when you first began to grasp the magnitude of His sacrifice for you.  What did you feel at that time?  What did you think?  Try taking a moment to write down your thoughts or to spend time talking to God about your memories.  If you are not yet a follower of Jesus, what have you learned today that might build your faith in Him?
3. What are some ways, meaningful to you, that you can use to remember Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection?

This is the first of a weeklong Easter devotional series on remembrance. Please visit this website daily as we take a spiritual journey down memory lane reminiscing on some of the major themes of Jesus’ life and teachings.