Say: "I Remember"
Sermon
Love Is Your Disguise
Second Lesson Sermons For Lent/Easter
How good are you at remembering? Do you remember when you got your driver's license and who taught you to drive? Do you remember your first day of school, your pets, all the pets you ever had? What were their names? Did you ever have a bug as a pet? Where did you go on your first date? What was your first job? How good are you at remembering? Did your parents have siblings? What were their names? How about your grandparents, your great-grandparents? This evening we break this bread and take this cup because Jesus said, "Do this in remembrance of me." How good are you at remembering?
Two fellows got together recently who had not seen each other for years. After a warm greeting, the conversation turned to the "good old days" and a discussion of their second grade teacher.
"Do you remember Mrs. Holland? Do you remember what a thing she had for flash cards?"
"I sure do. I always thought I was pretty good at addition and multiplication but that darn ... what was his name? That kid that was so good at flash cards."
"Oh, I know who you mean, let me think ... Carl Fox, yeah, Carl Fox. You know what I heard about him?"
"What?"
"I heard he went to MIT. Studied geophysics. He's been all over the world lookin' for oil."
How good are you at remembering? In 1948 I Remember Mama was a hit film. Set in San Francisco around 1900, a middle class Norwegian immigrant family is held together by an untiring, resourceful, stern but loving matriarch played by Irene Dunn. The life of the family is recalled in flash-back style as one of the daughters, Katrine, reads from her diary. She narrates: "But first and foremost, I remember Mama."
How good are you at remembering? Is there someone in your family from whom your compass finds its direction? An aunt or an uncle, a parent, a grandparent? Or someone outside the family circle who bestowed a special kindness: the one who spent extra time teaching you to read? Or the one who took you on all those fishing trips? Is it the one from whom you learned to sew, or to paint, or to plant a garden? And, oh, how challenging it is when the memory begins to fade. "My mind's just not as quick as it used to be." "I can remember things way back, but don't ask me a lot about what happened this week." "I went to visit Mom today, but I'm not sure she knew it was me." How is your remembering?
Do you remember the One we have gathered to remember this evening? How Simeon simply catching a glimpse of him felt his life complete? Do you remember how he called James and John and Andrew and Peter, called Matthew and Bartholomew and Judas? How he went from place to place and would eat with anyone? Do you remember how he made the lame to walk and gave speech to those who could not speak, sight to those who could not see? Do you remember how tired he got, how we all leaned on him and how he occasionally forgot even to eat?
Do you remember that day on the hillside when he turned to us, when there were so many and he said, "You give them something to eat." And we could not. But he took the bread and the fish and he fed them. Do you remember how he wept when Lazarus died because they were friends? They really were good friends. And what he said at Lazarus' tomb? We really didn't want to open it because of the stench. He had been dead for quite some time. But he said, "Lazarus, come forth." And we couldn't believe it. He did come forth and we were so amazed he had to tell us to unwrap the burial shroud.
And how the children loved him.
I think that is why he enjoyed his ride on that colt into Jerusalem. The children so enjoyed it, waving branches and singing. Everyone did.
On the last night, he was tired and he wanted to be remembered. He knew that the storm clouds of destruction were gathering and that even one of his own would be conspiring against him. And he knew his great agony would come and he wanted everyone at that table to know what great love he had for them. Don't forget my love for you. This is my body broken. This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. It is because of my love for you that I do this. When you break the bread and when you take the cup say: "I remember."
People of God, we remember. As you take this bread and receive the cup poured out, say: " I remember. I remember who you are and what you did. And I will never forget."
Amen.
Two fellows got together recently who had not seen each other for years. After a warm greeting, the conversation turned to the "good old days" and a discussion of their second grade teacher.
"Do you remember Mrs. Holland? Do you remember what a thing she had for flash cards?"
"I sure do. I always thought I was pretty good at addition and multiplication but that darn ... what was his name? That kid that was so good at flash cards."
"Oh, I know who you mean, let me think ... Carl Fox, yeah, Carl Fox. You know what I heard about him?"
"What?"
"I heard he went to MIT. Studied geophysics. He's been all over the world lookin' for oil."
How good are you at remembering? In 1948 I Remember Mama was a hit film. Set in San Francisco around 1900, a middle class Norwegian immigrant family is held together by an untiring, resourceful, stern but loving matriarch played by Irene Dunn. The life of the family is recalled in flash-back style as one of the daughters, Katrine, reads from her diary. She narrates: "But first and foremost, I remember Mama."
How good are you at remembering? Is there someone in your family from whom your compass finds its direction? An aunt or an uncle, a parent, a grandparent? Or someone outside the family circle who bestowed a special kindness: the one who spent extra time teaching you to read? Or the one who took you on all those fishing trips? Is it the one from whom you learned to sew, or to paint, or to plant a garden? And, oh, how challenging it is when the memory begins to fade. "My mind's just not as quick as it used to be." "I can remember things way back, but don't ask me a lot about what happened this week." "I went to visit Mom today, but I'm not sure she knew it was me." How is your remembering?
Do you remember the One we have gathered to remember this evening? How Simeon simply catching a glimpse of him felt his life complete? Do you remember how he called James and John and Andrew and Peter, called Matthew and Bartholomew and Judas? How he went from place to place and would eat with anyone? Do you remember how he made the lame to walk and gave speech to those who could not speak, sight to those who could not see? Do you remember how tired he got, how we all leaned on him and how he occasionally forgot even to eat?
Do you remember that day on the hillside when he turned to us, when there were so many and he said, "You give them something to eat." And we could not. But he took the bread and the fish and he fed them. Do you remember how he wept when Lazarus died because they were friends? They really were good friends. And what he said at Lazarus' tomb? We really didn't want to open it because of the stench. He had been dead for quite some time. But he said, "Lazarus, come forth." And we couldn't believe it. He did come forth and we were so amazed he had to tell us to unwrap the burial shroud.
And how the children loved him.
I think that is why he enjoyed his ride on that colt into Jerusalem. The children so enjoyed it, waving branches and singing. Everyone did.
On the last night, he was tired and he wanted to be remembered. He knew that the storm clouds of destruction were gathering and that even one of his own would be conspiring against him. And he knew his great agony would come and he wanted everyone at that table to know what great love he had for them. Don't forget my love for you. This is my body broken. This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood. It is because of my love for you that I do this. When you break the bread and when you take the cup say: "I remember."
People of God, we remember. As you take this bread and receive the cup poured out, say: " I remember. I remember who you are and what you did. And I will never forget."
Amen.
