Remember and Celebrate

Welcome to today's encouragement from the Our Daily Bread devotional. I'm Bill Crowder, and I titled today's reading, Remember and Celebrate. On December 6, 1907, explosions rocked a small community in the U.S. state of West Virginia, producing one of the worst disasters in the history of the coal mining industry.

Some 360 miners were killed, and it's been estimated that this horrific tragedy left behind about 250 widows and 1,000 children without fathers. Historians maintain that the memorial service became the seedbed from which the celebration of Father's Day in the United States would eventually grow. Out of great loss came remembrance, and eventually, celebration. The greatest tragedy in human history occurred when human beings crucified their creator.

Yet that dark moment also produced both remembrance and celebration. The night before he would go to the cross, Jesus took the elements of Israel's Passover and created his own memorial celebration. Luke's record describes the scene this way, and he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me. Still today, whenever we take communion, we honor his great, unflinching love for us, remembering the cost of our rescue and celebrating the gift of life his sacrifice produced. As Charles Wesley said in his great hymn, Amazing Love, how can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me? Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Luke chapter 22, verses 14 through 23. When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table, and he said to them, I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God. After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, This is my body given for you.

Do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him.

They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this. Let's pray. Father, when we come to the memorial table, help us to remember why our forgiveness was so costly and help us to celebrate your great, awesome love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.