A Remembrance

based on Luke 22:19b

by Pastor Richard Mau

Maundy Thursday – April 17, 2003

Immanuel Lutheran – Des Plaines, IL

 

Luke 22:19b  “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

 

            We have many memories in life.  I have a coffee mug that reminds me of part of a family vacation we took two summers ago.  In fact, our house has a great many coffee mugs, each with a different story to bring memories of people and events and places.  And we surround ourselves with many things that help keep those memories alive.  As we look around our homes we have bits and pieces of different things we have.  On the walls of the pastor’s study where I do a lot of my work, there are memories.  On one wall is the cross with palms from several Palm Sundays here.  On another is a soaring eagle with the passage from Isaiah, “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall walk and not faint.” 

            On my desk are pictures of my family, and different items people have given me that remind me of the calling into the ministry.  One is a desk clock with a pen.  The clock reminds me that time is here to tell others about Jesus and to strengthen faith in believers who come here.

 

            On this Thursday evening, Jesus, knew he was moments from the final steps to complete the work God the Father sent him to do on earth, instituted the Lord’s Supper.  His command is to “do this in remembrance of me.”  We see those words inscribed on both the communion table we use in some services and on one of the chalices we use for the Lord’s Supper.  On the Lenten banner that Jean Bouman designed and made for us in our services, we are reminded of the many events that surround God’s gift of Jesus for us.  These help keep remembrance of Jesus and God’s love for us in our hearts and minds..

 

            The first item I bring our attention to is the Chi-Rho (CR).  These are the first two letters of the Greek word for “Christ” which means, “chosen or anointed.”  God declared Jesus as his chosen or anointed one in several different settings.  First of all at Jesus birth, angels were sent to proclaim that the Savior had been born.  At Jesus baptism and again at the Transfiguration, God clearly spoke, “This is my son whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”  [Matthew 3 & 17]  Jesus was called “the Christ” by both Martha and Peter.  Jesus is the Son of God, chosen and anointed by God to be our Savior.

 

            The second item to look at is the pitcher and bowl.  It was at this supper that Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.  Jesus said that he did not come into the world to be served, but to serve. “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."   [Mark 10:45]  God prophesied through Isaiah that the Savior would be a “suffering servant.”  Washing the feet of guests was a chore that household servants performed, not the master of the house or the host.  In this simple gesture, Jesus shows you that all that he does in his life on this earth and in heaven is to serve you.  He invites you to join him in his kingdom at the end of earthly time so he can serve you then, not just washing your feet, but as Peter asked, washing all of you, presenting you in his holiness and righteousness for all eternity. 

 

            The next symbol is the moneybag with silver coins.  Jesus was betrayed for a sum total of thirty pieces of silver.  To you and me a bag of silver coins seems like a nice bit of cash.  In that day it was the price of a common slave.  Jesus was betrayed for a small amount, not worth too much.  Those who wanted Jesus and Judas who betrayed him did not put a very high value on him.  He was sold out for a pretty cheap price.  How often do you and I disregard Jesus in the same way as we sell out for a cheap return in our selfish sinful ways?

 

            In the upper left corner is a depiction of a rooster.  When a rooster crows, he is announcing the approaching dawn, the beginning of a new day.  That rooster’s crow calls us to wake up.  That rooster crowing woke Peter up all right.  On different occasions Peter boldly stated his allegiance to and trust in Jesus.  It was Peter who wanted to walk on the water.  When Jesus had predicted that he was about to die, Peter profusely stated that he would go with Jesus to prison, even to death.  [Luke 22:33]  Jesus knew Peter.  Jesus knows you and I.  When Peter heard the rooster crow, he wept bitterly as it reminded him he had just denied his Lord not once, but three times in a row.  When you and I hear the rooster crow, it reminds us too how we have failed to witness Jesus as our Lord in thoughts, actions and words.  Peter wept bitterly in repentance.  It began a new life for him.  In repentance for sins we start a new day in our baptism, knowing all sins are forgiven.

 

            The whip and sword are reminders to us of the suffering Jesus endured at the hands of the temple guards and Roman soldiers alike.  He was beaten and afflicted for us.  It is by his wounds that we are healed.  [Isaiah 53] 

 

            The dice to me are an interesting remembrance.  Jesus was judged and convicted as a traitor against the government.  When Jesus was crucified, he was not allowed to give the only things he owned away.  The soldiers divided his clothing amongst themselves and cast lots for his cloak.  They did it in front of Jesus as he suffered.  Imagine that, watching others make sport of dividing up your only possessions. 

 

            At the center of banner we see palm branches with nails.  Jesus entered Jerusalem hailed as a king as people laid palms along the way.  Nails held him to a cross as a king.  The banner with the letters “INRI” represents the official sentence Pilate stated for Jesus’ crucifixion.  “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.”  Jesus died legally convicted as the king of God’s people.  That is what “Messiah” means, “anointed one,” the same as Christ.  Jesus was proclaimed at birth as a king, he was hailed on Palm Sunday as a king.  Today he rules over all things in heaven and on earth as your eternal king.  The nails that held him to the cross were placed because he came as your king, to serve you and to give you all of his kingdom.

 

            The chalice and loaf of unleavened bread tell us of how Jesus presents his sacrificed body and blood to you and me today, in the bread and wine as he declared it in his last command before his death.  We celebrate our Lord’s Supper weekly, to strengthen faith in believers knowing that Jesus gave his body and blood for each one of you.  In his prayer for all believers in John 17, Jesus prays that we are made one with him just as he and God the Father are one.  In this simple and miraculous sacrament, Jesus today makes himself one with us.

 

            A crown of thorns was placed on Jesus’ head in mockery.  It reminds us today that as our king, his crown is the suffering he endured for us.  The spear reminds us of the spear that pierced his side after his death, letting his blood pour out on the altar God ordained at Calvary as the last and complete sacrifice for all sins of all people of all times.

 

            Last is the lamb that was slain on the cross.  John the Baptist said, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  God sent his one and only son that all who believe in him will have eternal life.  God sent his son into the world not to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  A lamb goes uncomplaining forth.  He went as a sheep to the slaughter.  He did it all for you.              Amen.

 

Contact Us	Immanuel Lutheran Church	Home	Recent Sermons	Immanuel Lutheran School
	The E-Messenger		This Month @ Immanuel