Bella Vista Church of Christ
LIFELINES
August 15, 2001 Randall Caselman
In Remembrance of Me
Can you remember where you were and how you felt when you heard that Franklin Roosevelt had died? President Kennedy? Bobby Kennedy? Martin Luther King Jr.? Princess Diana? Maybe a spouse, parent, child or grandparent? Thinking back floods our hearts with memories of how things were and how we felt about what was taking place. Such thoughts may evoke tears, fears or anticipation of future events because of what happened then.
Now, place yourself before the cross as you watch the Son of God die - sense the pain - feel the hurt - face the fear. Understand that His death should be our death - His pain our pain - His hurt from rejection our hurt - His fear of being Godforsaken our fear. You see, how he died, we should have died for our sins. All that happened at the cross that day should have happened to us. For our sins the cry should have been “My God, my God, Why have you left me?” His three-hour darkness should have been our eternal darkness of Hell. His six hours of suffering should have been our pain forever in the torments of eternal death.
If the death of a friend or of the famous touches our hearts, how much more should we be touched by the death of Jesus - God! - on the cross? Indeed Isaac Watt’s words are appropriate:
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride.
See, from His head, His Hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Can I ask an embarrassing, telling question? When was the last time we cried? When was the last time we were deeply moved by the stunning death of Jesus? Were we ever?
I believe God desires that we be touched, that we have a deep sense of appreciation for what the death of Jesus means to us. This is why God sought to memorialize His death in a weekly event we know as the Lord’s supper. How dare we remember only once a quarter, or only on Easter Sunday? How dare we forsake the assembly for an outing at the lake, or on the golf course, or play with the children, rehearse next week’s business deals, or be thinking about which restaurant or the afternoon ball game? Scripture tells us such behavior is not only inappropriate, but also keeps us weak in the faith and brings condemnation to our souls.
May God help us to come to the Lord’s supper with a sense of awe, reverence and respect; with a hurt in our heart, and a tear in our eye for what occurred that day. Then may we smile knowing that what He did, He did for us. May we anticipate the day when the cross will turn into our crown of life, as He comes to claim those of us who are so touched by His death that we will memorialize Him - not just once a week, but every day by the way we live.
Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were a present far too small;
Love So amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
Amen? Amen!
RANDALL CASELMAN
