1 Corinthians 11:23-26 

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ 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.” ²⁵ 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.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Comics

Old friends love to spend summer at the park. They talked about good old days. “I remember we used to call you ‘Pretty Boy,’ right?” an old man suggests. Pretty Boy smiled and said “Those were the days, and we also used to call you, ‘Genius,’ right?” And then Pretty Boy continued, “Well by the way, how is your memory ‘Genius’?” “Hmn! I have some lapses sometimes but when I forget things, I try to relate them to help me remember,” Genius calmly answered.

“Where did you go yesterday?” Pretty Boy tested the memory of Genius. “Hmn! Let me see. What do you call that beautiful flower with thorns?” Genius asked. “Rose! So did you go to a rose garden? That’s awesome!” Pretty Boy excitedly suggested. Genius denied, “No! But let me ask, Rose.” Turning to his wife, Genius asked, “Rose, excuse me. Where did we go yesterday?”

Well, forgetfulness is not only a problem for older people. Smart people can forget things sometimes. Genius forgot the name of Rose his wife but he smartly related it to flower. What do you do to remember things you may forget? Do you fold pages of your book or Bible to remember pages where you stopped reading? Smart phones as reminder of appointments or birthdays is smart, right?

People tend to forget the many great things that older people have done. When you helped others but they forget your goodness, it is not very amusing.

Because of Joseph, his master Potiphar prospered. When Potiphar’s wife falsely accused Joseph, he forgot all the good things Joseph did for him. While in prison, Joseph took care of other prisoners including the cupbearer and baker of Pharaoh King of Egypt. Joseph told the cupbearer to remember him and mention him to Pharaoh and get him out of the jail. Sadly, the cupbearer forgot Joseph.

Pharaoh King of Egypt had a terrible dream that magicians and wise men of Egypt cannot interpret. That’s when the cupbearer told Pharaoh about Joseph in Genesis 41:12-13, ¹² We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. ¹³And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position (as cupbearer).

Pharaoh ordered to bring Joseph out from prison. Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharaoh, and Pharaoh appointed Joseph as Prime Minister of Egypt.

Most likely, prison can be the worst place for anyone. And to be forgotten is even more terrible for prisoners. Joseph was falsely charged, but he was still kind to other prisoners, like the cupbearer. Yet despite being forgotten in prison, Joseph kept on trusting that the Lord is faithful to the faithful. It feels bad to be forgotten, but we trust that the Lord’s divine timing is perfect. Together, let us reflect on what King David testified about the Lord in 2 Samuel 22:26, ²⁶To the faithful you show yourself faithful, to the blameless you show yourself blameless.

King David must have personally proven it when he testified that God shows faithfulness to the faithful. David trusted the Lord, and he overcame many difficult struggles of life. God is faithful friend to everyone who trusts him. Many people are very quick to call each other as “Best Friend Forever” (BFF) but in reality, only God is forever faithful friend even when most often we forget him.

God is a friend who is real. God is a friend who loves. God is a friend we can trust. God is a friend forever. God is a friend for everyone. Remember that and pray for divine opportunity to pass on to relatives and friends about the Lord. Apostle Paul passed on to believers in Corinth what he learned from Christ.

1.  Pass

²³For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 

Christ himself told Apostle Paul what happened on the night he’s betrayed. Personally, Apostle Paul heard from Christ himself about the Lord’s Supper, and he passes on to us as well. Christ told him that the bread symbolizes his body.

The bread we partake during the Lord’s Supper reminds us of the crucified body of Christ. Originally, Christ broke bread for his disciples to partake which symbolizes that every believer is essential part of the body of Christ, the church.

Well, how should we properly interpret what Apostle Peter declared about the crucified body of Christ in 1 Peter 2:24? ²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness.

How do you explain that to children? Christ took and carried all our sins at the cross. Our sins were crucified with Christ. We can’t imagine how; we cannot empirically prove how Christ carried and crucified all our sins with him. By faith we believe that since the Lord took, carried and crucified all our sins with Christ, we now follow Christ as Lord, and sin cannot control us anymore. We die to sins!

How do we explain “Die to sins” to ordinary listener? “Die to sin” means: We don’t live to sin. We don’t follow sin anymore; we live to follow righteousness.

All sins, our sins were crucified with Christ, but the term “might” implies that not everyone has died to sin. Some people still live in sin and to sin. Sadly, believers are not exempted from sinning; they still follow the dictation of sins.

The dead has no feeling and cannot react or tickled by sin. If we are dead, sin cannot irritate or amuse us. If we die to sin, sin cannot influence or pressure us anymore, right? Are you still tickled or pressured by sin? Are you dead to sin?

Personally, how can we know that we died to sins ever since we trusted Christ as our Lord and Savior? We live, behave and follow godly righteousness now. So, how could we explain or translate the phrase, “Live for righteousness?”

Live for righteousness does not follow personal view or opinion that has originated from human sinful nature. To live for righteousness, we behave and follow the righteousness of God proclaimed in the Scripture. In everything we do, we prioritize obeying his instructions even when we don’t understand or explain.

Peace from the Holy Spirit inspires us to trust and obey the commands of God. We trust that God designed great life for us so that we obey him by faith. Sometimes, it feels like godly commands are restrictions from enjoying life, right?

Jasper Alberta

One of the scenic places you wish to visit in Canada is Jasper Alberta. And wildfire destroyed the beautiful Jasper Alberta. Wildfire can happen anywhere. Government authorities issued restriction of making bonfire on particular places.

And if people just want follow what they think is right, they might spark wildfire, if they ignore government advisory and restrictions about making bonfire.

Restrictions of making bonfire on particular places do not mean to prevent anyone from enjoying their camping or bonfire. Restrictions and advisories about making fire or bonfire were issued for safety of the general public. Choose other creative ways to enjoy life without sacrificing the safety of everyone in the area.

Similarly, God won’t restrict us from adventure. His commands guide us for greater life that God designed for us. Prayerfully, we seek guidance to discover his plan for us. It declares in 2 Corinthians 5:21, ²¹God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

To live right is great life that God designed for us. We behave righteously to discover the great life God designed for us. How? Naturally, we are inclined to follow sinful instinct and not godly righteousness. Therefore, we rely upon the Holy Spirit to righteously behave. Practically, it proves that our old sinful self participated in the crucifixion of Christ when we die to sin, and live righteously.

We disregard sinful desires because our old sinful self had been crucified with Christ. We now prefer to submit to Christ as Lord and Master of our life and behave righteously. And we are reminded of that the shed blood of Christ on the cross washed away all our sins whenever we partake in the Lord’s Supper.

2.  Partake

       ²⁵In 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.” 

Partaking in the celebration of the Lord’s Supper reminds us that the Lord washed away our sins by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross. Again, we can never practically and empirically prove how God washed our sins away by the shed blood of Jesus on the cross; that is why it is by faith, we trust biblical truth.

Practically, how can we personally prove that God washed our sins away?

We prefer living righteously and not intentionally follow sinful desire or inclination.

Again, it’s by faith in Christ and not by human effort we behave righteously. Righteous behavior practically proves that we are reconciled to God. Together, let us seriously reflect on what it declares in Colossians 1:21-22, ²¹Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²²But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

Faith in Christ is the only acceptable requirement of God for reconciliation to him. We trust that the crucifixion of Christ was sufficient sacrifice to present us as holy and blameless. God won’t accuse, condemn or criticize us anymore.

Olympics

Everyone watch the 2024 Summer Olympics. Have you ever dreamt of being a representative of your country in the Olympics? It feels so great to watch the Olympics, especially when our favorite Olympians win, right? Most probably when they win, Olympians might also feel so glorious beyond words can express.

In comparison, when Olympians are caught cheating if they used illegal enhancement drugs, there’ll be endless criticism and blame games. What else? They forfeited their rewards or incentives reserved for victorious Olympians.

Olympic medals and incentives offer temporal glory. In comparison, to be assured of entering heaven is more glorious than participation in the Olympics. There’ll be no blame games in heaven. What more? God prepared rewards for faithful servants to cherish gloriously, not just for one day or season but forever.

The Scripture listed the requirements for faithfulness that God approves. As Olympians follow strict rules to be qualified for the awards, we must follow and behave in biblical righteousness for us to be sure that we receive rewards from God. Let’s reflect on what it says in  Ephesians 5:25-27 ²⁵Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

We believe that Christ sacrificially died for us to be freed from guilt and blames. We live righteously as practical proof that we submitted to Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Lord’s Supper reminds us to proclaim that Christ has paid already all necessary requirements of God for the forgiveness of all our sins.

3.  Proclaim

²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

The Lord’s Supper celebration is reminder for us about Christ’s crucifixion.

Christ himself instituted that we take the bread and the cup during Lord’s Supper.

Regularly, we celebrate the Lord’s Supper as congregational expression of our faith while we wait for Christ to return and take us into heaven.

The Lord’s Supper celebration is not secretive. We invite people who are not Christian to observe our proclamation of the death of Christ on the cross. If they want to know why we partake of the bread and the cup during the Lord’s Supper, we should be ready to explain that we remember the crucifixion of Christ; that he died for our sins; that his shed blood washed our sins away.

Personally, the Lord’s Supper reminds that we have to be attentive for divine opportunity to proclaim and tell potential believers that Christ sacrificially died for them also. Non-believers don’t see crucifixion as good news, do they?

So why proclaim the death of Christ that non-religious people won’t appreciate?

We believed in the sacrificial death of Christ for our sin; and we testify that he transformed our life: that sin cannot control us anyone; that we have been reconciled to God; that there’s no more obstacle between us and God; that he has given everything we need for godly life. Have you seriously considered that?

So, whenever we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we remember when Christ died, he took all our sins with him on the cross. We become part of his body.

Reflect on what it declared in 1 Corinthians 10:16-17, ¹⁶Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

Participation in the Lord’s Supper reminds us also that we are united with Christ. All believers are essential to the body of Christ, the church. The eyes are not more important than the nose. The hands serve gladly, comb the hair or feed the mouth. Similarly, we treat each other as significant part of his church. Unity among us practically proves that we’re transformed by faith in Christ as our Lord.

Reflect together on the expectation for Christians in 1 Corinthians 10:4-9.

⁴I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. ⁵For in Christ you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— ⁶God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. ⁷Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. ⁸He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Personally, do you sense thankfulness of God’s grace given us in Christ? Have you discovered your spiritual gifts and use them to serve the Lord, yet? Do you regularly testify of your life transformation ever since you believe in Christ? Practically, how do you show your eagerness waiting for the coming of Christ?

The Lord’s Supper reminds of his death as ultimate proof of God’s love for us. God is faithful to the faithful. Pray that God inspires us to faithfully trust Christ.

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