Monday, November 23, 2015

1 Corinthians 11:24-25 -- On Gratitude, Memory, and Healing

"And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."
1 Corinthians 11:24-25


I never noticed before that Christ offered thanks before he instituted the sacrament. :)  I think that is really cool.  It is another good reminder of how thankful we should be to God for everything that we have, even if we are facing suffering and death, as Christ was.
God didn't just institute the sacrament because he wanted to be remembered.  He did it because it helps us to remember all that Christ did for us, suffering for our sins, giving us the chance to repent, and also overcoming death so that someday we, too, can be resurrected.  No one else could have offered us those priceless, eternal gifts.  That remembrance he asks for is a small token of our gratitude for what he did, and a reminder to us of how essential he is to our lives.
Today, let's thank God and remember Christ, and thereby honor his sacrifice on our behalf.  Let's accept his gift and use it to change our lives through repentance and rededication to the gospel.
My sister told me a story recently of a small child who was reciting her articles of faith and who accidentally said "gospital" instead of "gospel."  Seems to me that the little girl got it right in a lot of ways.  The reason we are here is so that Christ can heal us... he did all that he did for us, working to save and heal our souls.  Let's remember that sacrifice, and do all that we can to make it worthwhile, for ourselves and for others,  Let's give fervent thanks that through Christ, we have a chance to have the gospel in our lives and a chance to let it work on us, to change us and make us better.

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