Dr. Yolanda Pierce continues her six-week series of Lenten Devotionals. Devotionals can be found on KineticsLive.com every Wednesday beginning with Ash Wednesday
By Dr. Yolanda Pierce,
Engraved on the communion tables of many Christian churches is the phrase “Do This In Remembrance of Me.” I have seen these words in worship all of my life, etched in wood or on linen cloth. I have presided over communion, offering these very words of institution for the Lord’s Supper. We gather, sometimes monthly and sometimes weekly, at the communion table to lift up the central precept of our Christian faith: the broken body and the shed blood for the remission of our sins. The entire Lenten season is a journey of remembrance of this event.
But what would happen if we were to live our whole lives with that phrase in mind? What would it mean to do all things – work and parenting and relationships – in remembrance of Christ? We would find ourselves parenting with a more gentle and loving spirit, in remembrance of the One who is the Good Shepherd. We would find ourselves working with integrity and conviction, in remembrance of the One who is the Chief Cornerstone. We would find ourselves feeding the hungry, in remembrance of the One who is the Bread of Life.
May the words engraved on the communion table be also engraved in our hearts. When etched into wood, these words are an empty expression, but when lived and embraced, these words are a guidepost for how to love our neighbors – especially our neighbors who are modern-day “untouchables.” Whatever we do for the “least of these,” we do in remembrance of the One who is our Source.
Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The Lord will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me.’
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Dr. Yolanda Pierce is the Elmer G. Homrighausen Associate Professor of African American Religion and Literature at Princeton Theological Seminary, and Liaison with the Princeton University Center for African American Studies. She blogs @ Reflections of an Afro-Christian Scholar
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Relate Posts:
Lenten Thoughts for Weary Christians – Preamble
Lenten Thoughts for Weary Christians – Sackcloth
Lenten Thoughts for Weary Christians – Broken Vessels
