In Remembrance of Me from Celebrate Life

The next song for my Blog was written by Ragan Courtney and Buryl Red and was first released in 1972 as part of the Celebrate Life Musical. A link to Cynthia Clawson performing the song is at the bottom of this Blog entry.

This song has a very special meaning to me. I was part of a church youth choir that toured various sites in Israel and we sang at each of the historical sites. Some of the sites included the Garden Tomb, Bethlehem Square on Christmas Eve, and the Upper Room. I can still remember walking up those worn steps to get to the Upper Room and then entering what is now an empty room with columns being the only items within the room. It was amazing to be where Jesus conducted the Last Supper and let his disciples know what was about to happen. We then sang this song. As we sang in this special place, I was filled with emotion as the sounds began reverberating off the walls and thought about what our Savior was preparing to do for each of us. My visit was many years ago, but the words of this song are even more powerful to me today.

In Remembrance

In remembrance of me eat this bread
In remembrance of me drink this wine
In remembrance of me pray for the time
When God’s own will is done

In remembrance of me heal the sick
In remembrance of me feed the poor
In remembrance of me open the door
And let your brother in, let him in

Take eat and be comforted
Drink and remember too
That this is my body and precious blood
Shed for you, shed for you

In remembrance of me search for truth
In remembrance of me always love
In remembrance of me don’t look above
But in your heart, in your heart
Look in your heart for God

Do this in remembrance of Me
Do this in remembrance of Me
In remembrance of Me

This entire song is about Jesus reminding us to remember the sacrifice he became to save all of us, remember his teachings, remember his love for others, and remember to follow the message he has placed in our hearts.

We have communion at church on a regular basis and it is intended to be a reminder for each of us in regards to what happened in that Upper Room long ago. Jesus gave his life so we could have eternal life. As we eat and drink from that communion table, that is what we are supposed to be remembering; nothing else in our lives is more important that the true meaning of communion. Along with remembering the sacrifice of Christ, we also need to pray that it is God’s will that needs to be done. It is not about us and our problems and our dreams, it is about what God wants. God has already promised us eternal life if we accept his sacrifice, so why wouldn’t we be willing to give our all to fulfill his will for us while on this earth?

Jesus was followed by people in need everywhere he went. He always took time to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and to share his message. He didn’t care what the people looked like, where they came from, why they were in the situation they were in, or even if they were potential enemies. He told us that everyone is our brother or sister in Christ and he has directed us to treat all of these people the same as he did. We should be opening the doors of our hearts to anyone in need. It seems as if too many people today only want to help those of the same nationality, same race, or same political beliefs. As the song implies and Jesus has stated, everyone is our brother and sister, we should be willing to help them regardless of whether they look or believe as we do.

The third verse reminds us that as we take our communion, we should feel the comfort and peace that comes through Christ.  He wants us to remember his sacrifice, that was made just for us, so that we could spend eternity one day with him. He only reminds us to show us just how much he loved us, and that our focus needs to be on him and his plan for us.  It is also so sad that Jesus had to die for me to gain eternal life.

Hopefully we all go to church on a regular basis, but it is also extremely important that we spend time in prayer and reading our bibles every day. We find truth and gain knowledge through all three of these avenues, we shouldn’t just depend on one of these. Jesus tells us that he is the way, the truth, and the life. To know truth is to strive everyday to be like Jesus. Jesus alone understood the essence of truth and the will of the father, and he was not distracted by the things of the world that influence us so deeply today. To seek truth is to follow the true path Jesus set before us. In addition to seeking the truth, we are also reminded in this fourth verse to always love. Some people hurt us, some people don’t like us, some consider us enemies; but Jesus commanded us to love everyone. No, we may not be happy with the way some people treat us, and we do not have to be their best friends; but we should still love them and pray for them. Sort of like the old adage, hate the sin but love the sinner.

The last couple of lines in the fourth verse may send the most powerful and thought-provoking message. The song essentially states that all of the guidance we need is already in our hearts. We can listen to sermons, we can do our own research, we can pray, and we should do all of these things; but Jesus via the Holy Spirit gave us everything we need. The Holy Spirit or Comforter dwells within us and is there to guide us every minute of every day.

As we go about our daily lives, are we truly remembering what Jesus has commanded us to do as his children? Please take the time to listen to this song and feel the impact of the message of Jesus in the Upper Room.

Click Here to Hear Cynthia Clawson Sing In Remembrance