Let us remember

---

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NIV)

We read words on the pages of a Bible. Because it was a long time ago, what happened can feel far removed from reality. Without meaning to, we can let the scene become sterile, matter-of-fact, even "clean".

The sacrifice of Jesus was not a sterile, "clean" scene. It was ugly. The beatings were merciless. The flesh on his back was torn open. His beard was ripped from His face. The thorns that impaled his scalp were sharp. The pain of nails driven throug h his flesh was searing. His blood was hot and red.

He hurt, He bled, and He died that weekend. We sometimes do not even feel comfortable saying the words! How much less could we imagine what He endured. It was a painful, humiliating, and unimaginably horrible death. He died for you. He died for me.

Do not allow the distance of time to distance you from the reality of the suffering and pain that Jesus experienced. He commanded us to remember!

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 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." 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." (1 Cor 11:23-25)

This weekend, let us remember. Let us consider His suffering. And let us lift our heart! s, our hands, and our voices to Him in acknowledgement that we remember, in unrestrained expressions of gratitude for His terrible sacrifice, and in exuberant and triumphant praise for His victorious resurrection.

Jesus is alive! REMEMBER!