MEMORIALS: THINK ABOUT IT

The fickleness of the American public is amazing. The twelve-year non-war called Vietnam happened right in the middle of my twenty year naval career. By the time the "conflict" ended, fifty-eight thousand service men and women were dead, and the rest of us were called "baby killers" and treated like human scum. Only twenty or so years before, our troops came home from Germany and Japan as heroes. Today, Americans, for the most part, go out of their way to show support for our military. And ironically, since 9/11, many people have made an effort to thank me for my service. Think about it.

This same mentality can be seen in the way sports fans show their appreciation for the coach of their favorite team. As long as the team is improving each year, and there is optimism about the chance of a title, the coach is a genius. But let them have a bad season and the same coach is an idiot. It is funny that injuries are not considered. It is funny that the same management that acquires the players is the one who fires a coach when the players are not as good as those of the opposition. Think about it.

Not much has changed when it comes to human nature. Americans are no different than the Hebrew people who were freed from Egyptian bondage thirty-five hundred years ago. As long as seas were parting, and Egyptians were drowning, God was worthy of their worship and trust. But let Moses stay a little too long up on the mountain, and they decided to worship a golden calf instead. They spent forty years grumbling and complaining about everything even though they were fed, had abundant water, had clothing that did not wear out, and had the presence of the Lord in a cloud and pillar of fire. Think about it.

The Lord told Moses that His name should be a memorial forever (Ex. 3:15), and yet today, no one actually knows how to pronounce it. He told Moses that the events of Passover were to be memorialized in the Passover Feast forever (Ex. 12:14), and yet, when the true Passover Lamb came, they had Him crucified (1 Cor. 5:7). Think about it.

Jesus told His disciples the bread and the wine represented His body and blood, and that they were to eat the Passover in remembrance of Him till He comes back (Lk. 22:19; 1 Cor. 11:24-25). Today, Churches around the world remember what God has done for us by celebrating the Lord's Supper. Unfortunately, there will be many professing Christians who will still be celebrating the Lord's Supper long after He has come for His bride, the true Church. And for them, it will be too late to think about it.
























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