Do This in Remembrance
we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ Colossians 1:3 NASB
Thanks – We all know this Greek word; we just didn’t know that it was the Greek word for “thanks.” It is eucharisteo. When you sound it out, you will see that it is the word Eucharist – the Lord’s Supper. Now you know that taking the Lord’s Supper is an act of thanksgiving, for that is exactly what it means. It means to express gratitude, give thanks and to be thankful. This verse comes from the letter to the church at Colossae, but this greeting is very common in all of Paul’s letters. Why do you suppose Paul was so anxious to give thanks each time he wrote to a struggling assembly? Because Paul knew the power of redemption. Paul knew that Yeshua could completely remake a life of hatred, envy, revenge, murder and persecution into a life of unwavering commitment to God’s purposes. Paul knew because it happened to him. Each time he opened his mouth, thanks to God spilled forth. He couldn’t help it.
In the Twelve Step tradition there is a special emphasis on being eternally grateful for the life changing power of God’s redemption. Sometimes when we get so busy with our everyday concerns, we tend to forget what God did for us. We may not have been the worst morally perverse person we could have been – although of course, all of those possibilities reside somewhere in our selfishness. If we are honest, we all know that we could have been what we decry and that those acts of self-gratification that belong to our past removed us just as far from God as any act of Paul’s. The Twelve Step traditions also call for a fearless moral inventory. That work comes before real gratitude. After we have really examined ourselves by God’s standard, we can see what we really were before God pulled us out of our self-made hell.
That’s reason enough to celebrate eucharisteo today. You don’t need bread and wine. All you need is a heart that is eternally grateful.
Topical Index: eucharisteo, thanks, Colossians 1:3
“There will be an eternal summer in the grateful heart.” Celia Thaxter
To G-d be the glory, great things He has done!
So loved He the world that he gave us His Son,
who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
and opened the lifegate that all may go in.
Praise the LORD, praise the LORD,
let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the LORD, praise the LORD,
let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thru Jesus the Son,
and give Him the glory, great things He has done!
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
to every believer the promise of G-d;
the vilest offender who truly believes,
that moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He has taught us, great things He has done,
and great our rejoicing thru Jesus the Son;
but purer, and higher, and greater will be
our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
~To know,( to perceive, to understand) that G-d was in the Messiah Yeshua, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has entrusted unto us this message of reconciliation~
There is a Way for a wicked man, a sinner, to be reconciled to his Maker, his Master, his Creator and Provider, and that way, the only Way is through the blood of the tslav of Yeshua HaMashiach, the LORD Jesus who is the Christ, the Anointed, who has spoken unto “whosoever will,” and to whoever has ears to hear and a heart to obey: “I AM the Way-the Truth-and the Life,”- “no man comes to the Father but by Me.”
and when I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died..
How can I say thanks
for the things You have done for me?
Things so undeserved
Yet You give to prove Your love for me
The voices of a million angels
Could not express my gratitude
All that I am and ever hope to be
I owe it all to Thee.
Selah
This is an excellent word, Skip. It’s so very true. Without doing the work of a fearless moral inventory, I really don’t see my true need for a savior, other than just a theological one. When I finally stop to truly examine the depths of my sinfulness, especially in an environment of real grace, my heart becomes overwhelmed at my depravity and then begins to fill with deep gratitude and thankfulness for what God has done on my behalf. It makes me shake my head at how loving and tender my God is towards me; that He would allow me to walk my own road of self-protection and yet be right there waiting for me when I begin to awaken from my stupor, to gently and lovingly walk with me back into His ways. Wow. Thank you Jesus and Father for your great love and perfect wisdom. You’re actions towards me and so healing when I allow you entrance to my deepest pain. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You are good beyond measure!
Amen. The Sabbath is also all about remembrance. I always wondered why there where two reason given for keeping the Sabbath:
1. Because God is the Creator – Exodus 20
2. Because you were delivered from Egypt – Deuteronomy 5
Then I heard some quote about how it is God’s SAME creative power which remakes the heart, as it was who first formed the cosmos and breathed life into Adam. Then I thought, “If the Sabbath is a celebration of God releasing my from sin (Egypt), and creating a new man — can I celebrate Sabbath?”. The answer was sobering for me.