I have always been fascinated by the Guinness World Records book and can still remember some obscure facts such as the tallest man in history being Robert Wadlow, who reached the incredible height of 8ft 11.1in. Part of my interest is probably due to the epic TV show Record Breakers, complete with its theme tune ‘Dedication’. What a programme that was!
As a result, I still keep a look-out for world record stories such as this one involving 14-year-old Monty Lord, which appeared earlier this month. Fair play to the young lad, he successfully identified the titles of 129 consecutive books just by being given their first lines. Here’s how the Bolton News described his feat: “One-by-one, the opening lines of random books were read out and Monty had to recognise and recall the title of each individual book — with the record attempt captured from five separate camera angles.” I pride myself on having a decent memory, but this is taking things to the next level.
Yet, in the age of Google, we tend to place less emphasis on factual recall because all the information we need can be acquired within seconds from pretty much anywhere in the world. Feats such as Monty’s stand out all the more because we just don’t use our memories that much these days. Maybe we learnt a few lines for a play or an oral language exam when we were at school, but most jobs we do don’t require us to store huge volumes of information in our heads.
There was a time, however, when education consisted of learning key texts by heart. That was the case for example for Jewish scholars in biblical times, who knew their Scriptures, what we now call the OId Testament, inside out. Indeed, as a Christian, God says I should meditate on his word day and night.
But this is not the only thing followers of Jesus are called to remember. Remembering is at the heart of communion or the Lord’s Supper, a meal Christians eat regularly as we meet together.
You can read all about it in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus wanted his followers to remember his own sacrifice that he was about to make for them. He died on the cross so that they could be forgiven for rejecting God – what the Bible calls sin. Jesus takes the bread and wine Jews used to celebrate the Passover, a festival recalling how God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt, and he shows how that pointed forward to the rescue he would provide by his own death.
Luke describes it like this: “And he [Jesus] took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’”
Ever since, Christians have followed Jesus’ instructions to remember his amazing sacrifice, his act of rescue that means we can be forgiven and enjoy a restored relationship with him. That’s what’s happening when Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It’s a physical, tangible reminder of the good news we believe. There is nothing inherently special about the bread or wine – in our church we normally buy them at Asda! But Jesus calls his people to eat and drink to nourish their faith, remembering the most amazing sacrifice in history.
Elsewhere in the Bible, in his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes: “For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Taking communion is a declaration Christians make of what Jesus has done for them. We proclaim his death because it is the means by which we gain life – the ‘life to the full’ I wrote about in a previous post.
Feats of memory such as Monty Lord’s are fascinating to read about – or at least I think so! But whether your memory acts like a sieve or a sponge, this meal instituted by Jesus is surely worth remembering. He wants us to remember the greatest saving act in history and we can only truly remember it by putting our trust in him.
I enjoy testing my memory, whether that’s of sporting trivia or recalling what I’m learning at ETS, but knowing these things will not be of eternal significance. Looking ahead to his own death on the cross, Jesus said that he “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many”. His death was a ransom that meant his followers could be freed from sin and death. Now, surely that is something really worth remembering?
Running the Race 