Naomi's Notes - 09/13/09
Buildings, parks, ships, bridges, and monuments everywhere are often named for deceased persons who have garnered a lot of influence and respect. (Or their family donated a lot of money to the project.)
Years ago, shortly after becoming Minister of Music/Youth at FBC Vienna, GA, I heard stories about Walter F. George (former GA Senator) and Dr. L.C. Cutts (longtime former pastor) in memory of whom the church named George Chapel and Cutts Hall. These men were obviously beloved by the congregation. Stories about them were passed to every newcomer, even children born long after their deaths.
One of my responsibilities at FBC was to conduct Children's Church. One Sunday our lesson was centered upon the sanctuary architecture and furnishings (cross, pulpit, stained glass windows, etc.) and how they aided our worship. As the lesson progressed I mentioned the offertory table, asking if the children knew what was engraved on the front. Slowly, I began to give hints: "Do...this...in...re...mem...brance… of…." Suddenly little Jeff Vasko excitedly waved his hand, gushing, "in remembrance of L.C. Cutts!" (I had a good chuckle over that one.)
Immanuel reveres some of its former members, too. Stories still circulate about Norm Dooley, Hub Perdew, and David Jackson, among others. These men - all with colorful personalities--are beloved for their spiritual leadership and for their personal influence on so many individuals. David is the most recently deceased, and our "David's 50" project (raising $50,000 for a Zambian maternity clinic) is a fitting tribute to his character and commitment
.Frederick Buechner, in Whistling in the Dark, once said, "When you remember me, it means that you have carried something of who I am with you, that I have left some mark of who I am on who you are." Memories shape our character, and it is important that the positive memories far outweigh the negative ones.
We are who we are because of our memories. I once heard of a woman facing risky brain surgery who was asked by her doctors to make a choice between her eyesight and her memory, should complications occur during surgery. What an awful dilemma: to have to choose between eyesight and personal identity, who I am at the core, my Self.
Remembering is why we often observe Communion as part of our worship. Sometimes we refer to this observance as Lord's Supper (commemorating Passover and the Last Supper); rarely do Baptists refer to it as Eucharist (meaning thanksgiving, gratitude, appreciation).
We include these terms in our understanding, but Communion seems to define our observance best. We are communing with God and with each other. Thomas Merton, in Seeds of Contemplation, once said, "The deepest level of communication is...communion. It is wordless...beyond words... beyond speech...beyond concept."
We are told to remember who Christ is, what He has done for us, and how we relate to Him. Communion shapes us as individuals and as a Christian community (church). We carry Christ within us; his mark is upon our lives. "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22).