Five Memories for the Lord's Day

Have you ever been amazed at how children seem to remember everything. They can quickly memorize whole chapters of scripture or songs. They have good memories.
God’s children need gospel memories. In fact, the Bible uses the word “remember “ over 230 times. Over and over again God’s people are called to remember. We remember the mighty deeds of God.

 A gospel memory ,however, not only needs to remember, it needs to forget as well. It forgets sins that have been repented. It forgets the offenses of others. It forgets past hurts. Rather it remembers what is good so that it can look to Christ. A gospel memory is designed to behold and treasure the triune God.

Now just like a child practicing for a test, repetition is needed to develop a good memory. God has ordained repetition for His Church, a weekly reminder for His children. The Lord’s day is designed to build the gospel memory.

When we gather on the Lord’s day with God’s people we are invited to remember . Here are five memories the Lord’s day is designed to bring to mind.

1. We remember that God is creator: He created the universe and all that is in it in six days. He rested on the seventh day. He set it aside as holy, teaching us both our task to work and our need to rest in reliance on Him. On the Lord's Day, we are reminded that all things were created by The Word who became flesh. We give him praise for His mighty deeds in creation. We are reminded that He is God. We are created in His image and therefore life is valuable. We are reminded that we are made male or female and thus we are called to obedience to his creative design.  We are to be fruitful. Because He is creator, we worship Him and give him thanks.

2. We remember that God is faithful: The sabbath is a weekly reminder that God delivered His people out of slavery. Through Moses, God led his people out of Egypt. Weekly, we are reminded of that Exodus and God’s providential sustaining hand. God calls a people to be His and He is faithful to deliver them. He covenants with his people and He gives them His law. This reminds us that we are sinners that God has chosen to redeem. The sabbath calls us to flee slavery to sin, to treat our neighbors with love, and to keep all of God's commands while holding on to his promises. In addition, we are reminded of God's faithfulness in His people throughout all of history. We have a great cloud of witnesses cheering us on. On the Lord's day, in our worship, we join our voices with all the saints and the angels in heaven in praising God for his faithfulness.

3. We remember that Christ is Savior: The Lord's day is called the Lord's day because it is the day our Lord made Holy in His resurrection. Every Sunday when we gather, we have an Easter celebration. We remember that the eternal Son of God took on flesh, that He kept the law perfectly, that He was unjustly condemned to die, that He laid down his life in love, that He bore the full wrath of God for his people, and that He tasted all that the forces of hell could muster. From the heights of heaven to the very depths of hell, Christ arose from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is alive. Hallelujah. And because He is alive, all the promises of God are yes and amen in Him.

4. We remember that we are His new creation: The principle of one day in seven is an abiding principle of God's law. Christ did not change the principle but He gave it fuller meaning by transferring its practice to Sunday. Sunday, the eighth day, is the beginning of the new creation of which we are a part. On the Lord's day, we therefore remember not only God's past acts of creation and redemption, but His work in our own lives. We remember that we have been baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We remember that He has called us to be His. We not only in the Lord's supper remember again the works of redemption at the cross but we enjoy His spiritual presence with us now. Therefore on the Lord's day, we not only remember His past deeds but we remember that He is presently at work in us, making us into the new creation.

5. We remember the future Sabbath: It is a bit strange to talk about a future events as a memory. And yet its wholly appropriate to speak of His final return and our lives in eternity as a memory. Why? Because it is as certain as anything that has already happened. It like all the rest of the works of redemption was predestined before the world began. It is determined by God's unchangeable decree. And therefore for God's people it is truer than any memory can even be. On the Lord's day, we remind ourselves that this one day in 7 is simply a shadow of the day in which we will feast with Jesus Christ in the completed new heavens and earth. The Lord's day is simply a foretaste of a greater and more glorious day. A day when we will see Christ in all His beautify, power, and glory. Therefore, while it is still today, we remember so that none of us will fail to enter into that day.

This is the purpose of a gospel memory. It remembers the works of God in creation and redemption while casting aside the sin that easily entangles us. It is a memory that has its eyes firmly fixed on Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith. Remember the Sabbath.