How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

My Zion Memorial Church Family,

What joy it brought me to be with so many of you on Sunday in God's house, our house. I enjoyed our time with Bluestone but there is nothing like worshiping with my own church family in our house.

It is in our house that we come together to worship. It is in our house that we come together to fellowship. It is in our house that we come together to show our love for God and each other. It is in our house that we receive revelation from God to find more ways to seek and serve Him in gratitude for all that He has done for us.

It is always good when we come together in our house.

It is in our house, on first Sundays, that we remember our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, as we commemorate one of the two Baptist sacraments, communion (baptism being the other) in reenacting the Last Supper

When Jesus broke the bread and gave it to His disciples in the upper room, in Luke 22:19, He said,

"This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

Jesus paid it all. Jesus gave it all. And, Jesus said to remember it all.

He gave us something worth remembering Him by.

As Christians, Christ followers, we are supposed to do likewise. We are supposed to give people something to remember us by.

How do you want to be remembered?

It was almost like Jesus was writing His own eulogy and we remember His greatest work, at the cross, every first Sunday.

If you had to write your own eulogy, what would you write?

Lists of worldly accomplishments, while interesting, become less impactful if all they can do is shine light on you without serving as light to lead others. Remember that we are called to be salt and light in the world.

Jesus showed us that He was willing to make a great sacrifice for a greater good.

Are we willing to do the same?

He laid down His life so that others could have life.

Are we willing to do the same?

Scripture says that they will know us, Christians, by our love.

It is not an emotional love, an eros love, that stands forever.

It is the agape love, the self-sacrificial love, that stands forever.

Over the course of your life, you may find many occasions of emotional love from those who made you feel a certain way.

But, the greatest love is that agape love that changes you and redirects your life to another way, a better way.

Jesus chose to leave those who had an emotional attachment to Him so that He could leave them better by His agape attachment to them.

For that reason, on first Sundays, we remember Him. It is not about how He makes us feel. It is about Him doing something incredible to change us for the better.

How do you want to be remembered?

Will it be based on how you made people feel or will it be based on how you changed their lives for the better?

I pray that we will all seek to change lives for the better.

Let us come together on Sunday and seek God in that effort.

Some might have been on vacation. We have been praying for you while you have been away. As vacation time ends, I pray you will be with us again. God still has some exciting things to show us and to do through us in our collective efforts to make Zion Memorial a church to be remembered for the agape love it shares.

Come and invite someone else who needs to feel that life-changing love of God. You know someone who needs it. You be the one who invites them to receive it.

And, remember, God loves you and I love you too!

Be blessed,

Rev. Cain