Remaining in Jesus 在耶稣里常存
Dexu Xia
Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. John 6:56
Today's Scripture Luke 22：14-25
Today's Insights God commanded the Jews to observe the Passover to remind them how the blood of the lamb saved them from death. The Passover, a family meal, commemorated their new beginning as God’s redeemed people (Exodus 12). Jesus gave the bread and wine new meaning when He celebrated the Passover with His disciples before going to the cross (Luke 22:15-20). He instituted a new remembrance meal—the Lord’s Supper or Communion—as a reminder that He’s “the Lamb of God” (John 1:29), “our Passover lamb” (1 Corinthians 5:7), who was sacrificed to take away our sins. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul writes of the Lord’s Supper in a worship setting, instructing us to celebrate it “in remembrance of [Him]” (v. 25): “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (v. 26). Celebrating Communion is an act of worship where we remember His sacrifice for us.
Today's Devotion “A pleasure is full grown only when it is remembered.” These words, uttered by a character in C. S. Lewis’ book Out of the Silent Planet, depict the joy one has in reminiscing over cherished experiences in life. Though we rightly delight in the breathtaking scenery along the path of a hike or in sharing an important milestone with a loved one, what we feel might be merely the initial pleasure. Often, later reflection on such moments (and those like them) compound the joy of having experienced them.
Perhaps this is another reason Jesus instructs His disciples to regularly share in what we call the Lord’s Supper. As He shared the Passover meal with them the night before His death, He infused it with a new layer of meaning. When partaking of the unleavened bread and “fruit of the vine,” Jesus described them as representing His body and His blood (Luke 22:19-20). His disciples were to share this meal regularly, doing so “in remembrance of [Him]” (v. 19).
The Jewish people remember how God delivered them from Egypt through celebrating Passover (see Exodus 12:17). Those who trust in Jesus’ sacrifice retell God’s deliverance from the consequences of sin by partaking of the Lord’s Supper—a somber, yet joyful remembrance. By sharing in it regularly, we practice what it means to “remain” in fellowship with Jesus (see John 6:56) and savor the pleasure of our communion with Him.
Reflect & Pray
How is remembering important in your worship of God? What might you remember about His work in your life today?
Please help me, dear Father, to remember Your good works!
By Kirsten Holmbergshen
吃我肉、喝我血的人常在我里面，我也常在他里面。（约翰福音 6:56）
今日经文：路加福音 22:14-25
今日洞见： 神吩咐犹太人守逾越节，是为了提醒他们羔羊的血如何将他们从死亡中拯救出来。逾越节是一顿家庭聚餐，纪念他们作为神所救赎的子民开启了新的生命（出埃及记 12章）。耶稣在走向十字架之前与门徒共度逾越节时，赋予了饼和酒新的意义（路加福音 22:15-20）。祂设立了一项新的纪念筵席，即“主的晚餐”或“圣餐”，以此提醒我们，祂就是“神的羔羊”（约翰福音 1:29）和“我们逾越节的羔羊”（哥林多前书 5:7），祂为除掉我们的罪而牺牲。保罗在哥林多前书 11章中教导我们，在敬拜时守主的晚餐是为要“为纪念[祂]”（25节）：“你们每逢吃这饼，喝这杯，是表明主的死，直等到祂来”（26节）。领受圣餐是一种敬拜行动，让我们纪念祂为我们所作的牺牲。
今日灵修：“唯有在回味之时，快乐才圆满。”这句话出自 C.S.路易斯的著作《沉寂的星球》，它描绘了人们回首生命中珍贵经历时感受到的喜悦。尽管我们在徒步旅行欣赏沿途壮丽景色或与挚爱分享人生重要里程碑时会由衷地感到喜乐，但那或许仅仅是初始的喜悦。日后对这些时刻（及类似经历）的回味，往往会使当初经历它们时的快乐倍增。
这或许正是耶稣吩咐门徒要定期领受“主的晚餐”的另一个原因。当祂在受死前夕与门徒共进逾越节晚餐时，祂赋予了这顿筵席新的意义。在领受无酵饼和“葡萄汁”时，耶稣指出它们分别代表了祂的身体和祂的血（路加福音 22:19-20）。祂的门徒要定期领受这餐，以此“记念[祂]”（19节）。 犹太人通过庆祝逾越节来铭记神如何将他们从埃及拯救出来（参出埃及记12章17节）。凡信靠耶稣之牺牲的人，都借着领受主的晚餐来重温神如何将人从罪的后果中拯救出来，这既是庄严的，又是充满喜乐的记念。通过定期领受，我们操练如何“常在”与耶稣的团契之中（参约翰福音6章56节），并细细品味与祂相交的甘甜。
反思与祷告 在敬拜神时，“记念”有何重要意义？今天你应当记念哪些神在你生命中的作为？ 亲爱的父啊，求祢帮助我记念祢的美善作为！
作者：柯斯腾 侯姆堡