Memorial Day is a national holiday observed to commemorate Americans who died in the nation’s armed forces. It is observed each year on the last Monday of May. Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, and it began as a day to honor Union soldiers who died fighting in the Civil War. After World War I, the holiday was expanded to honor all American soldiers who had fallen in battle. This day is now observed around the country by the decoration of soldiers’ graves and ceremonies that honor the sacrifices that those soldiers made.
We who are Christians also have a memorial day. It is a day to commemorate our Lord Jesus and the sacrifice He made for us. This day is not celebrated with decorations or ceremonies, but rather it is observed by partaking in a feast – the Lord’s Supper. Also, this day is not reserved as an annual holiday, but rather it is a weekly observance. It is this day with its memorial that is faithfully observed by all Christians until the Lord comes.
The centerpiece of Christ’s memorial day was ordained by the Lord Himself. Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper when He took unleavened bread and fruit of the vine and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me,” and, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1Cor. 11:24-25; see also Matt. 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:17-20). The Lord first said these words to His apostles as they observed the Jewish Passover on the night that He would be arrested. The Passover Feast was a foreshadowing of the Lord’s Supper, just as the Passover (deliverance from the tenth plague in Egypt) was a foreshadowing of God’s mercy through Christ (see 1Cor. 5:7-8). The elements taken from the Passover Feast for the Lord’s Supper are available all over the world, so the Supper can be observed anywhere. These elements are symbolic of Christ’s body and blood that were sacrificed for the atonement of our sins.
We observe the memorial feast of the Lord’s Supper on each first day of the week according to the Scriptures. Regarding this memorial, the Lord said, "Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1Cor. 11:26). Certainly, Christ deserves to be commemorated often, but the only reference in the Scriptures for the timing of the Lord’s Supper is found in Acts 20:7. In this passage, the saints at Troas gathered on the first day of the week to break bread, which appears to be a reference to the observation of the Lord’s Supper (compare "break bread” to similar terms in 1Cor. 10:16-17; Acts 2:42). Non-biblical, historical evidence (early church writers Barnabas, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement, Origen, Cyprian) indicates that the early churches did indeed observe the Lord’s Supper on the first day of each week. Therefore, it is fitting for Christians to observe the Lord’s Supper on the first day of each week.
Consider how the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper constitutes a memorial to Him. As a commemorative event, we observe the Lord’s Supper in honor of Christ’s memory. By the bread, we commemorate that His body was brutally sacrificed to atone for our sins. By the fruit of the vine, we commemorate that His blood was shed to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We commemorate everything that Christ has done for us through His cross, but it is important to understand that we do not observe the Lord’s Supper in order to remember Christ, but rather we observe it because we do remember Him. This weekly memorial shows that we remember Christ always. Because we always remember Him, we also proclaim His death through the Lord’s Supper with the faithful conviction that He will come again (1Cor. 11:26). We do this together in the assembly (1Cor. 11:17-34) as a communion between Christians and a symbol of unity in Christ (1Cor. 10:16-17).
Therefore, let us observe Memorial Day each year to honor those who died in the wars of the nation, but more importantly let us observe the Lord’s memorial day each week to honor the Christ who died for our sins. Let us partake of the Lord’s Supper with reverence and self-examination in a manner worthy of the Lord who bought us (1Cor. 11:27-29). Let us observe this memorial this week, next week, and every week until Christ comes as He gives us strength and opportunity. Let us cherish the blessed privilege of sharing these things with one another and with the Lord. Do this in remembrance of Him.
Stacey E. Durham