Dad's face was rugged, lined and tanned by years of hard work in the Texas sun. Strength, character and iron will were carved into every line. Each crease told a story of brutal winters or blazing summers. When I thought of cowboys, John Wayne, and folks with courage and determination, I always thought of dad. Someone said that he looked the part of a Texan. I agreed, and decided to paint his portrait to remember him that way.Dad didn't like posing for portraits but he did it for me anyway. To keep his mind off of my sketching, and painting, he told campfire stories to my two sons. Maybe it was his constant movement as he spoke, or my laughing at his stories, but I finally had to get some camera snapshots to finish up the details of the painting. After a few weeks his portrait was done.
Of course, the painting cannot substitute for my dad. It can only remind me of something wonderful about him. However, a thoughtful person who knew dad could stir up precious memories as he or she gazed upon his portrait. It is a way to remember a true Texan.
We need to remember loved ones. Consider that every Sunday Christians around the world reflect on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We share the fruit of the vine and the unleavened bread with one another as the Lord's Supper. In that simple ceremony we look back at Calvary to the high price that was paid for our sins–the death of our Savior on a cross. We look inward at the sins we have committed that made His sacrifice necessary. We look upward for the forgiveness that Jesus extends to us by His grace and mercy. We look forward as we eagerly await for the day when Jesus will come again with the power of His resurrection to take us home.
Of course, the bread and the fruit of the vine are no substitute for the real person of Jesus. They can only remind us of something wonderful about Him–His love for us. A thoughtful person who knows Jesus can stir up precious memories as he or she partakes of the cup and the loaf. The Lord's Supper is an indescribable blessing of promises kept and more yet to come. It is a remembrance of the true Savior of the world.
"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
By Jim Morris
Copyright © 2003-06 Jim Morris. All Rights Reserved.
Activity for Today: Exodus People
