How Memorials Keep Us From Forgetting
Our Mission
To present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission.
John 20.21-23 records, Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and *said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. “If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained. (LSB)
Jesus has sent His people to testify about Him to the world. Jesus has empowered His people with His Spirit so that we do not fear the consequences of men who fail to respond well to our message about Jesus. The consequences for not telling others about the peace with God available, and only accessible, through Jesus, is that they remain unforgiven and in their sin.
We see so much sin in the world. This is normal in that all of humanity is born into sin, born rebels against God and one another. It is the gospel that leads us to repentance by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit so that we see that our ways are indeed evil, and we seek the presence of God in us, to help us, stop doing those things that hurt us, our relationship with God, and our relationship with one another.
All people everywhere need Jesus for healing of their souls, for help with their relationships, and for pardon from sin so that we can all enter heaven as children of God. Failure to go as the sent ones of God is to leave people in the carnage of their sins. The only true and eternal source of healing for the brokenness of humanity is the person of Jesus, His work on the cross, and His provision of His Spirit for living well today with Him and one another.
We so desperately need the church, you and me, to love people more deeply, so that we stop leaving people broken in their sins because we don’t tell them about the only source of eternal healing, that is about Jesus the Savior of the world.
Our Opportunities
- Sunday, Father’s Day, I will be sharing a message at my church on Biblical Manhood. As the father of ten, I have thought much about what it means to raise a man and what it means for my daughter to marry a man. I want to extend to you the invitation to join me for learning more about what the Bible says about Biblical manhood on Sunday, June 19th. Our service is at 6pm at South Church, 5250 Cornerstone Dr. Lansing, MI 48917. It will be encouraging for me to see you and I believe it will be helpful to you as you prepare your own sons for manhood and your daughters to marry a truly Christian man.
- You can partner with us here: https://give.idonate.com/cbmc-inc/lansing
CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com
MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community
A Publication of CBMC International
June 13, 2022
How Memorials Keep Us From Forgetting
By Robert J. Tamasy
This year in the United States, May 30 marks the observance of Memorial Day, an annual day for remembering the sacrifices of many thousands of men and women who died while serving in the military. It originated in the days following the U.S. Civil War. While not celebrating war, the annual holiday memorializes those who have lost their lives and recognizes the great price they paid in the name of freedom over nearly 250 years.
There are many kinds of memorials. We have buildings, streets, libraries, parks and even hospital wings are named after individuals who have made invaluable contributions to their communities and society. Some businesses continue to bear the names of their deceased founders. Tombstones and other kinds of grave markers served as memorials to loved ones whose lives have come to an end.
I remember hearing a speaker tell about how nameplates were put on artwork, pews and even offering plates at his church to remember important members of the congregation who had died. Imagine making a contribution in Mrs. Wilson’s offering plate – hope she would appreciate it.
Memorials have many purposes. They preserve the memories of people for future generations. They serve as final gestures of appreciation for important leaders, as well as expressions of love for dear family members. And they enable us to maintain links to our heritage and significant moments in our history.
In the Bible, we find many exhortations to remember, never to forget what God has done on our behalf in the past. In one New Testament book, after declaring, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” the readers are then admonished, “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering…. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised” (Hebrews 10:31-35).
This passage addresses a very common tendency most of us have – to forget things that have happened in the past as we confront struggles in the present. For those who follow Jesus Christ, it is often important to think back to what He has done to find assurance about what He can and will do in the future.
We find a number of references to memorials in the Old Testament. Not long after the Israelites had been freed from centuries of slavery to the Egyptians, God instituted the Passover observance, stating, “Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the Lord” (Exodus 12:14).
Perhaps the most famous “memorial” in the Scriptures occurred when Jesus, just before His betrayal, trial, and crucifixion, was observing the Passover with His disciples. After breaking the unleavened bread and giving pieces to each, He told them, “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19). To this day, Christ-followers around the world observe holy communion as a memorial to His sacrificial death for our sins.
Perhaps we would do well, as we move forward in our careers and our lives in general, to establish our own memorials to remind us of important people, events – and most of all, what God has done for us.
© 2022. Robert J. Tamasy has written Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Pursuing Life With a Shepherd’s Heart, coauthored with Ken Johnson; and The Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com.
CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996 lansing.cbmc.com
MONDAY MANNA
A service to the business community
A Publication of CBMC International
June 13, 2022
Reflection/Discussion Questions
1. When you think of the word “memorial,” what thoughts come to your mind?
2. Can you think of any prominent memorials where you live or work, whether buildings named in honor of a significant leader, a generous benefactor, or historical figure? What is the benefit, if any, of memorials like that – in your opinion?
3. What factors in our everyday life can cause us to lose sight of important people and milestones in the past that have left a legacy for the future?
4. If you were to create a kind of memorial as a remembrance for what God has done in your life, whether the recent or distant past, what might it be? What would it signify?
NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Exodus 39:6-7; Deuteronomy 4:9-11; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:14-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996 lansing.cbmc.com